We're less than two weeks away from the end of the Wii U and 3DS eShops. On 27th March, Nintendo is pulling down the shutters on both digital storefronts for good, meaning that you won't be able to buy any more games on the two platforms.
In the run-up to the stores' closure, however, multiple publishers and developers have decided to give us one last hurrah and offered discounts on some of their games for both platforms. But what on earth do you grab first? That's what we're here for.
We've gathered a list of all of the best 3DS and Wii U games on sale on the eShop in both Europe and North America. Anything that scored an 8/10 or above is eligible here — this is the cream of the eShop crop, here. Some of these are available on Switch, too, but c'mon, why pass up on a great game for a great price, especially if you've never played them before?
This handy list isn't just limited to eShop exclusives, either — there are some physical games that are also getting the digital sale treatment, and they deserve to be snapped up too! Don't forget about our own store where you can get eShop credit to spend on 3DS and Wii U — though you'll need to link up your Nintendo Network ID with your Switch's Nintendo account.
Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.
As sales are different per region, we've split this list up into two — the first pages will cover the 3DS and the last will give you the best Wii U deals.
Note: We'll be keeping this lust up to date as we get more prices and deals on both eShops — hopefully Nintendo will also join the fray, too! Keep your eyes peeled.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £19.99 (UK) / $2.99 $19.99 (US)
Wonderfully witty as ever, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies is another excellent entry into the Ace Attorney series. Bursting with humour and new extravagant personalities, Phoenix Wright fans will find much to enjoy, thanks largely to the excellent skills of the localisation and script-writing team at Capcom. The few minor gameplay additions do somewhat polish the investigation and courtroom experience, but — as with any visual novel — it's the story, character developments and gob-smacking plot twists that you really play for, and this one will keep you screaming 'OBJECTION' until the gavel drops.
Also, this is the one where you get to defend an orca.
Shantae And The Pirate's Curse (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £7.99 £15.99 (UK) / $9.99 $19.99 (US)
Whether or not you’re a platforming fan, and whether or not you’ve played any of the previous titles in this series, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is an exceptionally well-crafted game that should not be ignored. The art style and sense of humour aren’t going to appeal to everyone, but they work well together and manage to set a very specific tone that WayForward has clearly spent time perfecting. There is little reason for any 3DS owner to avoid adding this gem to their treasure collection.
Also available on Wii U eShop for £7.99 £15.99 (UK) / $9.99 $19.99 (US)
KORG M01D (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £9.99 £19.99 (UK) / $17.99 $34.99 (US)
KORG M01D does exactly one thing, but it does it very well: it offers as accurate an emulation of the classic M1 synth as you're going to get for the price, even if the interface translates in quirky fashion to the 3DS. There are more fully-featured music suites out there, but the M01D's versatility and the quality of sounds on offer more than make up for the feature gap.
Parascientific Escape Cruise in the Distant Seas (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £0.99 £3.99 (UK) / $1.99 $4.99 (US)
Parascientific Escape Cruise in the Distant Seas is a must try for fans of the story adventure and escape genres, and maybe a good place to start for anyone else who is interested. It does exactly what it needs to do: it has a gripping story – albeit sometimes almost too fleshed out - a great visual appearance and a very enjoyable gameplay system all contribute towards an enjoyable visual novel. Sometimes the dialogue sections can feel quite draining, especially if you've been playing for quite some time and enter a particularly lengthy section, as it is impossible to save your progress at these points, but for the most part they work really well.
Alien On The Run (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £0.89 £4.19 (UK) / $3.99 (US)
Alien On The Run is a pleasant surprise. We think it's worth the low price of admission for dozens of shrewdly-designed levels of unique action racing gameplay; the 3D graphics and bizarre sense of humour are simply icing on the extraterrestrial cake. With intuitive controls and quick portable-friendly stages, Alien on the Run is a title you'll have trouble putting down.
Quell Reflect (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £0.99 £3.99 (UK) / $1.99 $3.99 (US)
The fact that Quell Reflect takes the “ice” mechanic and creates an experience of it that doesn't make you want to shatter your 3DS (or Switch) against the wall is a testament to the care creator Fallen Tree Games took in the level design and ambience. Puzzle fans looking to curl up with a cup of tea and lose themselves for a while will definitely want to give it a try. While it can be found for cheaper on mobile devices and doesn’t seem to take significant advantage of the hardware, its tiny price tag on the eShop still feels very reasonable for the thoughtful and sophisticated experience it offers.
