Best games
Best Shooter games on Nintendo 3DS
The 12 best Shooter games on Nintendo 3DS, ranked from 4,225 critic and player ratings.
The best Shooter game on Nintendo 3DS right now is Super Metroid, with a critic score of 100/100 — updated August 2026.
01
Super Metroid
The Space Pirates, merciless agents of the evil Mother Brain, have stolen the last Metroid from a research station, and once again Mother Brain threatens the safety of the galaxy! Samus Aran must don her awesome array of high-tech weaponry to retrieve the deadly Metroid hidden deep within the cave-riddled planet Zebes. Super Metroid features excellent graphics, with a huge variety of enemies and worlds to explore. The side-view action will be familiar to many players, only now there are new weapons and items, including the Grappling Beam, which allows Samus to swing across large chasms, and the X-Ray Scope, which reveals secret passages.
100
/100
02
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a top down, procedurally-generated roguelike game, remade based on the original game The Binding of Isaac. You play as Isaac, a little boy who is chased to the basement by his mother who intends to kill Isaac for her savior. You explore different levels, collect items and try to defeat your mother.. and whatever other evil awaits you. If you die, you restart with none of your items you collected, and you must explore the basement and beyond again.
86
/100
03
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is the prequel to the entire Metal Gear series. Most of the series' defining gameplay elements have been carried over and as before, Snake must use stealth and wits rather than brute force to infiltrate enemy zones and eliminate his major adversaries. Unlike the previous games, this installment takes place in a large outdoor jungle. Snake is able to use camouflage, climb trees, hide in tall grass or wear clothes that make him less noticeable.
86
/100
Super Metroid
The Space Pirates, merciless agents of the evil Mother Brain, have stolen the last Metroid from a research station, and once again Mother Brain threatens the safety of the galaxy! Samus Aran must don her awesome array of high-tech weaponry to retrieve the deadly Metroid hidden deep within the cave-riddled planet Zebes. Super Metroid features excellent graphics, with a huge variety of enemies and worlds to explore. The side-view action will be familiar to many players, only now there are new weapons and items, including the Grappling Beam, which allows Samus to swing across large chasms, and the X-Ray Scope, which reveals secret passages.
100
/100
02
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a top down, procedurally-generated roguelike game, remade based on the original game The Binding of Isaac. You play as Isaac, a little boy who is chased to the basement by his mother who intends to kill Isaac for her savior. You explore different levels, collect items and try to defeat your mother.. and whatever other evil awaits you. If you die, you restart with none of your items you collected, and you must explore the basement and beyond again.
86
/100
03
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is the prequel to the entire Metal Gear series. Most of the series' defining gameplay elements have been carried over and as before, Snake must use stealth and wits rather than brute force to infiltrate enemy zones and eliminate his major adversaries. Unlike the previous games, this installment takes place in a large outdoor jungle. Snake is able to use camouflage, climb trees, hide in tall grass or wear clothes that make him less noticeable.
86
/100
04
Cave Story
A side-scrolling platformer in which a robot traverses a strange world that has been thrown into disorder due to its violent history and a doctor that is attempting to exploit the inhabitants to aid him in his own pursuit for power.
83
/100
05
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Mega Man Legacy Collection is a celebration of the 8-bit history of Capcom's iconic Blue Bomber. Featuring faithful reproductions of the series' origins with the original six Mega Man games, the Legacy Collection will remind long-time fans and introduce newcomers to what made Mega Man such a popular and iconic character. In addition to the six Mega Man games, Mega Man Legacy Collection features new ways to experience the classic games with the Museum Mode and new Challenge Mode. Challenge Mode remixes gameplay segments from all six games, with plenty of scaling difficulty objectives for experienced players to conquer yet serving as a good starting point for new players, too. Museum Mode contains a comprehensive collection of history, high-res art and original concept pieces - a mega treat for any fan of Mega Man and video game history. Features: Six classic games in one - Play a piece of video game history with the original six Mega Man games and experience the origins of the classic series. 8-bit style with HD flair - The games retain their retro 8-bit style with an added HD finish, giving a crisp, clean look to the charming, classic sprites. Challenge remix mode for new and veteran players - The robust new Challenge Mode remixes gameplay from all six games for a new type of challenge. It provides both increasingly difficult trials for experienced players and also teaches newcomers to become familiar with the style of the games and tackle some of the trickier areas. Museum of the era - The Museum Mode features a massive repository of history and art collected from the era of the games in this collection. Take a look back at the history of Mega Man with loads of information, high-res art, concept pieces, sketches and more in the Museum. Developed with an all-new engine - Using the newly developed Eclipse Engine, Capcom and Digital Eclipse are able to archive these six pieces of video game history with faithful reproductions of the originals for a new generation of gamers. Leaderboards and video replays - Fans will be able to watch video replays of the top players on the leaderboards, showcasing a whole new generation of Mega Man talent!
