Top 50 Best 3Ds JRPGs of ALL TIME!

[@bojox3m2]

50 1. ever oasis 49 2. shin megami tensei 4 48 3. kingdom hearts 3d dream drop 47 4. fire emblem awakening 46 5. seven dragon code 3 45 6. the legend of legacy 44 7. dragon quest 7 43 8. mh generations 42 9. bravely default 41 10. one piece romance dawn 40 11. shin megame tensei devil survivor soul hackers 39 12. code of princess 38 13. mario and luigi saga 37 14. project X zone 36 15. persona Q shadow of labyrinth 35 16. all pokemon 34 17. mercenaries saga 2 33 18. return to popolo crois 32 19. conception II 31 20. culdept revolt 30 21. radient history perfect chronology 29 22. shin megami tensei strange journey redux 28 23. mario and luigi dream team 27 24. langrisser R 26 25. mh3 ultimate 25 26. fire emblem fates - 3 stories 24 27. rune factory 4 23 28. alliance alive 22 29. stella glow 21 30. final fantasy explorers 20 31. shin megami tensei devil survivor unlocked 19 32. shin megami tensei devil survivor 2 record breaker 18 33. fantasy life recommended 17 34. all yokai watch 16 35. mario and luigi paper jam 15 36. lord of magna maid of heaven 14 37. persona 2 Q - new cinema labyrinth 13 38. mercenaries saga 3 12 39. mh4 ultimate 11 40. dragon ball fusions 10 41. gurumin 3d monstrous adventure 9 42. bravely second 2nd layer 8 43. all etrian games 7 44. monster hunter stories 6 45. dragon quest 8 5 46. shin megami tensei 4 apocalypse 4 47. fire emblem echoes 3 48. tales of abbys 2 49. projext x zone 2 1 50. xeno blade chronicles 3d

[@jayce704]

THANK YOU

[@BrodyBaddis]

thank you

[@aokami20]

You missed the time

[@andika.a.k.]

Thanks for your effort, i really appreciate that.

[@Leny1777]

You put that on your own order?

[@BoliLelly]

SMT games made the 3ds amazing.

[@Oatmeal_Ghost]

And they’re all dirt cheap on the eShop til 4/17. I bought a bunch of them since they’re crazy expensive physically.

[@ThePerro]

@@Oatmeal_Ghost yup finally playing Apocalypse. I loved SMTIV, I actually like it better than SMTV personally and Apocalypse is simply more SMTIV.

[@Xpwnxage]

I just bought Apocalypse for $80 and SJR for $75. Damn eShop, but at least physical is better than digital.

[@mightymanatee5342]

The charm of Stella Glow was not lost on me. I love the game and even have the character wallpaper for the menu screen.

[@SatiZakito]

I always learn about the existence of a few games worth checking out thanks to you Erick. You really put a ton of effort per video, I like that. ✌

[@javongoshay]

The 3ds was such an amazing system for JRPGs. Thank you for this sick video as always, Erick!

[@tk7977]

I don't know why, but I never consider the 3DS when I think of my favorite systems. I spent thousands of hours using it and played a shit ton of some of my favorite games of all time on it, but for some reason, I mostly forgot about it when the Switch came out. It's criminally underrated by me.

[@thepaper888]

Ditto entirely. On the last publisher sale on eshop I got all the megaten games I didn't have for cheap. I take my 3ds in my backpack now instead of my switch.

[@migovas1483]

You should at least play a few one of this list, they are probably not gonna be soemwhere else anytime soon: Radiant Historia legend of legacy SMT games ( IV, Apocalypse , Strange journey) Stella Glow FE Awaken project X Zone Games SMRPG Paper Jam I consider those essentials, and are not ported somewhere else. ( except for RH, but THIS version is a complete one and worth it)

[@nuclearicebreaker]

A lot of my 3DS and DS memories mix together Made further complicated by the fact that Order of Ecclesia is my favorite game I always think I played it on DS because it was released for DS But I never owned the game until I already had a 3DS lmao

[@biostem]

Instantly surprised that there are more than 50 JRPGs on the 3DS to even narrow down. Great vid as always man. :) Too bad that 3DS game prices have exploded.

[@Tilkino]

For realz!! I wanted more games, but they increase so much now.

