Racing games had a funny time on the 3DS. The glasses-free 3D was made for a road rushing toward you, and the system had two racers ready at launch. Namco Bandai brought Ridge Racer, Gameloft brought Asphalt, and reviewers spent the first weeks comparing them.
After that the shelf got thin. Most of the racers that followed were licensed games, and the nicest surprises turned up later as small eShop games, including a pixel-art throwback for anyone who misses the arcade. There is also a kart racer starring a cat, and yes, we will get to him. Here are the 7 best Nintendo 3DS racing games.
7. F1 2011 (2011)
F1 2011 puts you in the driver's seat of the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship, with all the official teams, drivers and circuits. That includes the new Buddh International Circuit in India. Sumo Digital made the 3DS version and tried to pack in as much as the cartridge could hold, from a career mode that ends with a world title to the KERS and DRS systems of that season. One review gave the 3DS version two stars out of five and still praised the effort.
Players who want a real sim on the 3DS point to this one, mostly because there is hardly anything else. One fan called its built-in trophy system "insanely hard and therefore rewarding", which tells you exactly who it is for. Bring patience and a love of braking points.
6. Urban Trial Freestyle (2013)
Urban Trial Freestyle is a trials bike game from Tate Interactive. It came out on the PlayStation Vita first and was added to the 3DS eShop on June 27, 2013. The city is your playground here. You ride through the urban landscape pulling backflips, 360s and wallrides, and you tune your bike for either Time Attack or Stunt mode. Ghost Mode lets you challenge the best riders.
It is the one game on this list where the clock is the main enemy, and you get to choose between speed and style. The 3DS crowd liked it enough to get a sequel all to itself. Urban Trial Freestyle 2 came out only on the 3DS, in Europe on March 30, 2017 and in North America on April 20, 2017. A good pick for short sessions and one more try.
5. Asphalt 3D (2011)
Asphalt 3D was one of eight 3DS launch titles, and the first Asphalt on a Nintendo system since Asphalt 4: Elite Racing. Gameloft made it as a direct conversion of the iOS game Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, with 17 tracks based on real places like San Francisco and Paris and 42 licensed cars. You win races to earn car upgrades and XP, and StreetPass swaps ghost data with other players.
Critics were not kind. Reviews went after its controls and its choppy framerate, and one said it might be the worst launch game of all time. Players are split on it. Some warn newcomers away, while others had a great time anyway and say it is the best realistic racer on the console. Buy it for the licensed cars and go in knowing about the frame rate.
4. Garfield Kart (2014)
Garfield Kart is a kart racer based on The Garfield Show, and Garfield creator Jim Davis was its executive producer. It plays a lot like Mario Kart: you race on tracks and grab items and power-ups to mess with the other racers. Garfield and Jon are the only drivers at first, and Odie, Arlene and Nermal are among the ones you unlock. The Lasagna Cup is always free to race, and a hidden Ice Cream Cup opens once you clear the other cups on 150cc.
Critics hated it and called out its low production value. Then it became an internet meme, and user reviews turned very positive, many of them sarcastic. Players treat it the same way. Plenty call it one of the worst games on the 3DS, and plenty more recommend it with a straight face that fools nobody. Both camps keep it in the conversation, and that is how a lasagna-loving cat ended up at number four.
3. 80's Overdrive (2017)
80's Overdrive is a 2D pixel art racing game from Insane Code, made to take you back to when 8 and 16 bit consoles and arcade games ruled the world. It came to the 3DS in 2017. In career mode you race opponents to unlock new races, buy new cars and upgrade them. Time attack mode is a race against the clock, and a built-in track generator lets you make your own tracks and share them with friends.
It looks like a lost sequel to the sunset racers of the arcade days, and the 3D effect on the road is lovely. Players who stumbled onto it rave about it, and some call it the best download they ever bought for the 3DS. It is the easiest recommendation on this list for anyone who grew up in an arcade.
2. Ridge Racer 3D (2011)
Ridge Racer 3D was a launch title in Japan on 26 February 2011, and it reached North America on 22 March, five days before the 3DS itself. It was the first Ridge Racer on a Nintendo system since Ridge Racer DS in 2004. As usual for the series, you race cars around high speed tracks while drifting. This one added a Drift button so beginners could drift with one press, and Grand Prix mode hands out new cars and nitrous kits as you win.
Critics agreed it was one of the best launch titles for the console, and the reviewers who compared it to Asphalt 3D said it was far better made. Players still call it solid and keep recommending it to anyone after an arcade racer. If you want pure drifting with no shells flying at your head, this is the one.
1. Mario Kart 7 (2011)
Mario Kart 7 gave the karts hang-gliding attachments, which put aerial sections on the tracks for the first time in the series, and it took the races underwater too. You can drive in first person with gyro controls and customize your kart's build. Grand Prix has eight cups, each featuring four tracks, and the coins scattered on the tracks raise your kart's top speed. Retro Studios, which had just finished making Donkey Kong Country Returns, helped build it, because producer Hideki Konno did not have enough staff to finish in time for the 2011 Christmas season.
It became the best-selling game on the Nintendo 3DS with nearly 19 million copies sold. Players recommend it far more than any other racer here, and they call it the obvious answer for anyone who wants to race on a 3DS.
Which one to play
There you have it, the whole list of the best Nintendo 3DS racing games. The 3DS never had many, but the top three still hold up today.
If you are not sure where to start, play Mario Kart 7. For arcade drifting with real cars, Ridge Racer 3D is the one to get. If you want a proper sim, F1 2011 will test you, and Urban Trial Freestyle does the same on a bike. For a hidden pick, try 80's Overdrive. And if you have a sense of humour about kart racers, Garfield Kart is waiting.
