The 3DS Library Is Ripe For Switch 2, But Is NSO The Way To Go? (2025)

The 3DS has one of those libraries where the more you think about it, the better it gets. Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask 3D, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Super Mario 3D Land, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Kirby: Planet Robobot, WarioWare Gold, Samus Returns... you get the picture. If only someone had a list of the best 3DS games, eh? Our point is, that delightful little stereoscopic sweetheart had more bangers than a tin of hot dog sausages. And we want to play them on Switch 2.

Of course, we're not asking for everything to come over. Some of the handheld's best titles have already made the jump to Switch in remastered form (Captain Toad, Luigi's Mansion 2, Monster Hunter Stories, etc.), and another group landed follow-ups that borrowed so heavily from its 3DS predecessor that a full-blown port would feel silly — does anyone actually want Mario Kart 7 when so much of its DNA can be found in 8 Deluxe? But, with Majora's Mask 3D celebrating its anniversary last week, rumours of a Kirby: Planet Robobot remaster ever rumbling and still no sign of a Rhythm Heaven on Switch, we're craving even more 3DS action in 2025.

With its presumed mouse controls and flippable screen, there's a pretty good case that Switch 2 is the ideal place for the 3DS library to find a new home. In the weeks since its official announcement, we've hypothesised the touch-screen potential of mouse mode, and fan-made renders are already conceptualising what the console's extra USB-C port and patented flippability could mean for dual-screen play.

What's more, remember that a 3D slider isn't necessarily a deal-breaker for playing 3DS games. Towards the end of the handheld's lifecycle, a bunch of 3DS exclusives dropped the extra dimension for a 2D-only experience. , Layton's Mystery Journey and Super Mario Maker all spring to mind. And the 2DS slab got a sexier clamshell upgrade to hammer home that all that stereoscopic wizardry was no longer a requirement.

As it stands, Switch 2 seems to be 'the place' for a 3DS resurgence (we can't imagine another massive roster being announced for 'Switch 1' any time soon), but the question is, how? We'd probably be guilty of shamefully coughing up £50/$60 for another pop at OOT 3D or Fire Emblem: Awakening. Hmm, we'd probably do it for 3D Land and Rhythm Heaven Megamix, too. Uprising and Samus Returns might make us do the same. Hang on, this is getting expensive.

For a library this stacked, landing all the remasters we dream of feels like a long shot — and not a particularly wallet-friendly one at that — but Nintendo Switch Online could provide a neat little workaround. Think about it: if there is some way of replicating the dual-screen experience on Switch 2, be that via streaming to another screen à la Wii U or by a peripheral in the new port, a subscription-based 3DS library could be a good way to make people jump over and sign up for some more monthly payments while they're at it.

In this instance, Nintendo could pump its resources into nailing a Switch 2 exclusive lineup without having to devote attention to remastering decade-old games. A launch year could see Mario Kart 9, a new 3D Mario and probably some gimmicky tie-ins, with Nintendo plugging the gaps between these releases with news of "Majora's Mask 3D will be available for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack Deluxe Edition subscribers next week". Talk about keeping us drip-fed.

But this is Nintendo that we're talking about, the company that has published more than a handful of remakes and remasters in the last two years alone and we've gobbled them up. If anyone is going to make us feel like we need to drop 50 quid on OOT for the fourth time rather than paying for a subscription, it's the Big N.

So, what do you think? The desire for a 3DS library on Switch feels like a given, but would you rather see them come one at a time as remasters or drip-fed to us through NSO? You can fill out the following polls to let us know your thoughts and then take to the comments to explain your choice.