[@lukakekich104]

I am honestly so happy that Fantasy Life was mentioned in this. I feel that it is quite underrated and unknown, though it has gained some attention this last year with the new mobile game. The 3DS game is leagues better than than the mobile game, though

[@Guet69]

Yeah fantasy life wasn't the best game out there, but nothing scratch the same itch nowadays

[@mementomori502]

Fantasy Life was one of the best games I played on the 3DS, if it wasn't rune factory 4 I would go play FL. The addition of Coop was amazing. If a second one ever comes out for nintendo switch with online coop I would definitely buy it.

[@georgepierre3594]

its probably the best co-op game on the 3ds, otehr than the monster hunter 4.

[@martinde-serres8724]

Actually, Etrian Odyssey 3 was released on the DS, not on the 3DS. It never got an enhanced version like the first 2 EO games. So, the 3DS has 7 EO games (EO 4, EO5, EO Nexus, EO Untold1, EO Untold 2, Etrian Mystery Dungeon 1 and EMD 2), just that EMD 2 never came out in the West.

[@lukeshoo]

The 3DS has 8 EO games. You forgot Ever Oasis.

[@Food4Dogs]

Bless you for putting XC 3D at the top. 😀 So many people dismissed it - but I always thought it was a phenomenal achievement, technically, to bring it to the 3DS.

[@andregon4366]

XC is on the Switch and it looks and runs better, there's no need to mention it here, since it will be featured on any Switch list, whereas here it will only take a position from some other game. Same for Pokémon, everyone knows about Pokémon. At least all the Pokémon games got a single spot.

[@Food4Dogs]

@@andregon4366 Since Erick decided to give this game the top spot on his 3DS list (note: NOT Switch), I think it is very appropriate to mention it.

[@andregon4366]

@@Food4Dogs 🤷 I just was saying that the games most people know about being featured on these kinds of videos do favours to no one. When I watch these kinds of videos I watch them with the intent of learning about games that flew under my radar. Otherwise I'd just watch top 10 videos to see the same games being featured all the time, just with a slightly different position based on personal opinion.

[@Food4Dogs]

@@andregon4366 I would say in that case you're watching the wrong video here. It's up to Erick what he wants to cover. He has done heaps of "underrated gems" type videos of games that flew under the radar. Here he's doing something different. Hardly fair to criticise a video for not being what you personally expected ...

[@pokestar9994]

Didn’t expect to see you here but I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised. I enjoy watching your videos!

[@Demi-Joker]

In addition to these, I HIGHLY recommend Etrian Odyssey. If any of you enjoyed Persona Q and Q2's gameplay, please play EO. EOIV and EOV are great starting points.

[@patron7906]

They are all amazing, even the broken DS ones.

[@franciscobutte]

Is so niche and soo good.

[@Pepe-tt5se]

I love you, brother! You're one the reasons for my backlog! But you gotta put some time stamps here, my guy! Keep it up!

[@SilverShion]

I was gonna sell my 3DS and the games but I just can't. I just can't see myself trading those gems for money. Any amount would not be enough.

[@MTG69]

Don't do it. The 3DS is epic, and is only going to become harder, and more expensive to obtain in the future.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

Small corrections: 1. Etrian Odyssey III was not released on the 3DS. Only Untold 1, Untold 2, IV, V and Nexus are on the 3DS. 2. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is simply the Western version of Monster Hunter 4 G. And it wasn't re-released on the New 3DS. There's no separate version for the upgraded console. I believe it just performs a little better on the New variants.

[@thepaper888]

The 3ds is having publisher eshop sales now, since it's going to close soon. I just got all the megaten games and radiant historia on the previous sale.

[@awakenedcrowl]

I know I'm late to the party, but in case you don't know: 18:54 4G and Ultimate are actually the same game. While I'm not 100% sure if the two releases might have some VERY minor changes, their certainly are meant to be the same game, just localized. The games almost always had one base game, and one expansion, that just used to come as a rerelease including the base game, until Monster Hunter World. In Japan, those were always called "[Basegame Title) G", while the localizations usually had the "G" replaced with "Ultimate", or in the specific case of one PSP Game, with "Unite".

[@chrisschuck249]

hi Erick, love these types of videos. Best on youtube. I always like to learn about new games and new rpgs. I have a list now to collect for. ty :) I look forward to PS4 and Switch someday. take good care Erick!!

