This is a list of Virtual Console games that were available on the Nintendo 3DS in North America prior to the eShop's closure on March 27, 2023.
The following is a list of the 192 games (203 including those available for Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors, and the promotional-exclusive Donkey Kong: Original Edition ) that were available on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS in North America, sorted by system and in the order they were added in Nintendo eShop . To sort by other columns, click the corresponding icon in the header row.
These titles were originally released for use on the Game Boy system, which was launched in 1989. The first three Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console titles were Game Boy games and debuted alongside the Nintendo 3DS eShop in June 2011.[ 1]
There were 51 games available to purchase, of which one (Tetris ) was delisted before the Nintendo 3DS eShop's closure, due to Nintendo's Tetris license expiring.[ 2]
Title
Publisher[ 3]
Developer(s)[ 3]
Release Date[ 3] [ 4]
ESRB
Alleyway
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1 , Intelligent Systems
June 6, 2011
E
Radar Mission
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1 , Pax Softnica
June 6, 2011
E
Super Mario Land
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
June 6, 2011
E
Donkey Kong
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD , Pax Softnica
June 16, 2011
E
Tennis
Nintendo
Intelligent Systems
June 23, 2011
E
Kirby's Dream Land
Nintendo
HAL Laboratory
June 30, 2011
E
Fortified Zone
Jaleco
Jaleco
July 7, 2011
E
Qix
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
July 7, 2011
E
Baseball
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
July 14, 2011
E
Game & Watch Gallery
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1 , Tose
July 14, 2011
E
Mario's Picross
Nintendo
Jupiter
August 4, 2011
E
Avenging Spirit
Jaleco
Jaleco
August 11, 2011
E
Gargoyle's Quest
Capcom
Capcom
August 25, 2011
E
Pac-Man
Bandai Namco
Namco
September 1, 2011
E
Golf
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D2 , Intelligent Systems
September 8, 2011
E
Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge
Capcom
Minakuchi Engineering
September 15, 2011
E
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
September 29, 2011
E
Side Pocket
G-Mode
Data East
October 6, 2011
E
Catrap
Asmik
Asmik
October 13, 2011
E
Double Dragon
Nintendo
Technōs Japan
October 20, 2011
E10+
BurgerTime Deluxe
G-Mode
Data East
October 27, 2011
E
Balloon Kid
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1 , Pax Softnica
November 3, 2011
E
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
November 24, 2011
E
Adventure Island
Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
December 1, 2011
E
Tetris [ a]
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
December 22, 2011
E
Bionic Commando
Capcom
Minakuchi Engineering
December 29, 2011
E10+
Lock 'n' Chase
G-Mode
Data East
January 19, 2012
E
Maru's Mission
Hamster
Tose
February 9, 2012
E
Kirby's Block Ball
Nintendo
HAL Laboratory
May 17, 2012
E
Kirby's Pinball Land
Nintendo
HAL Laboratory
July 12, 2012
E
The Sword of Hope II
Kemco
Kemco
July 12, 2012
E
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1 , Tose
July 19, 2012
E10+
Tumblepop
G-Mode
Data East
July 19, 2012
E
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
July 26, 2012
E
Mole Mania
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD , Pax Softnica
July 26, 2012
E
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Konami
Konami
September 13, 2012
E
Quarth
Konami
Konami
September 27, 2012
E
Dr. Mario
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
October 4, 2012
E
Castlevania: The Adventure
Konami
Konami
October 25, 2012
E
Kirby's Star Stacker
Nintendo
HAL Laboratory
January 17, 2013
E
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Nintendo
HAL Laboratory
August 1, 2013
E
Revenge of the 'Gator [ b]
Nintendo
HAL Laboratory
October 17, 2013
E
Mega Man II
Capcom
Thinking Rabbit
May 8, 2014
E
Mega Man III
Capcom
Minakuchi Engineering
May 8, 2014
E
Mega Man IV
Capcom
Minakuchi Engineering
May 15, 2014
E
Mega Man V
Capcom
Minakuchi Engineering
May 22, 2014
E
Donkey Kong Land
Nintendo
Rare
February 26, 2015
E
Donkey Kong Land 2
Nintendo
Rare
February 26, 2015
E
Donkey Kong Land III
Nintendo
Rare
February 26, 2015
E
Pokémon Blue Version
Nintendo
Game Freak
February 27, 2016
E
Pokémon Red Version
Nintendo
Game Freak
February 27, 2016
E
These titles were originally released for use on the Game Boy Color system, which was launched in 1998.
