Best games
Best Simulation games on Nintendo 3DS
The 9 best Simulation games on Nintendo 3DS, ranked from 7,524 critic and player ratings.
The best Simulation game on Nintendo 3DS right now is Animal Crossing: New Leaf, with a critic score of 88/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
- 9 games are listed on this page, carrying 7,524 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 9
01
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
The charming community-building franchise returns for with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The Nintendo 3DS entry into this popular franchise introduces a number of options new to Animal Crossing, including the ability to become the head of the village and boost its development, a way to install certain items in the village to make its characteristics more personalized for each player, and the ability to view homes of other players who are tagged through StreetPass connections.
88
/100
02
The Sims 3
In The Sims 3, you can create Sims with unique personalities, fulfill their desires, and control their lives within a customizable living neighborhood. Unlock all-new Karma Powers and unleash them on your Sims: help your Sim get lucky with the power of "love connector", bless them with the power of "age defiler" or "instant beauty" or curse them with an "instant enemy". Use these powers wisely, because they may have unexpected results! As you guide your Sims through life, you can complete challenges to unlock additional items, new buildings and landmarks.
83
/100
03
S
Minecraft
Minecraft focuses on allowing the player to explore, interact with, and modify a dynamically-generated map made of one-cubic-meter-sized blocks. In addition to blocks, the environment features plants, mobs, and items. Some activities in the game include mining for ore, fighting hostile mobs, and crafting new blocks and tools by gathering various resources found in the game. The game's open-ended model allows players to create structures, creations, and artwork on various multiplayer servers or their single-player maps. Other features include redstone circuits for logic computations and remote actions, minecarts and tracks, and a mysterious underworld called the Nether. A designated but completely optional goal of the game is to travel to a dimension called the End, and defeat the ender dragon.
83
/100
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
The charming community-building franchise returns for with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The Nintendo 3DS entry into this popular franchise introduces a number of options new to Animal Crossing, including the ability to become the head of the village and boost its development, a way to install certain items in the village to make its characteristics more personalized for each player, and the ability to view homes of other players who are tagged through StreetPass connections.
88
/100
02
The Sims 3
In The Sims 3, you can create Sims with unique personalities, fulfill their desires, and control their lives within a customizable living neighborhood. Unlock all-new Karma Powers and unleash them on your Sims: help your Sim get lucky with the power of "love connector", bless them with the power of "age defiler" or "instant beauty" or curse them with an "instant enemy". Use these powers wisely, because they may have unexpected results! As you guide your Sims through life, you can complete challenges to unlock additional items, new buildings and landmarks.
83
/100
03
S
Minecraft
Minecraft focuses on allowing the player to explore, interact with, and modify a dynamically-generated map made of one-cubic-meter-sized blocks. In addition to blocks, the environment features plants, mobs, and items. Some activities in the game include mining for ore, fighting hostile mobs, and crafting new blocks and tools by gathering various resources found in the game. The game's open-ended model allows players to create structures, creations, and artwork on various multiplayer servers or their single-player maps. Other features include redstone circuits for logic computations and remote actions, minecarts and tracks, and a mysterious underworld called the Nether. A designated but completely optional goal of the game is to travel to a dimension called the End, and defeat the ender dragon.
83
/100
04
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
Dual Destinies continues the style of gameplay from previous installments, in which the player must utilize evidence and find contradictions in witness statements to prove their client innocent. Like previous installments, gameplay is split up between Investigations, in which players find evidence and question witnesses, and Trials, where they must use the evidence to expose contradictions. The game now features full 3D graphics and character models, allowing more dynamic camera angles during gameplay, such as quickly panning around the courtroom in the moments before a dramatic reveal. The 3D camera also allows investigation sequences to take place in 3D spaces, permitting greater investigative depth, such as being able to rotate around a room to look for clues.
83
/100
05
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Defend the innocent and save the day! Courtroom hero Phoenix Wright lays down the law this Winter in the digital release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy. Experience the original trilogy like never before in clear, high-resolution re-drawn graphics and immersive 3D visuals optimized for the Nintendo 3DS system. Join rookie lawyer Phoenix Wright through the early years of his career in his quest to find the truth behind all of the classic cases! Prepare for intense courtroom showdowns by investigating crime scenes, collecting evidence, and questioning witnesses. Use evidence and the testimonies of witnesses to your advantage as you battle for the innocence of your client. Nothing less of a full acquittal will do in this court of law. Find the contradictions in witnesses' testimonies to expose the truth!
