Despite being home to Nintendo’s smallestdual-screen handheld, the 3DS packed more than enough horsepower to carry some of the most ambitious Pokemon titles ever made. Across mainline entries and creative spinoffs, the console managed to deliver a fresh mix of nostalgia and innovation that helped redefine what a Pokemon game could look like, feel like and experiment with.
10 Best Pokémon Games to Start the Series Now
If you want to get into this incredible series and aren’t sure how to go about it, here are the best Pokémon games to start the series now!
From groundbreaking regional designs to artistic side projects that no one saw coming, the 3DS became a vital platform for Pokemon in the 2010s. It was where the franchise first went fully 3D, where alternate universes were first introduced and where the emotional weight of spin-off storylines occasionally hit harder than the main series ever dared to try.
Not every title released during this era became a cultural reset, but these managed to earn a spot among the best Pokemon experiences on the system.
7Detective Pikachu
A Talking Pikachu, a Missing Scientist and a City Full of Secrets
Detective Pikachu
It’s not often that a Pokemon game trades battles for sleuthing, but Detective Pikachu flips the script in just the right way. Released in 2018, this 3DS title follows a coffee-addicted, talking Pikachu in a deerstalker cap who partners with a boy named Tim to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Tim’s father.
Set in Ryme City, where humans and Pokemon coexist peacefully, the game lets players interact with both to solve small mysteries that eventually snowball into a larger conspiracy involving a powerful drug and the manipulation of Pokemon behavior.
The 3D models and animations are surprisingly expressive for the 3DS hardware, with many Pokemon having their own personalities and dialogue quirks. And while the gameplay is fairly simple – leaning more toward visual novel mechanics than complex puzzles – it’s the humor, worldbuilding and unusual tone that make Detective Pikachu a standout oddity worth experiencing.
6Pokemon Art Academy
Catch Them All… Then Learn How to Draw Them
Pokemon Art Academy
Technically more of an educational title than a traditional Pokemon game, Pokemon Art Academy manages to be one of the most surprisingly relaxing and rewarding spin-offs on the 3DS. Built on the back of Nintendo’s Art Academy series, the game is structured around teaching players how to draw Pokemon through a sequence of increasingly complex tutorials.
Rather than just offering a coloring book, the game walks players through actual artistic techniques – from shading and layering to construction lines and character design – all using Pokemon as the subject. From Pikachu to Rayquaza, over 100 different species are included as drawing lessons.
The stylus makes full use of the 3DS touchscreen, and there’s even a “Free Paint” mode for players who want to go beyond the tutorials and create original artwork. Despite not being atraditional RPG, Pokemon Art Academy is still one of the most creatively satisfying entries on the system for fans with an eye for design.
5Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
When the Dungeon Crawls are Tough But the Feels Hit Harder
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
Longtime Mystery Dungeon fans often debate which entry hits the hardest, but Super Mystery Dungeon makes a compelling case for being the best one on 3DS. Released in 2015, the game expands on the series’ roguelike roots, letting players control a human who has been transformed into a Pokemon and must now uncover the reason behind a global petrification crisis.
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Just because they aren’t Legendary doesn’t mean these Pokémon don’t pack a punch.
Unlike its predecessors, this entry includes all 720 Pokemon known at the time, and each of them can be recruited. The combat is still tile-based and turn-driven, with procedural dungeons that reset every time players enter them. But where Super Mystery Dungeon truly shines is in its emotional storytelling and character dynamics, especially between the player and their partner Pokemon.
The game’s difficulty is higher than usual for the series, requiring smart item usage and team strategy. For those who like a more narrative-heavy Pokemon game with genuine stakes and an introspective tone, Super Mystery Dungeon stands as the most complete Mystery Dungeon experience on the 3DS.
4Pokemon X and Y
The First Steps Into 3D Were a Little Shaky, But Monumental All the Same
Pokemon X and Y
Pokemon X and Y marked a major turning point for the series. Released in 2013, these were the first mainline titles to adopt full 3D models for both environments and battles, moving away from the sprite-based visuals that had defined the franchise for years. Set in the Kalos region – inspired by France – the games introduced new mechanics like Mega Evolution and character customization, which would go on to become staples in future entries.
The region itself is aesthetically one of the most detailed on the 3DS, with Lumiose City serving as a central hub that’s both vibrant and mechanically layered, despite some performance hiccups. The story takes a more abstract approach, involving an ancient war, a doomsday weapon and the mysterious AZ who once brought a Pokemon back to life.
While X and Y were criticized at launch for being too easy and having a thin postgame, they laid the groundwork for everything the 3DS titles would improve upon – and for that, they remain historically significant.
3Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
Alternate Dimensions, Ultra Beasts and a More Polished Alola
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
Serving as enhanced versions of Sun and Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon do more than just update the visuals or tweak the difficulty. Released a year after the originals, these versions bring alternate story arcs, additional side quests and a reworked endgame that leans into the series’ more experimentalsci-fi elements.
Ultra Wormholes are expanded, allowing players to encounter and capture Ultra Beasts and Legendary Pokemon from across different dimensions. The introduction of the Ultra Recon Squad adds a new narrative angle, while the climax involving Necrozma and its fused forms feels grander and more mechanically involved than anything in the base versions.
Despite the criticism over the short turnaround between releases, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are objectively the most content-rich experiences on the 3DS. For players who missed the originals or want the definitive Alola journey, these versions offer a much fuller package without having to start from scratch.
2Pokemon Sun and Moon
Aloha to Traditions, Alola to the Future
Pokemon Sun and Moon
By the time Sun and Moon dropped in 2016, the Pokemon formula had grown a little too comfortable. These games changed that. Set in the tropical Alola region, the titles ditched traditional gyms in favor of Island Trials – puzzle-based challenges and battles against powerful Totem Pokemon.
Z-Moves were introduced as a flashy alternative to Mega Evolutions, and the world itself felt more lived-in thanks to a stronger narrative focus on characters like Lillie, Gladion and the enigmatic Lusamine. It’s also one of the few Pokemon stories to genuinely explore themes like independence, family dysfunction and the dangers of obsession.
With its vibrant visual style, diverse ecosystems and focus on nature over urban development, Sun and Moon felt like a cultural reset for the franchise. Even the Pokédex got personality, with regional variants like Alolan Vulpix offering reimagined designs that quickly became fan favorites.
1Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
A Remake that Gave Hoenn More Than Just a Fresh Coat of Paint
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
Rather than being simple remasters of their Game Boy Advance counterparts, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire rebuild Hoenn from the ground up using the 3D engine introduced in X and Y. The result is a pair of remakes that feel both faithful and refreshingly modern.
Mechanically, the games bring in features like the DexNav, which allows for strategic wild Pokemon hunting, and soaring – which lets players fly freely across the region on the back of Latios or Latias. These additions aren’t just quality-of-life improvements, they genuinely change how the game is played.
Story-wise, the Delta Episode adds a whole new endgame focused on meteor threats and introduces Zinnia, a mysterious character who hints at multiversal lore that would later tie into Sun and Moon. With updated music, remixed locations and a careful balance between nostalgia and innovation, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire prove that remakes can be more than just second chances – they can be definitive.