There were 31 games available to purchase.
Title
Publisher[ 3]
Developer(s)[ 3]
Release Date[ 3] [ 4]
ESRB
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
June 7, 2011
E
Blaster Master: Enemy Below
Sunsoft
Outback, Sunsoft
December 15, 2011
E
Game & Watch Gallery 2
Nintendo
Tose
May 24, 2012
E
Rayman
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Milan
May 31, 2012
E
Prince of Persia
Ubisoft
Magnin & Associates
June 7, 2012
E
Toki Tori
Two Tribes B.V.
Two Tribes B.V.
August 30, 2012
E
Mario Golf
Nintendo
Camelot Software Planning
October 11, 2012
E
Wario Land II
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
December 20, 2012
E
Legend of the River King
Natsume Inc.
Victor Interactive Software
March 28, 2013
E
Harvest Moon
Natsume Inc.
Victor Interactive Software
May 16, 2013
E
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
Nintendo
Flagship
May 30, 2013
E
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
Nintendo
Flagship
May 30, 2013
E
Shantae
WayForward
WayForward
July 18, 2013
E
Wario Land 3
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
August 29, 2013
E
Mario Tennis
Nintendo
Camelot Software Planning
December 26, 2013
E
Mega Man Xtreme
Capcom
Capcom
May 1, 2014
E
Mega Man Xtreme 2
Capcom
Capcom
May 29, 2014
E
Xtreme Sports
WayForward
WayForward
August 21, 2014
E
Legend of the River King 2
Natsume Inc.
Victor Interactive Software
September 18, 2014
E
Harvest Moon 2
Natsume Inc.
Victor Interactive Software
October 16, 2014
E
Pokémon Puzzle Challenge
Nintendo
Intelligent Systems
November 6, 2014
E
Pokémon Trading Card Game
Nintendo
Hudson Soft
November 13, 2014
E
Harvest Moon 3
Natsume Inc.
Victor Interactive Software
December 11, 2014
E
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D2
December 25, 2014
E
Bionic Commando: Elite Forces
Nintendo
Nintendo Software Technology
January 1, 2015
E
Lufia: The Legend Returns
Neverland
Natsume Inc.
January 15, 2015
E
Game & Watch Gallery 3
Nintendo
Tose
February 5, 2015
E
Pokémon Yellow
Nintendo
Game Freak
February 27, 2016
E
Pokémon Gold
Nintendo
Game Freak
September 22, 2017
E
Pokémon Silver
Nintendo
Game Freak
September 22, 2017
E
Pokémon Crystal
Nintendo
Game Freak
January 26, 2018
E
These titles were originally released for use on the Game Gear system, which was launched in 1991.
There were 16 games available to purchase.
Title
Publisher[ 5] [ 3]
Developer(s)
Release Date
ESRB
Dragon Crystal
Sega
Sega R&D2
March 15, 2012
E10+
Shinobi
Sega
Sega R&D2
March 15, 2012
E
Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble
Sega
Aspect Co.
March 15, 2012
E
Columns
Sega
Sega R&D1
June 13, 2013
E
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Sega
Compile
June 13, 2013
E
Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya
Sega
Sonic! Software Planning
June 13, 2013
E10+
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sega
Ancient
June 13, 2013
E
Defenders of Oasis
Sega
Sega CS2
June 20, 2013
E10+
Sonic Blast
Sega
Aspect Co.
June 20, 2013
E
Tails Adventure
Sega
Aspect Co.
June 20, 2013
E
Crystal Warriors
Sega
Sega CS2
June 27, 2013
E10+
Sonic Labyrinth
Sega
Minato Giken
June 27, 2013
E
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sega
Aspect Co.
