On March 27, 2023, Nintendo is closing the 3DS eShop. After this date, you'll no longer be able to purchase digital 3DS games. It's not too surprising, considering the 3DS launched more than a decade ago, but it's still sad to see the final nail in the coffin for this great handheld system.

The 3DS eShop closing is terrible for game preservation, especially because it hosts many superb games that you cannot buy physically. This means there won't be any legal way to obtain and play these games, if you haven't bought them prior to March 2023.

As such, we've rounded up a list of the best games only available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Get them before it's too late.

1. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice

Gaming's greatest attorney would certainly object to the 3DS eShop closure, especially when two of his games are exclusive to the store. You can't go wrong with Dual Destinies or Spirit of Justice. Both of these visual novel adventures blend the series' courtroom and investigating gameplay with trademark whimsy and wit.

If you have time, first pick up the original trilogy on the Switch and play the series in order.

2. Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move

A spin-off entry in this long-running puzzler series; this time, Donkey Kong teams up with Mario and Pauline, rather than fighting against them.

Your aim is to lay paths to guide the Mini toys to the goal, across 180 challenging and charming levels. There's even a simple level builder, ensuring the fun marches on for endless hours.

3. Dillon's Rolling Western

In this tower defense game, Dillon is an armadillo ranger who protects villages from invading rock monsters alongside squirrel sidekick Russ. With a cool Wild West setting and mixture of gameplay styles, you gather resources and build defenses and then battle it out at night.

If Rolling Western entertains you, there are two even-better sequels.

4. Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale

If Japanese culture is your jam, or you just like narrative-led games, you owe it to yourself to play Attack of the Friday Monsters.

The episodic story is led by Sohta, a young boy who lives in a town that sees a giant monster appear at the end of each week; he goes on quests, partakes in card battles, and learns about friendship.

5. Rusty's Real Deal Baseball

Nintendo has never been a company to shy away from innovation or weirdness. Those two elements combine perfectly in Rusty's Real Deal Baseball, a free-to-play baseball game made up of purchasable mini-games.

You must haggle with Rusty to lower the cost of those games, using weird items like donuts and hair trimmers. The games are surprisingly enjoyable (knock down UFOs!) and the dialogue is a hoot.

6. BoxBoy!

Don't let the basic visual style of BoxBoy turn you away. Take control of Qbby and create boxes to help navigate them through levels and past obstacles.

Give this puzzle-platformer a chance and you'll find an inventive game that has an unexpected amount of depth. There are also challenge modes to keep you hooked, along with a handful of sequels.

7. HarmoKnight

Developer Game Freak is primarily known for cranking out Pokémon games, so HarmoKnight makes for a welcome change of pace.

This fast-paced rhythm game sees you working through levels, your actions working in time with the music, and teaming up with a warrior, archer, and monkey to utilize their unique abilities. It's toe-tapping good fun.

8. Pushmo

Simply watch a trailer for Pushmo and you'll immediately be taken in by its delightful rotund character Mallo, the colorful graphics, and upbeat music.

In Pushmo, you move blocks around to climb through the increasingly complex levels and rescue trapped creatures. There are more than 250 levels to crack through, along with a tool to design your own.

9. The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave

Using the augmented reality feature of the 3DS, role-playing game Denpa Men lets you scan your environment to find funky-looking characters that you use to build a party and explore dungeons. The Denpa Men have unique personalities and skills, so deploy them carefully when roaming and fighting.

It's all a bit silly, but a neat application of VR technology nonetheless.

10. Siesta Fiesta

You've probably played some version of Breakout in your time. Siesta Fiesta takes the classic arcade gameplay and applies the kitchen sink: power-ups, wacky items, and boss bottles all come into play as you bounce your way through eight colorful regions.

Perhaps all you need to know to appreciate Siesta Fiesta's appeal is that you use the titular character's bed as your paddle. Party on!

11. Picross 3D: Round 2

There are plenty of Picross games to choose from, but you can't go wrong with Picross 3D: Round 2, where you solve 3D puzzles to reveal the hidden objects inside. You can select the difficulty level too, making it great for all ages.

While this game did release physically in Europe and Australia, it's digital-only in North America. Since the 3DS is region-locked, the eShop is the only way to get it.

12. Rhythm Heaven Megamix

Rhythm Heaven Megamix is another game that only released digitally in North America. It offers a wealth of rhythm-based games to play, mixing new ones with the greatest hits from past entries in the series.

Don't let the bright visuals deceive you; it's not as easy to stay on beat as you might think, but it always remains a rollicking good time.

Emulating 3DS Games Just Isn't the Same

Some of the more well-known games on this list may eventually end up available through other means, like ported to the Nintendo Switch, or you could play them on another platform thanks to emulation. But that doesn't provide the true 3DS experience—like the 3D, dual-screens, and touch functionality.

For now, stock up on the wide variety of exclusive 3DS eShop games while you can.