SteamWorld Heist (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £2.19 £10.99 (UK) / $2.99 $14.99 (US)
SteamWorld Heist is an entirely different proposition to its predecessor SteamWorld Dig, and that's no bad thing. Its quirky blend of a 2D perspective, allied with turn-based strategy and skill-based attacks, is a surprisingly addictive combination. There's impressive depth to the overall mechanics, and it's all topped off with a level of presentation that's both charming and accomplished. Whether seeking challenging strategy or an entertaining story, this title delivers both in its own unique way and has certainly stolen plenty of our time; we haven't even got all the hats yet. Wherever you choose to play it, you won't regret it.
Also available on Wii U eShop for £2.19 £10.99 (UK) / $2.99 $14.99 (US)
KORG DSN-12 (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £12.49 £24.99 (UK) / $18.50 $37.00 (US)
In the right hands, KORG DSN-12 has staggering potential as a time-sink. Packaging together a portable oscilloscope, kaoss pad and full synthesizer in one download makes for a fantastic range of possibilities at a solid price. There are more accessible music composition alternatives out there, but this title certainly delivers on what it promises; a full simulation of a classic synth. The only downside is that this simulation unfortunately seems to include all the online song-sharing capabilities (or total lack thereof) that the late 1970’s could handle, but as a piece of tech on the 3DS, its excellent.
SteamWorld Dig 2 (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £2.99 £14.99 (UK) / $3.99 $19.99 (US)
There's no shortage of places to play SteamWorld Dig 2, but Image & Form's sterling support of the good ol' 3DS means you can complete the Dig duo on the same console you played the original on (well, that's where we first played SteamWorld Dig, at least) — then you can pick it up again on Switch in one of the developer's frequent sales! It's a fantastic game on any platform, and owning it two or three times is not only understandable, but recommended.
The Keep (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £2.69 £8.99 (UK) / $3.89 $12.99 (US)
The Keep is not a manic rampage with 16 different flavours of battle axe exploding from slain enemies. Focused more on adventure than conquest, it hearkens back to the first-person dungeon crawlers of the ‘90s while adding a couple of fresh, touch-based elements. There are still some parts that one might consider modernizing further, such as character customization, an instant save button, or an inventory system that makes it easier to swap runes and equipment, but the overall experience is still solid and quite enjoyable once rules and style become clear. Fans of classic-style dungeon crawls who appreciate some thought with their questing should add an -er to the end of this title, whether on 3DS or Switch.
80's Overdrive (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £0.89 £4.49 (UK) / $1.99 $4.99 (US)
80's Overdrive really nails the presentation side of things with its eye-catching 2D visuals, superb 3D effect and pumping soundtrack. It also controls well and the Career Mode is challenging enough to keep you glued to your 3DS for quite some time. The OutRun-style Time Attack mode and the Level Editor extend the lifespan of this title further, but the occasionally cheap difficulty level has an annoying habit of ruining your race as well as your mood. This is a relatively minor complaint in the grand scheme of things however, and fans of old-school arcade racers will almost certainly forgive this issue in order to play a true tribute to the classics of old. The Switch version is available, but the 3DS is where the magic is.
Tappingo 2 (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £0.99 £2.99 (UK)
Tappingo 2 makes some nice improvements while retaining the same light, fun, I-said-I-was-going-to-do-just-one-more-five-puzzles-ago concept of the original, and once again it sits at a price that makes it hard not to recommend to anyone who might be interested. It’s a pure no-brainer for those who loved the first game, while newcomers should make a line for this version first.
Note: On the NA 3DS eShop, the original Tappingo is currently $1.99
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (3DS)
3DS eShop Price: £39.99 (UK) / $2.99 $19.99 (US)
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate was an excellent interpretation of a home console experience that allowed hunters to invest countless hours conquering hundreds of quests on the go, although with occasional moments where its smaller home wasn't entirely optimised; the absence of online play was a great pity, too. It was an accomplished effort, though, and a must for fans of the franchise that couldn't access the home console versions or those that simply want to always be able to slay an almighty monster on the bus.
escapeVektor (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £1.70 £5.99 (UK) / $1.99 $6.99 (US)
escapeVektor is a great game. It's not without its flaws, but they're extremely minor when compared against everything the game gets exactly right. The visual presentation is simplistic brilliance, the soundtrack is perfect, and the play controls are tight. A narrow view area and some unfair placements of enemy respawn points can both lead to unfortunate deaths, but the achievements, medals system, secret exits, bonus stages and online leaderboards all more than make up for it. It's everything that was great about the WiiWare game, but four times as big for only twice the price. You'd be foolish to let this one get away.