June 27, 2013
E
G-LOC: Air Battle
Sega
Sega R&D2
July 4, 2013
E
Sonic Drift 2
Sega
Sega CS5
July 4, 2013
E
Vampire: Master of Darkness
Sega
SIMS
July 4, 2013
E10+
Nintendo Entertainment System [ edit ]
These titles were originally released for use on the Nintendo Entertainment System , which was launched in 1985. The first 10 NES games were released on August 31, 2011, to Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors .[ 6] These games were later released to the general public with additional features, such as the ability to save the game at any point; the Ambassador versions were patched to add the new features.[ 7]
There were 64 games available to purchase on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. The Mysterious Murasame Castle and Summer Carnival '92: Recca made their first official appearances in North America when they were added to the 3DS Virtual Console. Donkey Kong: Original Edition also made its North American debut, but it was available only as a promotional bonus and was removed from availability after the promotion ended.[ 8]
Title
Publisher[ 3]
Developer(s)[ 3]
Release Date[ 3] [ 4]
ESRB
Super Mario Bros. [ a]
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
February 16, 2012
E
Metroid [ a]
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
March 1, 2012
E
Punch-Out!!
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D3
March 8, 2012
E
Donkey Kong Jr. [ a]
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1 , Nintendo R&D2
June 14, 2012
E
The Legend of Zelda [ a]
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
July 5, 2012
E
NES Open Tournament Golf [ a]
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D2
July 5, 2012
E
Gradius
Konami
Konami
October 18, 2012
E
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Capcom
Micronics
October 25, 2012
E
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link [ a]
Nintendo
Nintendo
November 22, 2012
E
Pac-Man
Bandai Namco
Namco
November 29, 2012
E
Mighty Bomb Jack
Koei Tecmo
Tecmo
December 6, 2012
E
Ninja Gaiden
Koei Tecmo
Tecmo
December 13, 2012
E
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels [ b] [ c]
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
December 27, 2012
E
Mega Man
Capcom
Capcom
December 27, 2012
E
Super C
Konami
Konami
January 24, 2013
E
Ice Climber [ a]
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
January 31, 2013
E
Mega Man 2
Capcom
Capcom
February 7, 2013
E
Dig Dug
Bandai Namco
Namco
February 14, 2013
E
Yoshi [ a]
Nintendo
Game Freak
February 21, 2013
E
Wrecking Crew [ a]
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
March 7, 2013
E
Mega Man 3
Capcom
Capcom
March 14, 2013
E
Castlevania
Konami
Konami
April 4, 2013
E
Mega Man 4
Capcom
Capcom
April 25, 2013
E
Balloon Fight [ a]
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
May 2, 2013
E
Mega Man 5
Capcom
Capcom
May 16, 2013
E
Mega Man 6
Capcom
Capcom
June 20, 2013
E
Spelunker
Tozai Games
Tose , Tamtex
June 27, 2013
E
Super Mario Bros. 2
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
July 11, 2013
E
Donkey Kong
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1 , Nintendo R&D2
August 15, 2013
E
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
Koei Tecmo
Tecmo
August 22, 2013
E
Summer Carnival '92: Recca [ b]
Kaga Electronics
KID
September 5, 2013
E
Tecmo Bowl
Koei Tecmo
Tecmo
September 12, 2013
E
Solomon's Key
Koei Tecmo
Tecmo
September 19, 2013
E
Star Soldier
Konami
Hudson Soft
October 24, 2013
E
Milon's Secret Castle
Konami
Hudson Soft
October 31, 2013
E
Wario's Woods
Nintendo
TEC
November 7, 2013
E
River City Ransom
Arc System Works
Technōs Japan
November 14, 2013
E10+
City Connection
Hamster
Hamster
November 21, 2013
E
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Koei Tecmo
Tecmo
November 28, 2013
E
Donkey Kong 3
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D2
December 5, 2013
E
Double Dragon
Arc System Works
Technōs Japan
December 12, 2013
E10+
Crash 'N' The Boys: Street Challenge
Arc System Works
Technōs Japan
December 19, 2013
E
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Konami
Konami
January 16, 2014
E
Life Force
Konami
Konami
January 23, 2014
E
Mario Bros.