79
/100
06
Star Fox 64 3D
The Star Fox team triumphantly returns to one of its greatest missions with this remake of Star Fox 64 in full 3D, featuring a complete graphical update. The entire Star Fox universe spreads out realistically into the depths of the Nintendo 3DS screen while the 3D visuals give the player a clearer grasp of distance and position. This makes the game more approachable and intuitive, thereby allowing players to focus on the action.
78
/100
07
Mega Man X3
Mega Man X and his trusty partner Zero have a new force to reckon with. Who or what has caused a riot of Mavericks to break out in the experimental utopia known as Doppler Town? Named after the scientist reploid, Doppler Town was supposed to be a place where humans and reploids could live in harmony. After discovering a virus that was turning reploids to Mavericks, Doppler's anti-virus was a big success. But Doppler itself became infected with the virus and assembled a team to take out the Maverick Hunter Units. The Doppler Effect is about to unfold, with Mega Man X and Zero the only cure for the deadly virus!
78
/100
08
Mega Man 5
In the fifth chapter of the original Mega Man series, the battle is closer to home as Mega Man fights to save the world from further destruction. Gain the advantage by picking up items and successfully defeating bosses to gain their weapons as your own. Get ready for intense action-platforming in 13 stages before taking up battle against Protoman!
77
/100
09
Galaga
The objective of Galaga is to score as many points as possible by destroying insect-like enemies. The player controls a starfighter that can move left and right along the bottom of the playfield. Enemies swarm in groups in a formation near the top of the screen, and then begin flying down toward the player, firing bombs at the fighter. The game ends when the player's last fighter is lost, either by colliding with an enemy or one of its bullets, or by being captured. Galaga introduces a number of new features over its predecessor, Galaxian. Among these is the ability to fire more than one bullet at a time, a count of the player's "hit/miss ratio" at the end of the game, and a bonus "Challenging Stage" that occurs every few levels, in which a series of enemies fly onto and out of the screen in set patterns without firing at the player's ship or trying to crash into it. These stages award a large point bonus if the player manages to destroy every enemy. Another gameplay feature new to Galaga is the ability for enemies to capture the player's fighter. While the player is in control of just one fighter, a "boss Galaga" (which takes two shots to kill) periodically attempts to capture the fighter using a tractor beam. If successful, the fighter joins the enemy formation. If the player has more lives remaining, play resumes with a new fighter. The captured fighter flies down with the enemy that captured it, firing upon the player just like normal enemies, and can be shot and destroyed. The player can free the fighter by destroying the boss Galaga while in flight, causing the captured fighter to link up with the player's current fighter, doubling his or her firepower but also making a target twice as large. Galaga has an exploitable bug that can cause the attackers to stop firing bullets at the player, due to a coding error. In addition, similar to the famous "Split-Screen bug" in Pac-Man, a bug exists in Galaga in which the game "rolls over" from Level 255 to Level 0. Depending on the difficulty setting of the machine, this can cause the game to stall, requiring that the machine be reset or power-cycled in order to start a new game.
70
/100
10
Metroid II: Return of Samus
A Sinister Planet Threatens the Galaxy! Battle through a sprawling underworld, seeking out every last Metroid, and build up your arsenal by discovering mysterious artefacts. Enjoy new abilities like the Spider Ball, and powerful new weapons like the Plasma Beam, as you attempt to eradicate the Metroids once and for all.
60
/100
11
Gunstar Heroes
60
/100
12
TRANSFORMERS: Rise of the Dark Spark
44
/100
Cave Story
A side-scrolling platformer in which a robot traverses a strange world that has been thrown into disorder due to its violent history and a doctor that is attempting to exploit the inhabitants to aid him in his own pursuit for power.
