Platform guide
All Fire Emblem 3DS games
Six Fire Emblem releases came to the Nintendo 3DS in Europe and five of them exist on a cartridge — the sixth was download-only and cannot be bought at all any more. This is also the console where the series was nearly cancelled and then became a hit, which is why the list starts with the friendliest game in it. One cartridge here needs a New 3DS, and that catches people out.
The short answer
Awakening (2013) → Fates: Birthright and Fates: Conquest (2016) → Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (2017) → Fire Emblem Warriors (2017). Start with Awakening. Fates: Revelation was DLC and never a box, and Warriors needs a New 3DS.
Tested Fire Emblem 3DS games in stock
European versions, opened, checked and started on a real 3DS before they are listed.
Every Fire Emblem 3DS release, in order
| Release | Released (EU) | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Awakening | 19 April 2013 | Cartridge |
| Fates: Birthright | 20 May 2016 | Cartridge |
| Fates: Conquest | 20 May 2016 | Cartridge |
| Fates: Revelation | 9 June 2016 | Download only — no cartridge |
| Echoes: Shadows of Valentia | 19 May 2017 | Cartridge |
| Warriors | 20 October 2017 | Cartridge — New 3DS only |
Game by game — the buying notes
Fire Emblem Awakening (2013)
The game that saved the series. Intelligent Systems built it as the last Fire Emblem — sales had been falling for years and Nintendo had set a threshold the previous games had missed — and then it outsold every entry before it. It is also the friendliest way in: permadeath is optional, the map design is generous, and the support conversations between characters are the reason people who do not like strategy games finish it anyway. Start here.
Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright (2016)
One half of a story told from two sides: you choose a family, and Birthright is the side that plays like Awakening — grind-friendly maps, room to level up, forgiving objectives. If you liked Awakening and want more of it, this is the one. It is a complete game on its own; you do not need Conquest to finish it.
Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest (2016)
The other side, and a much harder game: no free battles to grind on, objectives that are rarely just "kill everyone", and map design that many people rate the best in the series. Buy this one if you have played a Fire Emblem before and want to be tested. Same cartridge slot, same characters, completely different difficulty.
Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation (2016)
The third route, which resolves what Birthright and Conquest leave open. It was never sold on a cartridge in Europe: it is downloadable content, bought inside a copy of Birthright or Conquest. With the 3DS eShop closed since March 2023 there is no way to buy it any more. If you see a boxed Revelation offered, look closely — it is not a European retail product.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (2017)
A full remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, the 1992 Famicom game that never left Japan — so for anyone outside Japan this is the first time that story has been playable at all. It is the odd one of the series: dungeons you walk through in third person, no weapon durability, and a much smaller cast. Beautiful, strange, and the one collectors go for.
Fire Emblem Warriors (2017)
Not a strategy game: a Dynasty Warriors crossover where you cut through hundreds of soldiers at once, with Fire Emblem characters and a light command layer on top. Fun, and completely unlike everything else on this list. One thing to check before you buy: the 3DS version needs a New Nintendo 3DS, New 3DS XL or New 2DS XL. It does not run on an original 3DS, 3DS XL or 2DS, and an old XL looks almost the same as a New XL from the outside.
The New 3DS requirement, in plain terms
Nintendo released a faster 3DS in 2015 — the New Nintendo 3DS, the New 3DS XL and later the New 2DS XL — and a small number of games only run on those. Fire Emblem Warriors is one of them. On an original 3DS, 3DS XL or 2DS the cartridge simply will not start.
The awkward part is that a New 3DS XL and an old 3DS XL look almost identical. The reliable tell is the small second stick — the C-stick nub — above the buttons, and the four face buttons being coloured rather than grey. If yours has neither, it is an original model, and Warriors is not for it. The other five games on this list run on every 3DS and 2DS.
Or buy one that has already been checked
Every 3DS cartridge we sell is European, opened, and started on a real console before it is listed — so it boots on your machine, and where a game needs a New 3DS the listing says so. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries.
See every 3DS game we haveQuestions we get asked
How many Fire Emblem games are there on the Nintendo 3DS?
Six releases, five of them on a cartridge: Awakening (2013), Fates: Birthright and Fates: Conquest (both 20 May 2016), Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (2017) and Fire Emblem Warriors (2017). The sixth, Fates: Revelation, was only ever downloadable content — there is no European box. Fire Emblem Fates is therefore one game sold as three routes, which is why title counts for this series never agree.
Which Fire Emblem 3DS game should I start with?
Awakening. It is built for newcomers — permadeath can be switched off, you can grind on free battles when a map goes badly, and the story stands alone. After that, Fates: Birthright if you want more of the same and Fates: Conquest if you want the hard version. Echoes is the one to save for later: it is a remake of a 1992 game and plays like one, in ways that are interesting once you know the series and confusing if you do not.
What is the difference between Birthright and Conquest?
The same story from opposite sides, with the same characters and very different design. Birthright lets you replay battles to level up and has straightforward objectives; Conquest does not, and its maps are built as puzzles with specific win conditions. Birthright is roughly the difficulty of Awakening; Conquest is the hardest mainline Fire Emblem in years. Each is a complete game — you do not need both.
Does Fire Emblem Warriors work on my 3DS?
Only on a New Nintendo 3DS, New 3DS XL or New 2DS XL. The original 3DS, the 3DS XL and the first 2DS do not have enough processing power and the game will not start on them. The box says so, in small type on the front, and it is easy to miss. It is worth checking which console you actually own before you buy, because a New 3DS XL and an old 3DS XL look nearly identical from the outside — see the section above for the two things that tell them apart.
Are 3DS cartridges region-locked?
Yes. A 3DS game only starts on a console from the same region, so a European Fire Emblem needs a European 3DS, 2DS or New 3DS. American and Japanese copies will not boot. Everything we sell is the European version, which also means the language options are the European ones — English, French, German, Spanish and Italian on most of these.
Can I still get Fates: Revelation?
No. It was downloadable content inside Birthright or Conquest, sold through the 3DS eShop, and Nintendo closed that shop in March 2023. Anyone who bought it before then keeps it; nobody can buy it now. There was no cartridge release in Europe, so a boxed copy offered second-hand is either an import of a Japanese special edition or not what it claims to be.
Do you ship Fire Emblem 3DS games across the EU?
Yes — tracked shipping from the Netherlands to all 27 EU countries, no customs charges inside the EU, and 30 days to return an order. Your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
The whole series in order, including the six that never left Japan. Same cartridge slot, different franchise: all Pokémon 3DS games, all Professor Layton 3DS games and all Animal Crossing 3DS games.
Dutch reader? Nintendo 3DS-games — het hele aanbod in het Nederlands.