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1 , Intelligent Systems
January 30, 2014
E
Sky Kid [ d]
Bandai Namco
Namco
February 20, 2014
E
Renegade
Arc System Works
Technōs Japan
February 27, 2014
E10+
Adventure Island II
Konami
Now Production
March 6, 2014
E
Galaga
Bandai Namco
Namco
March 13, 2014
E
Clu Clu Land
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
March 27, 2014
E
Mach Rider
Nintendo
HAL Laboratory
April 10, 2014
E
Super Mario Bros. 3
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
April 17, 2014
E
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Arc System Works
Technōs Japan
June 12, 2014
E10+
Super Dodge Ball
Arc System Works
Technōs Japan
June 18, 2014
E
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Konami
Konami
June 26, 2014
E
Bases Loaded
Hamster
Tose
July 10, 2014
E
Blaster Master
Sunsoft
Sunsoft[ 9]
July 24, 2014
E
The Mysterious Murasame Castle [ b] [ c]
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D4 , Human Entertainment
August 7, 2014
E
Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight
Capcom
Capcom
September 4, 2014
E10+
Gargoyle's Quest II
Capcom
Capcom
October 30, 2014
E
Mighty Final Fight
Capcom
Capcom
November 27, 2014
E10+
Adventures of Lolo
Nintendo
HAL Laboratory
January 8, 2015
E
S.C.A.T.
Natsume Co., Ltd.
Natsume Co., Ltd.
January 22, 2015
E
Shadow of the Ninja
Natsume Co., Ltd.
Natsume Co., Ltd.
January 29, 2015
E
^ a b c d e f g h i j Initially released as a Nintendo 3DS Ambassador title on August 31, 2011.
^ a b c Not originally available in North America.
^ a b Famicom Disk System title.
^ Based on the Japanese version despite being previously released in North America.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System [ edit ]
These titles were originally released for use on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System , which was launched in 1991. These Virtual Console titles are exclusively available for New Nintendo 3DS platforms (New Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS XL, and New Nintendo 2DS XL).[ 10] Nintendo has claimed that the reason for this is due to technical issues regarding the CPU in older Nintendo 3DS models for rendering the emulation,[ 11] but some fan-made emulators compatible with the old 3DS exist that will run SNES games at full speed.
There were 30 games available to purchase on the New Nintendo 3DS platforms (New Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS XL and New Nintendo 2DS XL).
Title
Publisher[ 3]
Developer(s)[ 3]
Release Date[ 3] [ 4]
ESRB
F-Zero
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
March 3, 2016
E
Pilotwings
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
March 3, 2016
E
Super Mario World
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
March 3, 2016
E
Donkey Kong Country
Nintendo
Rare
March 24, 2016
E
EarthBound
Nintendo
Ape , HAL Laboratory
March 24, 2016
T
Super Mario Kart
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
March 24, 2016
E
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Nintendo
Rare
April 14, 2016
E
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
April 14, 2016
E
Super Metroid
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1 , Intelligent Systems
April 14, 2016
E
Super Punch-Out!!
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D3
May 5, 2016
E
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Konami
Konami
May 19, 2016
E10+
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Nintendo
Rare
June 2, 2016
E
Mega Man 7
Capcom
Capcom
June 16, 2016
E
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Capcom
Capcom
June 23, 2016
E
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Konami
Konami
July 7, 2016
E
Final Fight
Capcom
Capcom
July 14, 2016
E
Kirby's Dream Course
Nintendo
HAL Laboratory , Nintendo EAD
July 28, 2016
E
Mega Man X
Capcom
Capcom
August 11, 2016
E
Street Fighter Alpha 2
Capcom
Capcom
August 25, 2016
T
Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting
Capcom
Capcom
August 25, 2016
T
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers
Capcom
Capcom
August 25, 2016
T
Super Castlevania IV
Konami
Konami
September 8, 2016
E10+
Final Fight 2
Capcom
Capcom
September 22, 2016
E10+
Final Fight 3
Capcom
Capcom
September 22, 2016
T
Mega Man X2
Capcom
Capcom
October 6, 2016
E
Breath of Fire
Capcom
Capcom
October 20, 2016
E
Mega Man X3
Capcom
Minakuchi Engineering
November 10, 2016
E
Breath of Fire II
Capcom
Capcom
November 24, 2016
E
Demon's Crest
Capcom
Capcom
December 8, 2016
E
Castlevania: Dracula X
Konami
Konami
December 29, 2016
E
Nintendo Entertainment System [ edit ]
There was one title that was exclusively available as a promotional bonus, which was removed from availability after the promotion ended on January 6, 2013.[ 8]
^ Available only to users who downloaded select titles from the Nintendo eShop prior to January 6, 2013.