Gunman Clive (3DS eShop)
3DS eShop Price: £0.99 £1.99 (UK) / $1.99 (US)
Gunman Clive offers terrific run and gun action at a steady tempo, with distinctive and gorgeous audio and visual presentation. It borrows memorable elements from classic franchises, but has its own physics and mechanics to go with its unique sense of style. With such a small development team — of two — it's remarkably polished and comes at a budget price, and our only complaint is that it's over all too soon. Such is the enjoyment on offer, however, we suspect a number of gamers will happily replay the short stages over and over, and we expect Mega Man-style perfect runs to become a YouTube fixture in the future.
Comments (50)
None of these look good enough to buy. But thanks for the list!
I hope the US sale makes its way over to Europe too because I’d throw my money at ace attorney games if so.
I would like to get a digital copy of Resident Revelations also just for backup, but not for full price.
@Deviant-Dork They may not be your cup of tea but I can tell you with certainty that the Shantae, steamworld and Ace attourney games are very high quality and criticly acclaimed experiences.
To make such generalizing statement comes across as haughty.
As someone who already did he’s share of fomo spending last year when this was announced take it from me, there’s a reason why you didn’t buy these games these last ten years; you are not gonna play them. Save your money or spend it elsewhere.
Hope that Capcom sale makes its way to EU eShops!
The Ace Attorney games are a steal at that price!
I put an absurd amount of time into Monster Hunter 3U on Wii U. I'd recommend picking up that version over the 3DS one if you can. At $3, there is no better value for your money as far as I'm concerned. There are plenty of other great games on here, though I'd say you're better off getting the Switch versions for a lot of them, especially since there are at least a few that regularly go for similar discounts.
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I’ve picked up most of what I want, but I’m still hoping we get sales from Atlus and Level-5 before the closure.
@Sondheimist That would be great I would love to get The Straship Damrey for a few bucks off.
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looks like some great deals !
If you're like me and only really want stuff that isn't preserved on other consoles, the Ace Attorney games are locked on 3DS.
Has anyone played Gunman Clive on Switch? Is it any good off 3DS?
Some great games here. I highly recommend Virtue's Last Reward but if you haven't played it yet, you haven't played 999 either, which you should play first, so you're better off with Zero Escape: The Nonary Games which combines both.
On Switch eShop you can get the Ace Attorney Turnabout collection for £24.99 until end of this month, which includes both the trilogy and chronicles! I've never played these games so I snapped up the deal myself and will start it soon.
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@123akis They are really great quirky visual novels with zani characters and plots.
Good times!
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I've picked most of these up. I'll download the SteamWorld games on Switch instead.
Mr. Pumpkin Adventure is the one game I hadn't heard of before reading this article, so I'll check it out given how cheap it is.
I'm still debating whether Virtue's Last Reward and Zero Time Dilemma are worth it on 3DS. I know they got ported to Playstation and Xbox. Do they suffer any control issues on those systems or do they play just fine? The reason I ask is because after The World Ends With You remake I'm more cognizant of some oddities in controls when porting games that were originally intended to be played with a touch screen.
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Grabbed Apollo Justice, which I didn't own before now (borrowed a friend's copy when I first played it).
@Ade117 ZTD is somewhat visually compromised on 3DS, but it's actually the ideal platform for VLR from a control perspective. It's also an incredible game overall.
-Hello, Capcom here.
-Hi Capcom, it's Europe, we're calling to say we-
-No you don't exist. Also, we have no phone, how are you calling us, who are you even, don't call us again okay bye.
-Who was that?
-Europe. They want the sale as well. Cancel all physical games for them.
Most of these I either already have or can be played on Switch or elsewhere, but I'll consider grabbing escapeVektor at that price.
@Ralizah Thanks for the quick reply. I appreciate it. Looks like I have some more 3DS purchases to make.
Priced at absolutely criminal are the SteamWorld games, Monster Hunter games, some of the Shante games and Ace Attorney games.. crazy deals here gamers!!!!!!!!
@Shambo Took the words out of my mouth. Capcom Europe always used to put the exact same games on sale and the. Seemingly just stopped.
Biggest disappointment was discovering Nintendo published Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright; the physical is only going up in value and the digital in Europe has never once dropped below launch price.
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@ElRoberico Gunman Clive is a fun little game, well reviewed as well. But don't play it on 3DS, too small for this game, so Switch is fine. You get both games if you get the Switch version, only $5
@Deviant-Dork it just looks so, so simple. Not in a bad way, but I just haven't heard anything about the Switch port.
Where are Nintendo’s games. They’re shutting them down and I refuse to buy them at full price. I 100% would buy every first party Wii U game I don’t own if they were down to at the very least 15$. Instead I guess it’s time to sail the seven seas like I’ve already done with my 2ds.
