The 10 best life sims on 3DS, ranked
| # | Game | US release | What you do | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Animal Crossing: New Leaf | 2013 | Run a town as its mayor on a real-time clock | Daily check-ins for years |
| 2 | Tomodachi Life | 2014 | Fill an island with Mii characters and watch the drama | Surprises and laughs |
| 3 | Fantasy Life | 2014 | Swap between 12 Life classes in an open-world RPG | Jobs plus adventure |
| 4 | Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns | 2017 | Grow a farm and trade with three towns | The fullest farming game |
| 5 | Rune Factory 4 | 2013 | Farm, build relationships and go adventuring | Farming with an RPG story |
| 6 | Disney Magical World 2 | 2016 | Make a home among Disney characters | Younger players |
| 7 | The Sims 3 | 2011 | Create Sims and guide their lives in 3D | The Sims on a handheld |
| 8 | Story of Seasons | 2015 | Build a farm and befriend Oak Tree Town | A first farming game |
| 9 | Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer | 2015 | Design homes for animal clients | Decorating only |
| 10 | Nintendogs + Cats | 2011 | Raise and train a puppy or kitten | Pet care |
The ranking weighs how much daily life each game simulates and how long it lasts. No prices are listed because Nintendo no longer sells any of them.
The top five in short
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf: a mix-up makes you mayor of a town. Time moves at the pace of the real world, and there is no goal and no ending. The free Welcome amiibo update in 2016 added amiibo support.
- Tomodachi Life: you give each Mii a voice and a personality, move up to 100 of them into Mii Apartments and watch what happens.
- Fantasy Life: an RPG from Level-5 set in the land of Reveria. You switch between 12 Life classes, craft hundreds of items and complete quests.
- Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns: your farm sits near three towns, Westown, Tsuyukusa and Lulukoko, each with its own shops and residents to befriend.
- Rune Factory 4: a new life in a new country, where you cultivate land, develop relationships and go adventuring with companions.
How to get 3DS games in 2026
- The 3DS eShop no longer sells games. Purchases ended on March 27, 2023, and free downloads such as demos ended the same day.
- Used cartridges are the way in. There is no official price any more. What you pay depends on the seller and the condition of the cartridge.
- Already bought a game digitally? Nintendo says you can still redownload purchased games and DLC and receive software updates.
- Skip ROM sites. Downloading a copy of a game you do not own is piracy, and this page does not link to any.
What still works on a 3DS
Nintendo ended online play and other online features for 3DS software on April 8, 2024. That covers online co-op, internet rankings, data distribution and SpotPass.
- Still works: everything offline, StreetPass and other local communication between two systems in the same room.
- Gone: anything that needed the internet, such as visiting another player online.
For these ten games that changes little: all of them are built around playing alone.
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The same series on Switch
| 3DS game | On Switch now | US eShop price |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Crossing: New Leaf | Animal Crossing: New Horizons | $59.99 |
| Tomodachi Life | Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream | $59.99 |
| Fantasy Life | Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time | $59.99 |
| Story of Seasons | Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar | $49.99 |
| Rune Factory 4 | Rune Factory 4 Special, a re-release of the same game | $29.99 ($8.99 on sale until November 20) |
| Disney Magical World 2 | Disney Magical World 2: Enchanted Edition | $49.99 |
| Happy Home Designer | Happy Home Paradise, paid DLC for New Horizons | $24.99 |
Prices checked on November 10, 2026. The Sims 3 has no Switch version, and The Sims 4 is not on any Nintendo system. The full Switch ranking is on the Nintendo Switch page.
LifeSim is not on 3DS. It is a free life sim that runs in a phone or laptop browser, so it suits the moments when the handheld is not with you. For every platform, see the main ranking.
FAQ
Can you still buy 3DS games on the eShop?
No. Nintendo ended 3DS eShop purchases on March 27, 2023. You can still redownload games you bought before that date, but new copies come only from used cartridges.
Do 3DS life sims still work online?
No. Online play for 3DS software ended on April 8, 2024. Offline play and StreetPass still work, because StreetPass uses local communication between systems.
Is the 3DS Tomodachi Life the same as the Switch game?
No. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a new game for Switch, released on April 16, 2026. There is no way to move a 3DS island into it.
Is The Sims on 3DS?
Yes. The Sims 3 came out for 3DS in March 2011 as one of the system's launch games. It is sold only as a used cartridge now.