[@ophidianmind333]

This is a nice list and it introduced me to some games that look interesting. All of the Shin Megami Tensei games on the 3DS are worth getting, especially Shin Megami Tensei IV. That one is my single favorite game on the system.

[@jonahabenhaim1223]

Problem I have with them is that their all turn based which I don’t like.

[@reen6904]

@@jonahabenhaim1223 go back to play fortnite then

[@georgepierre3594]

Souler hacker is really hard to get into it feels like a sega 1980/1990s roleplay game.

[@reen6904]

@@georgepierre3594 because it is a game from the 90s, surly not for everyone but still a masterpiece

[@ophidianmind333]

@@georgepierre3594 Soul Hackers was originally a Sega Saturn game, so it feels retro because it is. I can see how some people who don't play a lot of retro RPGs might find the gameplay to be frustrating because it is very different from most modern RPGs, but I personally love it. Having started playing RPGs in the 80s, really old school gameplay feels very natural to me.

[@TheWolff08]

Wow! es como si mis palabras hubieran sido escuchadas, no es un ranking all the games pero es bastante bueno ver una gran parte de los jrpgs del 3DS y mas porque recientemente conseguí una, gracias dude: :)

[@Antony2618]

Felicidades aprovecha ya que la eshop de 3ds cierra el otro año

[@emvatomix]

This is a fantastic work. Checking games for backlog.

[@NinjaxShadowXx]

3DS is my favorite handheld for RPGs

[@nobodynobody1574]

I first play culcept on the ps2 . It was a true hidden gem. I got all of my friends to buy it.

[@c31l]

I just got the SMT games last week on my 3ds. They are on sale in the eshop atm.

[@NiGHTS1980]

3DS is one of my favorite consoles in recent years.

[@JB-mm5ff]

Your timing is impeccable. Glad we're all on the same page.

[@thepokemontrainer6094]

Thank you so much, it took me so long to find games that werent pokemon or mario or zelda.

[@Darkmilo13]

Do top ten of rpgs with horror elements

[@noda420]

One thing you didn't mention about tales of the abyss is that they removed the voices in the conversations

[@galihcd]

I'm half asleep but that Morrigan picture awoke me. Oh there's dialog box

[@rafadono]

I still have a lot of 3ds to play!

[@catriamflockentanz]

2:38 There is another reason why it got a bad rep. It's product page on the eShop is downright deceptive. It comes, depending on your region, with fabricated Screenshots in your local language. In languages the game isn't even localized in. You probably should have mentioned that Etrian Odyssey: The Millennium Girl and Etrian Odyssey: The Fafnir Knight come with premade characters (meaning less generic character interactions) if you so choose. It's rare that Remakes do such a thing and make it optional.

[@SquirrelsOnPowerlines]

Yours is the only lists I trust! I’ve bought a lot of hidden gems thanks to you. Thank you!

[@andregon4366]

18:50 The G and Ultimate versions are the same. The difference is that G is the Japanese version of the game and Ultimate the EU/US version. Also the Ultimate versions of the older Monster Hunter games was like a version of Monster Hunter World + Iceborne all in one.

[@KittyCatTV]

I have quite a few of these and love them. I don’t know if I ever heard of Mercenaries Saga before this, but I definitely will be looking into the series. Thanks for the video!

[@samsolitaryroll]

This video reminds me that I have tooo many homeworks and backlog, either one I haven't finished yet and/or those I wanted to play not yet do...

[@RPGeenius]

Though monster hunter stories 2 is its own story. The assumption is that you played the first game since many of your teammates are returning from the first game. You learn their story in the first game and they add to their stories in the second without explaining what happens to them previously. So though the main story isn't linked the characters for nostalgia purposes are. So if you can play mh stories 1 on 3ds or iOS first I would recommend you do so.

[@Night_Raptor_5991]

19:49 This is one of my favorite games on PSP (never tried the 3ds version)

[@darklordyianni4463]

Amazing vid, but i'd like if you had a list in the description and tags

[@johnnyroche138]

I had no idea the 3DS even had 50 RPGs total, let alone enough to have a 50 best lists

[@PloysMaw]

Having my 3Ds open while watching adding stuff to my wish list as I go; than finding out that both Project X Zone 1 and 2 have been delisted. :(

[@guyinapandasuit2691]

I'm actually playing through all the Mercenaries Saga games on the switch. I couldn't recommend them Enough. Erik is right and I wanted to add that the newest one has an even more detailed interface but still very simplistic, but it's the art style that appeals to me the most. The last 2 games in the series have some of my favorite in game character portraits.