@Ade117 No problem.
If you can find a copy of 999 on NDS, I'd play that prior to VLR. 999, VLR, and ZTD form a connected story trilogy.
VLR is still understandable on it's own, though.
@Moonlessky Hey wait a minute! You gotta see the bigger picture, if this shop goes down, we CANNOT get the games anywhere else.
Never ever underestimate bored people in large numbers. Had it not been for these video games, tv shows, animated films, and the like, I would have been a street urchin or a temporary traveler.
Nothing better to do...nowhere to go home...let's walk the earth and look for the next best thing to get into. No wonder the natives and the locals stay being suspicious of people who look funny.
Where I'm going here with this is that these games save us the trip of going towards the local arcade. The local arcade is long gone but what remains are the handheld consoles and the eShop. But the eShop itself is going out of business, doesn't that bother you?
I can't believe Pilotwings Resort and Luigi's Mansion1 NEVER went on sale. Jeeez. Amazing. I have no regrets for skipping them, though. So long!!!🤣
Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward is my favorite visual novel, please consider it.
I don't expect Nintendo to run a sale, but I'm curious to see if companies like Sega and Square Enix will
@Moonlessky That does make sense but some games are extremely novel to have like the 3D classics.
and maybe they have slipped your mind and you forgot about them or were holding them off.
or now that they are on closure sale maybe some people see it as a cheap entry into Ace attourney wich can be incentive for more games in the series! (I am just love these games)
Apart from a few surprises we have seen most games on sale many times before. So we need more games on both regions to be included in the sales and especially the ones that were never included. Neither now? 13 days before closing forever?
Some great deals here, especially on Shovel Knight, the Steamworld Games, and some others.
I envy you lucky Americans who are getting Capcom's sale. I really want to get the Ace Attorney games, but I'm convinced Crapcom aren't bringing their sale to Europe for some reason, as they would have by now. However, if they don't want my money, that's their choice.
Sega have got a huge sale running on 3DS in Japan on basically everything they've ever published, so hopefully they bring that to NA and EU.
I don't expect Nintendo to put anything on sale. They let Fire Emblem Fates disappear last month without any sale, so they'll do the same with everything else. Idiocy.
Most of Square Enix's games were published by Nintendo outside of Japan, so I don't expect many sales from them either.
@ElRoberico I've played the Gunman Clive games on both systems. They're pretty much exactly the same, but the 3DS has a nice 3D effect. They're like more relaxed NES Megaman games, and you can easily finish them in an hour or so, but they're good fun while they last.
On one hand, the deals are fantastic and I’m very tempted. On the other, I rarely play my 3DS and Wii U anymore and I’m saving money for Tears of the Kingdom.
@WoomyNNYes In June of 2019 Luigi's Mansion 1 on 3DS was discounted to 23.99 in the North American eShop. I had to go check my 3DS virtual receipts for the date because I know I wouldn't have bought the game digitally if it wasn't on sale.
As for Pilotwings Resort, I never saw a sale on the game, so I don't think you missed it. I recently got the cartridge used for 5.99 though, so I don't think I'll be missing out there.
I can't believe the ps Vita shop is gonna be online after the 3ds. What a weird timeline we live in.
@ElRoberico I honestly like the 3DS version of Gunman Clive better, because of the subtle yet beautiful use of the stereoscopic 3D feature.
I actually own and have played the vast majority of those! There are just a couple that I have surprisingly not heard of and that have slipped my net. Puzzle Labyrinth being one.
I just bought another 3DS about 10 minutes before I read this article. I got it exclusively so I can buy both of the KORG synthesizers again for backup/performance purposes. Still, I can't believe I just bought another 3DS.
Funny how more than half the list are Capcom games, yet none of them are on sale in Europe.
Luckily (especially since I'm from Italy and here in Europe the Capcom games aren't on sale) already have most if not all of these either on 3DS, Wii U or Switch!
I started getting mostly the exclusives I'm interested in, this morning I grabbed all of those on Wii U (for those interested in doing the same, check this post on the Nintendo Life forum:
https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/3ds/wii_u_3ds_eshop_exclusive_titles)
so... i will pirate every single capcom games if the discounts never start in europe, but i will do it only after the closing of the eshop.
@Omegainkh I'm ready to pirate my 3ds and get every game that didn't drop to a "last chance" (for them to make a few euro's) price. But my 3ds was my main console during its lifetime, so I did get many games already, physical, at release. Got to love ethical "piracy". No fair deal = no transaction. No other option or support at my budgetary capacity = everything for free, no loss for them, they dumped it.
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