Platform guide
All Pokémon 3DS games
Eight mainline Pokémon games came out on the Nintendo 3DS between 2013 and 2017 — the first fully 3D generation, the Hoenn remakes, and the last mainline entries ever made for a dedicated handheld. Since the eShop closed in 2023, a cartridge is the only way left to buy any of them.
The short answer
The eight mainline Pokémon games on Nintendo 3DS are: X and Y (2013), Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014), Sun and Moon (2016), and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (2017). All of them play on every model in the 3DS family, including the 2DS — and the 3DS also runs all nine Pokémon DS games.
Every mainline Pokémon 3DS game
| Game | Year (EU) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| X | 2013 | Gen 6 — Kalos |
| Y | 2013 | Gen 6 — Kalos |
| Omega Ruby | 2014 | Gen 3 remake — Hoenn |
| Alpha Sapphire | 2014 | Gen 3 remake — Hoenn |
| Sun | 2016 | Gen 7 — Alola |
| Moon | 2016 | Gen 7 — Alola |
| Ultra Sun | 2017 | Gen 7 — expanded version |
| Ultra Moon | 2017 | Gen 7 — expanded version |
Game by game — the buying notes
Pokémon X (2013)
The first fully 3D mainline game and the debut of Mega Evolution. Kalos cartridges are climbing again now that Legends: Z-A has returned to Lumiose City.
Pokémon Y (2013)
The Yveltal counterpart to X. Same region, different version-exclusives — the pair released worldwide on the same day, a series first.
Pokémon Omega Ruby (2014)
The Hoenn remake with Mega Evolutions woven in. If you want Ruby/Sapphire without the GBA-era battery worries, this is the modern way to play it.
Pokémon Alpha Sapphire (2014)
The Kyogre half of the remake pair. Like all 3DS cartridges the save sits on the cartridge itself — no battery, no fuss.
Pokémon Sun (2016)
Alola swapped gyms for island trials and introduced regional variants. Widely printed for the 20th anniversary, so used copies are affordable.
Pokémon Moon (2016)
The counterpart, running twelve hours offset from Sun in-game. Same buying picture as Sun: common, and a good value entry into the 3DS era.
Pokémon Ultra Sun (2017)
The expanded Alola story with a different late game. If you only buy one Gen 7 cartridge, the Ultra versions are the fuller game.
Pokémon Ultra Moon (2017)
The last mainline Pokémon games on a dedicated handheld — after this the series moved to Switch. That closing-chapter status is starting to show in collector demand.
Why the eShop closing changed this market
Nintendo closed the 3DS eShop in March 2023. Every digital storefront copy of these games vanished with it — there is no legal download route left. That put a floor under cartridge prices that is not going away: the supply of physical copies is now fixed, and Pokémon is the series people come back to.
The practical consequence for a buyer: condition and authenticity matter more than they used to. A 3DS cartridge saves to the cartridge itself — no battery, nothing to age — so a genuine, tested copy bought today will still work decades from now. Our authenticity guide covers the checks, though 3DS fakes are far rarer than the GBA and DS ones.
The spin-offs worth knowing
The 3DS carried Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon and Gates to Infinity from the dungeon-crawler branch, Detective Pikachu (which later became the film), and the free-to-start Rumble World and Picross — though anything free-to-start died with the eShop, which is exactly the point above. The cartridge spin-offs remain perfectly playable.
Or buy one that has already been checked
Every 3DS cartridge we sell has been checked for authenticity and play-tested on real hardware, with the save verified. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries.
Browse tested Pokémon gamesQuestions we get asked
How many Pokémon games are there on the Nintendo 3DS?
Eight mainline games: X and Y (2013), the Hoenn remakes Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014), Sun and Moon (2016) and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (2017). The 3DS also had spin-offs such as Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon and Detective Pikachu, and it plays every Pokémon DS game as well.
Can I still buy Pokémon 3DS games digitally?
No. The Nintendo eShop for 3DS closed in March 2023, and with it every digital purchase route. A physical cartridge is now the only way to buy and play these games — which is the main reason prices for boxed copies have firmed up since.
Are 3DS games region-locked?
Yes — unlike the DS, the 3DS family is region-locked. A European (PAL) cartridge works on any European 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS or New 2DS XL, but an American or Japanese cartridge will not. Everything we sell is the European version unless the product page says otherwise.
Do Pokémon 3DS games work on a 2DS?
Yes. The 2DS and New 2DS XL play the whole 3DS library — the only thing missing is the stereoscopic 3D effect, which Pokémon barely uses anyway. They are often the cheapest way to play the 3DS era.
Do Pokémon DS games work on a 3DS?
Yes — the 3DS plays every DS game, and DS cartridges are not region-locked. The reverse does not work: a 3DS cartridge does not fit in a DS. So one 3DS or 2DS covers seventeen mainline Pokémon games across two platforms.
Which Pokémon 3DS game should I buy first?
Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon for the fullest single cartridge; X or Y if you want the generation that Legends: Z-A returns to. The remakes Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are the pick if you loved the GBA era but want a modern save and no clock battery.
Do you ship Pokémon 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. The exact rate for your country appears at checkout before you pay.
One platform down: all Pokémon DS games — or see the whole series in order.
Dutch reader? Pokémon 3DS-games — dezelfde lijst in het Nederlands.