[@wastingtime2380]

They are good indeed

[@guyinapandasuit2691]

@@wastingtime2380 it's like SRPG comfort food haha. It's not the deepest storyline. But they are entertaining as heck and I love how streamlined it is.

[@wastingtime2380]

@@guyinapandasuit2691 You defined it well XD A proud budget version of FFTactics. It has no passion put on it. It is a prove that barebones srpg mechanics simply work.

[@HoobriBoobri]

Its hard to believe, are you finished all that games???

[@joshuatheargonaut4412]

I call this the list of regret. I had a low moment and had to sell some stuff to move and my 3ds and amazing rpg collection went. I kept a lot of the soundtracks from the jpgs I pre ordered but dang. So much regret. I miss my 3ds. Some of the games are probably obscure and hard to find now. Good list bud. The 3ds had so many great games

[@matthewbrookeart]

I got the demo to Stella glow when it came out and loved it a month went by, pay day came I went to buy it physical and it was nowhere to be found and it was really expensive online or second hand was gutted happens a lot in the uk with jrpgs thankfully got it on a digital sale had to get a new sd card tho that games a big one !

[@buddhabinaural]

Holy shit. I just followed your book links. One of them is the price of a new console

[@kevinstreetgaming]

Bandai Namco is actually working on another One Piece turn based rpg which is supposed to release later this year.

[@kevinstreetgaming]

@Queen Nami It's called One Piece Odyssey. They released a trailer a few weeks ago.

[@kevinstreetgaming]

@Queen Nami I can't share websites in yt comments because they get deleted, but you can just search it and read some articles. I'm pretty sure it is supposed to be turn based.

[@Kaitou1412Fangirl]

14:33 What's the theme playing here? It's so good!

[@springtrap9920]

It's called "deep night" ,from Smt devil Survivor

[@mechaotakugamer]

Project x zone was my first rpg game ever

[@nr2676]

Project X Zone and Segata Sanshiro: ,,Sakura San, Sakura San ...''

[@matthewmoney6377]

Do you own all these games Erick?

[@leehyatt76]

I want to pick up one Etrian Odyssey game in the eshop sale. Which should I try? 4? 5? Nexus?

[@franciscobutte]

For a starter IV for sure.

[@bobbobby117]

Have you ever played Magical Starsign? It's a great game.

[@marcofernandezgonzalez2760]

No Inazuma Eleven games? (Maybe I missed it)

[@rikastemmet8849]

I don't know monsters hurt I would like to try it 1 day

[@ahiru00]

Cherche on the thumbnail, based!

[@SnicketySlice]

Actually I think Persona Q is considered canonical. I mean, it doesn't matter as each game in the series is its own thing and largely ignores what came before it, but you did go out of your way to specify it's non-canon for some reason lol

[@cuinderblockdeer4102]

I think you need to play SMT IV again it’s got such incredible atmosphere and I don’t quite understand all the “forced side quests” complaint. Probably the best SMT

[@soratheorangejuicemascot5809]

Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor Overclocked..... That game is fighting against Etrian Odyssey 5 as my number 3ds game. Devil Survivor is definitely unmatched in terms of route options.

[@seishinnfox]

Stella Glow and Radiant Historia! Nice!

[@rikastemmet8849]

I like kingdom hearts story it is cool and intended

[@deusvlad2.083]

damn I was expecting time stamps lol

[@joury900]

Glad to say I own all of them 🤘

[@ithydoodles]

There's only 9 I don't have :) also I don't have Etrian Odyssey 3. I only have the 5 available on the eshop. I did count myself as having Conception 2 even though I sold it after getting the vita version. Speaking of which, don't forget atlus games are on sale on the eshop for less than $10 until Sunday.

[@digiing1992]

Is Etrian Odyssey 3 on the 3ds? Am I just too dumb to find it on the European Store?