82
/100
06
A
Terraria
Dig, Fight, Explore, Build: The very world is at your fingertips as you fight for survival, fortune, and glory. Will you delve deep into cavernous expanses in search of treasure and raw materials with which to craft ever-evolving gear, machinery, and aesthetics? Perhaps you will choose instead to seek out ever-greater foes to test your mettle in combat? Maybe you will decide to construct your own city to house the host of mysterious allies you may encounter along your travels? In the World of Terraria, the choice is yours!
81
/100
07
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
80
/100
08
Edge
74
/100
09
Punch Club
Train hard, fight crocodiles and find love. Earn your place in the Punch Club ranks, and discover who brutally murdered your father, in this choose your own adventure boxing management tycoon. Punch Club is a boxing tycoon management game with multiple branching story lines. Your goal is clear, but how you get there depends on whether you want to legitimately climb the rankings, or take the more ridiculous, shady route. Along the way you'll want to focus your talents. Will you take the Way of the Tiger, the Way of the Turtle, or the Way of the [other one?]? Your strength, accuracy and agility all depends on whichever Way enlightens your path. Do you have stripes, or flippers? And every decision will matter, especially in your social life. You'll be juggling friendships, love life, work, recreational time, relationships, and possible stardom, all alongside your gym time and fighting aligators. It's not all just pumping iron, you know.
73
/100
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
Dual Destinies continues the style of gameplay from previous installments, in which the player must utilize evidence and find contradictions in witness statements to prove their client innocent. Like previous installments, gameplay is split up between Investigations, in which players find evidence and question witnesses, and Trials, where they must use the evidence to expose contradictions. The game now features full 3D graphics and character models, allowing more dynamic camera angles during gameplay, such as quickly panning around the courtroom in the moments before a dramatic reveal. The 3D camera also allows investigation sequences to take place in 3D spaces, permitting greater investigative depth, such as being able to rotate around a room to look for clues.
83
/100
05
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Defend the innocent and save the day! Courtroom hero Phoenix Wright lays down the law this Winter in the digital release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy. Experience the original trilogy like never before in clear, high-resolution re-drawn graphics and immersive 3D visuals optimized for the Nintendo 3DS system. Join rookie lawyer Phoenix Wright through the early years of his career in his quest to find the truth behind all of the classic cases! Prepare for intense courtroom showdowns by investigating crime scenes, collecting evidence, and questioning witnesses. Use evidence and the testimonies of witnesses to your advantage as you battle for the innocence of your client. Nothing less of a full acquittal will do in this court of law. Find the contradictions in witnesses' testimonies to expose the truth!
82
/100
06
A
Terraria
Dig, Fight, Explore, Build: The very world is at your fingertips as you fight for survival, fortune, and glory. Will you delve deep into cavernous expanses in search of treasure and raw materials with which to craft ever-evolving gear, machinery, and aesthetics? Perhaps you will choose instead to seek out ever-greater foes to test your mettle in combat? Maybe you will decide to construct your own city to house the host of mysterious allies you may encounter along your travels? In the World of Terraria, the choice is yours!
81
/100
07
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
80
/100
08
Edge
74
/100
09
Punch Club
Train hard, fight crocodiles and find love. Earn your place in the Punch Club ranks, and discover who brutally murdered your father, in this choose your own adventure boxing management tycoon. Punch Club is a boxing tycoon management game with multiple branching story lines. Your goal is clear, but how you get there depends on whether you want to legitimately climb the rankings, or take the more ridiculous, shady route. Along the way you'll want to focus your talents. Will you take the Way of the Tiger, the Way of the Turtle, or the Way of the [other one?]? Your strength, accuracy and agility all depends on whichever Way enlightens your path. Do you have stripes, or flippers? And every decision will matter, especially in your social life. You'll be juggling friendships, love life, work, recreational time, relationships, and possible stardom, all alongside your gym time and fighting aligators. It's not all just pumping iron, you know.
73
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Simulation game on Nintendo 3DS?
Animal Crossing: New Leaf currently tops the ranking with a score of 88/100 across 287 ratings. Ranking updated September 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.