TheLegend of Zeldais one of Nintendo’s most beloved & heavily guarded franchises. It has graced nearly every console since it premiered in 1986 in Japan. The one exception is the Virtual Boy but that hardly counts.
Having all that being said, usually most consoles are only lucky enough to have one, maybe two titles per system. The 3DS, on the other hand, had far more; granted, two games were remasters, one was a port from the Wii U, and a few others were old titles released via the Virtual Console. Still, the 3DS made it easy to take theZeldaclassicson the go, but some are more worth the cost of entry than others.
Updated June 29, 2025, by Mark Sammut:This article with thebest 3DS Zelda gameshas been updated to include each game’s specifications.
Link’s Awakening DX – No Score
An updated version of 1993’sLink’s Awakeningfor the Game Boy, theDXiteration debuted in 1998 on the Game Boy Color. Besides a color lift,Link’s Awakening DXincluded a couple of tweaks and alterations, such as the introduction of a new photographer mechanic along with a side quest to go with it. There is even a new dungeon designed specifically to take advantage of the expanded color palette offered by the GBC. In 2011,Link’s Awakening DXwas released on the 3DS' Virtual Console, making it readily available to a modern audience.
As the 3DS Store has been discontinued,Link’s AwakeningDXis no longer available to purchase.
Zelda DS Games That Are Backward Compatible With The 3DS
As the 2DS and 3DS were designed to be backward compatible with the Nintendo DS, the handheld consoles launched with hundreds of fantastic games already in their libraries. Naturally, this selection included a couple ofLegend of Zeldatitles, including the brilliantPhantom Hourglass. Technically, these are not 3DS games, but they should be mentioned since they can be experienced on the platform.
The New 3DS line of handhelds didn’t have many exclusives but this Wii U port ofHyrule Warriorswas one of them. It actually did work on normal 3DS units, but poorly. Whatever handheld one played it on, the important thing to note here is the new content. The expansion was primarily led byThe Wind Waker.
The Wind Wakerexpansion added story bits from the game along with including Tetra, Toon Link, and King Daphnes as playable characters. Not only that but Linkle also got her own storyline. It was a good port of an already bizarre game. It’s not thebest 3DSZeldagame, but it’s worth a try for die-hardZeldafans looking for a multiplayer experience in Hyrule.
The Legend of Zeldaseries has been dabbling with multiplayer for nigh on decades now. It all began withFour Swords, which created multiple Links. That’s how most of the multiplayerZeldagames work, includingTri Force Heroes.
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While interesting, none of these multiplayer outings have actually nailed multiplayer. In order to get the most out ofTri Force Heroes, one needs three friends. It can be played alone but it is cumbersome. It’s far from thebestZelda3DS game,but at least it had Download Play options so that only one person needed the game.
The secondLegend of Zeldagame didn’t even use the title of the first entry, unlike other games in the series. CalledZelda 2: The Adventure Of Link, players are tasked with waking up the sleeping Zelda after she was cursed. It’s a brutally hard game that plays nothing like otherLegend of Zeldagames thanks to its side-scrolling movement and experience-based leveling.
It is one of the lowest-ratedLegend of Zeldagames, partially due to its difficulty, but mostly for its complete deviation from the hallowed gameplay of the first. The team quickly went back to the top-down view withA Link To The Pasta few years later, but it’s still worth checking out as one of the fewZeldagames for 3DSthat don’t use the classicZeldaformula at all.
As the 3DS Store has been discontinued,Zelda 2: The Adventure of Linkis no longer available to purchase.
The one that started it all,The Legend of Zeldawas groundbreaking when it debuted on the NES. Nowadays, the game’s lack of direction might be a bit off-putting to modern players, but the title’s dungeons hold up fairly well. If a relatively new fan is looking to revisit the franchise’s pre-Ocarina of Timetitles,The Legend of Zeldashould be the second they try afterA Link To The Past. Like many classic entries in the series, Nintendo eventually release the NES masterpiece on the 3DS’s Virtual Console.
As the 3DS Store has been discontinued,The Legend of Zeldais no longer available to purchase.
DSiWare releases are primarily associated with the DS, but sinceFour Swords Anniversary Editiondebuted after the launch of the 3DS, the game will be mentioned in this discussion. Originally released as a companion piece for the GBA’sA Link to the Past,Four SwordssawZeldaembrace multiplayer as players worked their way through dungeons while trying to collect rupees.
TheAnniversary Editionwas only available for a couple of years, and the game has not been downloadable since around 2014. This package not only remastered the Game Boy Advance title but also included a single-player mode to make the title more accessible.
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Editionis not available to download.
The Minish Capis a special case as, unlike most other Virtual Console releases, this title was only available to people who qualified for the 3DS Ambassador Program. The originalLegend of Zeldawas also part of this initiative, but while that game eventually garnered a standalone release,The Minish Capwas not so lucky. That said, the game was added to the Wii U Virtual Console, so it was available for a while.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Capis not available to download on the 3DS.
Majora’s Maskis a divisive entryamongZeldafans. Along with being a shorterZeldagame thanOcarina of TIme,Majora’s Maskprioritized side content along with setting the game on a 72-hour in-game timer that was always counting down.
Majora’s Mask 3Dsought to make the experience more accessible, arguably making it the definitive version for modern gamers. One thankfully added feature was the ability to save and fast-travel more often. While time constraints weren’t lifted (the timer is actually faster inMajora’s Mask 3D,) all the quality-of-life additions make this hard to notice.
By and large,A Link Between Worldsis thebestZelda3DS gamethat is its own original IP, not a port. In many ways, it too can feel like a remake asALBWreuses a lot ofA Link to the Past’sworld albeit slightly altered. This game is theMajora’s MaskofA Link to the Pastin other words.
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Reused content aside, the ability to go 2D and explore new areas between cracks was an immersive ability that looks good in 3D to boot.A Link Between Worldsalso bucked the trend for the series by adding in a shop that allowed players to rent equipment to tackle the dungeons in almost any order. The story’s twist also made a good wink to the series’ tried and true tropes.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of AgesandOracle of Seasonswere released back-to-back for the Game Boy Color with a port released for 3DS in 2013, 12 years after the game’s original release. Both games were a “sequel” toLink’s Awakening, featuring much of the same designs and gameplay as their predecessor.
Oracle of AgesandOracle of Seasonsare twoZeldagames for 3DSthat still hold up today. The only differences between the two are the colors in the game and their gameplay focus:Agesfocuses on puzzles and endurance, whileSeasonsis all about fighting.
While these games do not have traditional pages on Metacritic,they are listed with a 92 here.
As the 3DS Store has been discontinued,The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of AgesandOracle of Seasonsare no longer available to purchase.
It was thanks toOcarina of Time’ssuccess on the 3DS thatMajora’s Maskwas even considered. The N64 original remains the best-reviewed Zelda of all time on top of being in the top ten best games of all time on Metacritic. This 3DS remake is slightly below that; however, scores aside, this is actually the better version. Like theMajora’s Maskedition, this game fixed some issues like expanding the inventory slot options via a simple tap of the bottom screen.
This made the Water Temple, as just one example, much easier to navigate. It also looks great on the handheld. IsOcarina of Timereally the best Zelda game of all time? Yes and no. It did a lot for the franchise, butA Link to the Pastis up there as well. As for thebest 3DSZeldagame, these last three are definitely worth playing while the first two have a few caveats.
