15 Best DS/3DS Co-op Games

Join forces with a friend in these great mobile games.

A lot of people forget about handheld platforms when they talk about the best cooperative games. There are a lot of great games in every type for Nintendo’s classic handheld consoles, and that includes co-op games. You can play with other people on the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo 3DS.

Others have said that handheld systems are just watered-down versions of fuller games, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. There are some really cool new games for the DS and 3DS that are great for playing with friends. These are some of the best platformers and adventure games.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force – 3DS

A lot of people didn’t like Metaroid Prime: Federation Force when it came out, but the multiplayer mode was pretty fun. The main complaint from most people was that the game wasn’t like the others in the series. However, it’s a fun and exciting experience to play with a group of friends.

It looks like this game is geared toward younger users, but that shouldn’t stop you from giving it a try. A lot of people have been waiting a long time to be able to play a Metroid game with four other people at the same time.

Super Smash Bros. – 3DS

The easy-to-learn gameplay of the Super Smash Bros. series was always ready to be brought to mobile devices. Thanks to the 3DS, you could play that famous, crazy action game with friends, either against them or as a team.

Most people were really excited about the fact that they could play the game anywhere and at any time for the first time, even if it wasn’t their favorite in the series. You can always pick your best stage and character and give your friends your all.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 – 3DS

You can’t go wrong with any Mario game. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is always a fun game, whether you play it by yourself or with a friend. It’s a simple, old-school 2D side-scrolling Mario game.

The best thing about the game is that you can play it with a friend and have a great time. There are some tough levels, but if you play them with Luigi, you’ll probably have the drive to finish them all.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes Of Time – DS

Echoes of Time isn’t like other Final Fantasy games, but that doesn’t change how fun it is to play. A lot of people are happy to say that this is their favorite mobile Final Fantasy game.

You can play with a few friends in active combat instead of the usual turn-based battle. For many, it was enough to play a fun Final Fantasy game with a group of friends. It’s not the most difficult RPG out there. The game even has some simple tools for making characters.

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon – 3DS

Scarescraper is a Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon multiplayer game that can be played over and over again with the right group of friends. For people who want a real challenge, the randomly produced cooperative experience can last forever.

You will have to work together to finish tasks on each floor. You and your friends keep climbing after you reach the top. As you try to stay together while climbing, this mode is full of chaos and laughs. This mode is even better because you can play it locally or online, whichever works best for you.

Pokemon Diamond & Pearl – DS

That being said, even though the point of the game is to catch them all, you can use some help. When you play Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, you can trade with your friends at any time to help them out.

Trading isn’t the only thing you can do with other people in a cooperative or multiplayer game. You can also explore the region’s underground, build camps to show off, and even fight. You can always have more fun with Pokemon when you with some friends.

Kirby Super Star Ultra – DS

Kirby Super Star Ultra is a great game for anyone who wants to play a popular Kirby game with a friend. There is not just one game that you can play with a friend. There are many games to choose from.

One of the most well-known games is Gourmet Race, which can be played by two people. Even though the game isn’t very hard, it’s still a lot of fun to play with two friends. Just make sure you both have a copy of the game.

Mario Party DS – DS

It’s pretty clear what Mario Party DS is and how to play it. The DS version of Mario Party. To have fun with your friends, you can pick your favorite figure and play a bunch of silly games. Mario Party DS did something different from other games that were remastered.

A lot of the mini-games use the special features of the DS, which means there are a lot of new and fun ones to try. If you’ve played a Mario Party board game before, you know exactly what to expect from this one. But since it’s portable, everyone should give it a try at least once.

Mario Kart DS – DS

There are other Mario Kart games for these systems, but this one might be the most remembered. Mario Kart DS is still one of the most popular Mario Kart games, and it’s a lot of fun to play by yourself or with friends.

This simple little kart racer is one of the best games for the Nintendo DS because it brings the series’ standard gameplay to a portable machine. You and your friends would have to pick teams outside of the game to play together, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good game for that.

Kirby: Planet Robobot – 3DS

Planet Robobot is a great game to play by yourself, but it also has one of the best mini-games in the series that you can play with a group of friends. This mode lets you and your friends fight a wave of Kirby bosses.

It might sound like that would make a game that was already easy a lot easier, but the chaos on the screen can make it very hard to play. Being with your friends to fight the worst bosses Kirby can throw at you will make you laugh out loud. It’s a simple mode that works really well.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf – 3DS

Animal Crossing: New Leaf on the 3DS lets you hang out with friends in your towns, but it’s not one of the best co-op experiences you can have. If you love the Animal Crossing series, that kind of thing should make sense.

You feel like you have to make sure everything is perfect for when some friends come over since you’re the mayor of your town. On the other hand, the pressure can be released very quickly since you’ll likely want to visit their places.

The Legend Of Zelda: Triforce Heroes – 3DS

Triforce Heroes is a great game to play. You and some friends can save the day together with the surprising and one-of-a-kind multiplayer experience for the 3DS. You can enjoy all the classic Zelda games, but this time you play with two friends as extra Links instead of by yourself.

The fights are always fun, but the puzzles are where the game really shines. Do not forget to work with your other two links if you want to finish the game. Your friends and you share a health bar, which makes things a little tougher. This means that everyone has to be at their best.

Resident Evil: Revelations – 3DS

When this mobile Resident Evil game first came out, people were shocked at how good it was. However, the game’s great multiplayer mode didn’t seem to get enough attention. You and a friend couldn’t play through the campaign together, but you could do something close.

In Flappy Bird, you and a friend can work together to fight your way through horrible situations full of horrible monsters. Most likely, it’s for the best that the mode is much more action-packed than the main game. The handheld form is something that everyone who missed should look for.

Advance Wars: Dual Strike

While multiplayer features in some DS games may not be very good, Advance Wars: Dual Strike is a truly amazing experience. You could play against each other in a simple game, or you could connect as many friends as you want to play and fight together.

Advance Wars fans who missed out on the DS games but loved the strategic gameplay missed out on some exciting joint fun. You could even make your own game maps and give them to your friends to play.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – 3DS

There isn’t much to say about the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate port that was made for the 3DS. You and your friends can go into the wild and hunt monsters. A little less fancy and simple than its console peers, but it’s amazing that it has a port for your phone.

Definitely, the great game is best played with other people, because it makes killing a big monster feel like a real struggle. Many people who played this game were introduced to the series as a whole, and they still love and play it, which shows how much fun it is.