83
/100
05
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Mega Man Legacy Collection is a celebration of the 8-bit history of Capcom's iconic Blue Bomber. Featuring faithful reproductions of the series' origins with the original six Mega Man games, the Legacy Collection will remind long-time fans and introduce newcomers to what made Mega Man such a popular and iconic character. In addition to the six Mega Man games, Mega Man Legacy Collection features new ways to experience the classic games with the Museum Mode and new Challenge Mode. Challenge Mode remixes gameplay segments from all six games, with plenty of scaling difficulty objectives for experienced players to conquer yet serving as a good starting point for new players, too. Museum Mode contains a comprehensive collection of history, high-res art and original concept pieces - a mega treat for any fan of Mega Man and video game history. Features: Six classic games in one - Play a piece of video game history with the original six Mega Man games and experience the origins of the classic series. 8-bit style with HD flair - The games retain their retro 8-bit style with an added HD finish, giving a crisp, clean look to the charming, classic sprites. Challenge remix mode for new and veteran players - The robust new Challenge Mode remixes gameplay from all six games for a new type of challenge. It provides both increasingly difficult trials for experienced players and also teaches newcomers to become familiar with the style of the games and tackle some of the trickier areas. Museum of the era - The Museum Mode features a massive repository of history and art collected from the era of the games in this collection. Take a look back at the history of Mega Man with loads of information, high-res art, concept pieces, sketches and more in the Museum. Developed with an all-new engine - Using the newly developed Eclipse Engine, Capcom and Digital Eclipse are able to archive these six pieces of video game history with faithful reproductions of the originals for a new generation of gamers. Leaderboards and video replays - Fans will be able to watch video replays of the top players on the leaderboards, showcasing a whole new generation of Mega Man talent!
79
/100
06
Star Fox 64 3D
The Star Fox team triumphantly returns to one of its greatest missions with this remake of Star Fox 64 in full 3D, featuring a complete graphical update. The entire Star Fox universe spreads out realistically into the depths of the Nintendo 3DS screen while the 3D visuals give the player a clearer grasp of distance and position. This makes the game more approachable and intuitive, thereby allowing players to focus on the action.
78
/100
07
Mega Man X3
Mega Man X and his trusty partner Zero have a new force to reckon with. Who or what has caused a riot of Mavericks to break out in the experimental utopia known as Doppler Town? Named after the scientist reploid, Doppler Town was supposed to be a place where humans and reploids could live in harmony. After discovering a virus that was turning reploids to Mavericks, Doppler's anti-virus was a big success. But Doppler itself became infected with the virus and assembled a team to take out the Maverick Hunter Units. The Doppler Effect is about to unfold, with Mega Man X and Zero the only cure for the deadly virus!
78
/100
08
Mega Man 5
In the fifth chapter of the original Mega Man series, the battle is closer to home as Mega Man fights to save the world from further destruction. Gain the advantage by picking up items and successfully defeating bosses to gain their weapons as your own. Get ready for intense action-platforming in 13 stages before taking up battle against Protoman!
77
/100
09
Galaga
The objective of Galaga is to score as many points as possible by destroying insect-like enemies. The player controls a starfighter that can move left and right along the bottom of the playfield. Enemies swarm in groups in a formation near the top of the screen, and then begin flying down toward the player, firing bombs at the fighter. The game ends when the player's last fighter is lost, either by colliding with an enemy or one of its bullets, or by being captured. Galaga introduces a number of new features over its predecessor, Galaxian. Among these is the ability to fire more than one bullet at a time, a count of the player's "hit/miss ratio" at the end of the game, and a bonus "Challenging Stage" that occurs every few levels, in which a series of enemies fly onto and out of the screen in set patterns without firing at the player's ship or trying to crash into it. These stages award a large point bonus if the player manages to destroy every enemy. Another gameplay feature new to Galaga is the ability for enemies to capture the player's fighter. While the player is in control of just one fighter, a "boss Galaga" (which takes two shots to kill) periodically attempts to capture the fighter using a tractor beam. If successful, the fighter joins the enemy formation. If the player has more lives remaining, play resumes with a new fighter. The captured fighter flies down with the enemy that captured it, firing upon the player just like normal enemies, and can be shot and destroyed. The player can free the fighter by destroying the boss Galaga while in flight, causing the captured fighter to link up with the player's current fighter, doubling his or her firepower but also making a target twice as large. Galaga has an exploitable bug that can cause the attackers to stop firing bullets at the player, due to a coding error. In addition, similar to the famous "Split-Screen bug" in Pac-Man, a bug exists in Galaga in which the game "rolls over" from Level 255 to Level 0. Depending on the difficulty setting of the machine, this can cause the game to stall, requiring that the machine be reset or power-cycled in order to start a new game.
70
/100
10
Metroid II: Return of Samus
A Sinister Planet Threatens the Galaxy! Battle through a sprawling underworld, seeking out every last Metroid, and build up your arsenal by discovering mysterious artefacts. Enjoy new abilities like the Spider Ball, and powerful new weapons like the Plasma Beam, as you attempt to eradicate the Metroids once and for all.
60
/100
11
Gunstar Heroes
60
/100
12
TRANSFORMERS: Rise of the Dark Spark
44
/100
FAQ
What is the best Shooter game on Nintendo 3DS?
Super Metroid currently tops the ranking with a score of 100/100 across 1,041 ratings. Ranking updated August 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.