These titles were originally released for use on the Game Boy Advance , which was launched in 2001. Like the initial NES Virtual Console games, these titles were released exclusively to Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors. Unlike the NES titles, these games were never released to the general public.[ 12] Additionally, since these titles run natively and are not emulated, they do not support typical emulation features, such as suspended play and restore points.
There were 10 Game Boy Advance games available exclusively for Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors.
Title
Publisher
Developer(s)
Release Date
ESRB
F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
Nintendo
NDcube
December 16, 2011
E
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Nintendo
Intelligent Systems
December 16, 2011
E
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Nintendo
HAL Laboratory
December 16, 2011
E
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Nintendo
Capcom
December 16, 2011
E
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Nintendo
Intelligent Systems
December 16, 2011
E
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Nintendo
Nintendo Software Technology
December 16, 2011
E
Metroid Fusion
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
December 16, 2011
E
Wario Land 4
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
December 16, 2011
E
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!
Nintendo
Nintendo R&D1
December 16, 2011
E
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
Nintendo
Nintendo EAD
December 16, 2011
E
^ Morgen, Alex (June 2, 2011). "Nintendo eShop June 6 Update details from Nintendo; Free Excitebike 3D and Nintendo eShop titles announced" . Gaming Bits . Archived from the original on August 8, 2017.
^ Brian (1 January 2015). "Tetris for Game Boy, Tetris Axis pulled from the North American 3DS eShop as well - Nintendo Everything" . Nintendo Everything . Retrieved 8 August 2017 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Games Releases (2014-2016) - "Downloadable titles" section" . Nintendo . Nintendo of America. Retrieved April 4, 2024 .[dead link ]
^ a b c d "Nintendo Official Site - Browse All Games" . October 21, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21.
^ "Sega's Official Virtual Console Site" .
^ Joseph Volpe (August 31, 2011). "Nintendo's 3DS Ambassador Program line-up revealed, games available September 1st" . engadget.com . AOL Inc. Retrieved January 30, 2015 .
^ JC Fletcher (February 16, 2012). "NintendoWare Weekly: Metal Gear Solid 3D demo, Strider" . joystiq.com . AOL Inc. Retrieved January 30, 2015 .
^ a b Stephen Totilo (October 1, 2012). "You Can Now Get Donkey Kong: Original Edition For 3DS, In a Roundabout Way" . kotaku.com . Gawker Media. Retrieved January 30, 2015 .
^ Gancer, Stefan. "The History of SUNSOFT Part III: The Golden Age Part 1" . VGArc . Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017 . [A]ccording to Gimmick! creator Tomomi Sakai, Tokai is just a dummy company, like Konami's Ultra and Palcom brands, created to circumvent Nintendo's rules restricting the number of games a developer could publish for the Famicom/NES in a year. Former Sunsoft programmer and Trip World creator Yuichi Ueda, Blaster Master creator Kenji Sada, and current Chief Director of SUNSOFT Shigeki Shimizu confirm this. Tokai is a dummy company.
^ Andrew Goldfarb (March 3, 2016). "ZELDA, METROID, EARTHBOUND, MORE SNES GAMES HEADED TO NEW 3DS VIRTUAL CONSOLE" . ign.com . Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 3, 2016 .
^ Barder, Ollie (March 13, 2016). "Nintendo Clarifies Why SNES Games Will Only Work On The New 3DS" . Forbes . Retrieved April 15, 2016 .
^ "None of the Ambassador Program Games Are Appearing in the eShop" . Nintendo Support . Nintendo. Retrieved March 17, 2016 .
Hardware
Nintendo Network Software
Emulation and Homebrew Italics denote discontinued services