[@guccidonbuzzflightyear4440]

I love awakening too lol

[@TheJbones24]

The original Culdcept came out in NA for the ps2.

[@thecitizen6860]

I beat the first bravely game and had high hopes for bravely second.... the secknd game i thought was a step back and a let down

[@wowzagh]

Whew, I hope someone makes a list of all the games in the comments for future reference...

[@SeaSlug]

No sticker star ?

[@Cyrath89]

How do you find the time to play/know all of this man xD!

[@Luuw]

Etrian odyssey is all you need 😍

[@robertpadua6096]

Damn I can't believe there are so many RPGs...

[@hongluong3427]

I haven't played any EO games, poor sense of direction on my behalf

[@musaghei5037]

I DO love almost every game of this list for its genre and its chibi/cartoon graphics, but unfortunately I'm specialised in ps3/ps4 game and so I collect (and play) only those 😭

[@DaRaginLombax]

Guessing and hoping the Project X Zone games are super high in the list as they deserve to be

[@matthewmoore2148]

サクラ大戦 is a favorite アニメ and JRPG series.

[@anneflankermedia4262]

Anyone recommend retro gaming stores online? That’s not DK Oldies. Looking for Koudelka on the PlayStation one.

[@Bobcra7]

Bravely Default #42?

[@xRocketzFighterx]

Recently just completed SMT4 in late 2021, started the game around august and im surprised by this game. It's my 2nd favourite jrpg of all time 2nd only to dragon quest 8 but also shaking hands with other great jrpgs like skies of arcadia, paper mario TTYD, Final Fantasy 9. I was a bit bummed out that SMT5 tho a very good game, it just lacked in story, location and the music tho great was bit of a down grade. SMT5 is pretty much just Nocturne which isn't too bad but after SMT4 n so many great atlus rpgs I was expecting something way better or just as great. But I feel SMT5 lacked in so much mostly because of the covid pandemic which may have led to so much plot n locations being scrapped and just polish the game just so It can run well and not crash n all that.

[@vashranoid]

Etrian Odyssey in DS only, there's no Untold remake like with 1 and 2.

[@patron7906]

3ds is still my favorite handheld of all time, although the Switch OLED is a strong second. Vita was great but Sony did not give that wonder the support and love it needed. I think I missed the GBA craze, I was busy with life and family and wasn't really into gaming during that life-phase, so if you're someone who thinks I'm crazy because I didn't list the GBA - that's why. Nowadays, my eye sight won't tolerate 3" or however tiny that screen was and I've got no need to stick a gaming device in my pocket. Gym bag with games, change of underwear, medicine and such for me, baby. Gotta have that extra pair of underwear, I know what some of you might be thinking, but I've never actually had to use it but I'm covered in case of any emergency that might require it and I rest easy in that knowledge.

[@BoliLelly]

In terms of rpgs best portable is a Vita other than the Steamdeck

[@patron7906]

@@BoliLelly We all have opinions. For me, the library and the clamshell design plus the portability of the 3ds make it the best but if you prefer the Vita, more power to you. I think it was awesome but held back and never lived up to it's massive potential. Obv, purely hardware, it blew the 3ds out of the water

[@carlogustavovalenzuelazepe5774]

@@patron7906 also remember we can buy an r4 and also install a gba emulator there, 3 consoles in one

[@seeker2657]

@@carlogustavovalenzuelazepe5774 ya can also inject any gba game into the 3ds gba releases ...it is the optimum way imo...ya can also mod the colours and contrast of the injects...i restored the blood and gore into the megaman zx games...made the colour nice etc...good times!

[@georgepierre3594]

3ds has way better jrpgs than the switch. The switch has to many ports, and most of the games are available on Pc already.

[@crisdanieljuega7957]

Somebody recomended SAO fatall bullet ?

[@jasonl.7170]

Its not 3ds but i do

[@civoreb]

Mercenaries Saga games took out the annoying aspects of Ogre Tactics but kept the art style. Played and beat the 4th one on ps4 and it was 👌🏼

[@charlescaulkins8306]

What annoying aspects are you talking about?

[@civoreb]

@@charlescaulkins8306 the hit miss rate is one….I would get behind an enemy and miss often.

