Platform guide
All Pokémon 3DS games in order
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.
Tested Pokémon 3DS games in stock
Authenticity-checked and play-tested on real hardware. Since the eShop closed, cartridges like these are the only way to play.
Pokemon Y
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Rumble World
Personally tested · Good condition
Super Pokemon Rumble
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Rumble World
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Silver Version (3DS eShop box)
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon X
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Ultra Moon
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Ultra Sun
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Omega Ruby
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Sun
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Moon
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Y
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Ultra Moon
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon X
Personally tested · Good condition
Super Pokemon Rumble
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Sun
Personally tested · Good condition
Pokemon Moon
Personally tested · Good condition
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.
Buying one generation specifically? We wrote separate buying guides for X & Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire (with the GBA originals) and Sun, Moon & the Ultra versions.
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.
Every Pokémon 3DS spin-off on cartridge, in release order
Six spin-offs came out on a 3DS cartridge, which with the mainline eight makes 14 Pokémon games you can still buy for a 3DS. The download-only ones — Pokémon Shuffle and Pokémon Picross, both free-to-start — went with the eShop in 2023 and are not on this list for exactly that reason: there is no longer a way to get them.
| Game | Year (EU) | Series |
|---|---|---|
| Super Rumble | 2011 | Rumble |
| Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity | 2013 | Mystery Dungeon |
| Art Academy | 2014 | Art Academy |
| Rumble World | 2016 | Rumble |
| Super Mystery Dungeon | 2016 | Mystery Dungeon |
| Detective Pikachu | 2018 | Adventure |
Super Pokémon Rumble (2011)
Toy Pokémon bashing into each other — the shallow one you play in ten-minute bursts. Sold in North America as Pokémon Rumble Blast; the European cartridge carries this title.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (2013)
The first 3D dungeon crawler in the branch. Fewer Pokémon than the DS games, and priced below them because of it.
Pokémon Art Academy (2014)
Drawing lessons that teach you to draw Pokémon, properly structured. An odd one to find boxed and complete.
Pokémon Rumble World (2016)
Started free-to-play on the eShop in 2015 and got a boxed cartridge across Europe in January 2016 — which is now the only version that still exists, because the eShop route died in 2023. The year in this table is the cartridge, like every other row.
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon (2016)
All 720 Pokémon of the time, and the fullest game the dungeon branch ever got. The one to buy if you only buy one.
Detective Pikachu (2018)
The talking-Pikachu detective game that became the film. Released very late in the 3DS run, so print numbers were small.
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?
Fourteen on cartridge: eight mainline games and six spin-offs. The mainline eight are 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 six spin-offs are Super Pokémon Rumble, Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, Pokémon Art Academy, Rumble World, Super Mystery Dungeon and Detective Pikachu. Download-only titles like Shuffle and Picross went with the eShop in 2023. On top of all that, every 3DS plays every Pokémon DS game.
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, two down: all Pokémon GBA games — or see the whole series in order.
Dutch reader? Pokémon 3DS-games — dezelfde lijst in het Nederlands.