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Best Strategy games on Nintendo 3DS

The 8 best Strategy games on Nintendo 3DS, ranked from 923 critic and player ratings.

The best Strategy game on Nintendo 3DS right now is Fire Emblem Awakening, with a critic score of 90/100 — updated November 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 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Each game is ranked in one genre only, the one that defines it best, so the same title never tops two different genre charts.
  • 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.
  • 8 games are listed on this page, carrying 923 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 13 November 2026.

Top 8

Played them? Give your tier with the + next to each game. No account needed to try — create one to keep your tiers.

01 Fire Emblem Awakening Fire Emblem Awakening 2012 · 272 ratings Armies clash as the world burns. As an inevitable war draws ever closer, you must stand with Chrom and his forces--knights, mages, archers, and more--commanding them against the armies of kingdoms, empires, and the dead themselves. Plan your strategery. Move your troops on the battlefield, then choose their weapon and attack. Using the new Pair Up and Dual systems, support your attacks with the help of nearby allies and watch their skills and relationships grow. 90 /100
02 SteamWorld Heist SteamWorld Heist 2015 · 104 ratings · finished by 8% Join Captain Piper Faraday, smuggler and occasional pirate, as she recruits a rag-tag team of steam-driven robots and sets out on a daring adventure. With your hearty crew you’ll board, loot and shoot your way through enemy spaceships. Overcome the challenges of the vast frontier by upgrading your robots with unique abilities, weapons – and even stylish hats! 88 /100
03 Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest 2015 · 105 ratings Fire Emblem Fates is split into three story paths. Conquest is one of the two base stories, the other being Birthright. The other story path can be bought digitally at a discount through the in-game store. The third story path is Revelation, a DLC that was released later. You need to be have completed Chapter 6 in either game to access the other stories and DLC. Conquest is the hardest of the three paths, having reduced ability to grind experience from maps, tougher mission objectives, and giving less money and experience for those missions. 87 /100
04 Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright 2015 · 109 ratings Fire Emblem Fates is split into three story paths. Birthright is one of the two base stories, the other being Conquest. The other story path can be bought digitally at a discount through the in-game store. The third story path is Revelation, a DLC that was released later. You need to be have completed Chapter 6 in either game to access the other stories and DLC. Birthright is the easier path as it has the ability to use scouting missions to grind experience and money and simpler mission objectives. 86 /100
05 Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation 2016 · 54 ratings 88 /100
06 Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition Fire Emblem Fates: Special Edition 2016 · 35 ratings Fire Emblem Fates - Special Edition was a limited time bundle containing both base stories, Birthright and Conquest, and gave access to DLC for the 3rd story, Revelation, when it became available. The games were otherwise sold separately though you could get the second story path digitally at a discount. You need to be have completed chapter 6 in the either game to access the other stories, and the DLCs, path. Conquest is the hardest of the 3 paths having no ability to grind experience from maps, tougher mission objectives, and giving less money and experience for those missions. Birthright, the easiest path, has the ability to use scouting missions to grind experience and money and simpler mission objectives that give greater amounts of experience and money. Revelation is in the middle as the scouting missions are available but the mission objectives are similar to Conquest's. This is ignoring the 3 difficulty settings in-game. "Two kingdoms at war – the peace-loving Hoshido and the glory-seeking Nohr – It’s up to the player to decide which side to take. As the prince/princess of Hoshido, who was raised by Nohr royal family, you will be torn between two families you love. Whichever path you take, you will face different types of challenges." 87 /100
07 Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia 2017 · 106 ratings In 1992, the second game in the Fire Emblem series, Fire Emblem Gaiden, launched exclusively in Japan. Now, for the first time, fans outside of Japan will get a taste of this classic game on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is inspired by the 1992 original, reimagined on a grander scale. Every aspect of the Fire Emblem Gaiden game's presentation has been updated, along with the game being fully voiced. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia recreates classic Fire Emblem gameplay with a modern twist, mixing in exploration of dungeons crawling with enemies." 81 /100
08 Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones 2004 · 138 ratings In Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, you must help protect the nation of Renais from the invading Grado Empire. Plan your strategy, choose your units, and then lead your soldiers in to battle. The more experience your soldiers gain, the more you can upgrade their abilities. This time, your soldiers can gain experience by fighting new monsters in the Tower of Valni. 76 /100
Browse all the best Nintendo 3DS games

Other platforms

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Same platform, other genres

Best Action games on Nintendo 3DSBest Adventure games on Nintendo 3DSBest Arcade games on Nintendo 3DSBest Casual games on Nintendo 3DSBest Indie games on Nintendo 3DSBest Platformer games on Nintendo 3DSBest Puzzle games on Nintendo 3DSBest RPG games on Nintendo 3DS

Nearby rankings

Best Strategy games of 2020Best Strategy games of 2019Best Strategy games of 2018Best Strategy games of 2017

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Strategy game on Nintendo 3DS?

Fire Emblem Awakening currently tops the ranking with a score of 90/100 across 272 ratings. Ranking updated November 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.