[@charlescaulkins8306]

@@civoreb Come to think of it, the remake of LuCT had this really annoying skill growth mechanic where every action boosts progression to mastery in point decimals, like 0.43 or so, and usually took forever to get them to reach level "1" proficiency. That was really aggravating.

[@civoreb]

@@charlescaulkins8306 yes that is another annoying thing. Progression took a century. I know they are old games and was one of the strategy jrpg pioneers, but when I played it in 1998, with the little amount of games in the genre, it was frustrating to play.

[@guccidonbuzzflightyear4440]

Lmao SMT 4 is probably my fav game I’ve played on my 3ds

[@AginoEvolutionHD]

Some is using my video of lord of magna maiden heaven I have no problem for you to user it but some people may no like it

[@silentdenizen6903]

Can I get a text list so I don't have to spend 25 minutes to see the list? Or at least some time stamps with the names?

[@guccidonbuzzflightyear4440]

One piece is the best show I’ve ever seen

[@G.L.999]

What is it about Pokemon that doesn't make you much of a fan of the series? Only curious.

[@rodelcorton8815]

The physical copies of all smt games are freaking expensive same for radiant historia and dragon quest viii so even though these games are good cant really play them right now because of these prices.

[@Jonas114_Qc]

Games missings on this list to have a complete jrpg list for the 3ds: Moco Moco Friends Miitopia Paper Mario Sticker Star Fossil Fighters: Frontier LBX: Little Battlers eXperience We can also add 7 inazuma eleven games release only japan and Eu but i dont consider them as true rpg's

[@KittyCatTV]

2:54 is Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past. Was there a different Dragon Quest 7?

[@Jonas114_Qc]

@@KittyCatTV Oh my bad thanks for the heads up

[@KittyCatTV]

@Nhat Anh Hoang I have only played one game and just got too distracted to find out more about the series, so I'm not surprised one bit. I wasn't sure if there was another 3DS Dragon Quest 7 (I know there are TONS of Dragon Quest games and ports and remakes, etc.).

[@samus88]

A few months ago I started to play RPGs on my 3DS because I have never played any save for Pokemon. And I played each Pokemon game dozens of times. I started with Bravely Default/Second and they blew me away. I put roughly 75hrs into each. Then I played Persona Q and Persona Q2. Absolutely breathtaking experiences. My playtime clocked at about 100hrs each. Now I'm playing Project X Zone 2, just having finished the first one a few weeks ago, and I'm more than halfway done. I'm enjoying them but they are obviously much simpler (they are hardly rpgs, other than having a level-up system, there is no exploring, no party building, etc) than the other ones. I did try both Legend of Legacy and Alliance Alive briefly before playing Persona Q but they didn't felt polished or very interesting. I don't want to play games and feel bored. I am fairly interested in playing the other SMT games (there's 6!) and the Etrian Odysee games (I did love the map-building aspect of Persona and 100% all the maps as I played thru, it just felt like it was what the game asked me, didn't feel like a chore or a side thing to complete just because), which there's 5 of. I've got a whole lot of game hours ahead of me.

[@hiro6164]

Finally!

[@Just-a-Canuck]

I was triggered to hear smt: iv so high in the list… then realized it was random… 🤦‍♂️

[@boi9842]

i thought it was JRPGs with 3d graphics not 3DS games.

[@evlinalw325]

Yea! Great system

[@nuclearicebreaker]

I'm not sure if I consider MH4U a JRPG, but the fact that you listed it under MH Stories is a crime. If they aren't a newer fan that prefers World, most Monster Hunter fans say MH4U is GOATed, but I don't know anyone whose favorite game is MH Stories.

[@charleswiltshire21]

I kinda hate all tensei series, because all of theyr games using same dumb boring gameplay, from one game to another, same cura, curaga, curaja, same demons, same turn based gameplay, be that persona, or shin megami, they all using same shit, thats why i get insta bored while playing them, yes, storyline maybe good in all of them, but the gameplay ruins all desire to play them

[@frankenwaifu8092]

Based on your logic, you probably hate Pokemon as well.

[@charleswiltshire21]

@@frankenwaifu8092 good guess haha, i dont hate pokemons, but i dont love them eather, i just dont understand where is fun in pokemon games.

[@agentshadycia258]

What makes the princess sexualized?

[@joshmcguire1911]

number 8 should be number 1 just saying

[@ministerofjoy]

A rpg machine