Who doesn’t loveKirby? HAL Laboratory’s adorable star warrior debuted on the Game Boy and has thrived on Nintendo’s handhelds ever since. The Kirby series has appeared on every portable Nintendo console, minus the Game & Watch, chief among them being theDSand3DS.
Nintendo’s dual-screen handhelds are home to some of the best Kirby games, including stellar remakes, innovative spin-offs, and phenomenal mainline platformers. Whether you’re looking for a traditional Kirby experience or something different, there’s bound to be something on the DS or 3DS to suit your tastes.
Honorable mention goes to Kirby Fighters Deluxe - a fighting game akin to Super Smash Bros. While it doesn’t have enough content to make this list, it’s still a fun game with a lot of fan service.
Launch Date
June 08, 2025
Kirby Squeak Squad delivers a traditional experience akin to Nightmare in Dream Land, with some new twists to mix things up. The touch screen shows a peek inside Kirby’s belly, where you can store food, copy abilities, and even combine items to make something new.
This time, the pink puffball is up against Daroach and his titular Squeak Squad, who show up at the end of most stages for a mini-boss or chase sequence. While none of these additions revolutionize the series, the controls and level design are spot-on, and the exclusive animal copy ability makes it a blast to hunt for treasure and fight enemies.
Nintendo 3DS
Jul 04, 2025
Move over, Virtual Console. 3D Classics: Kirby’s Adventure is the best way to play this NES masterpiece. Kirby’s second installment is re-imagined with full 3D support and touched-up backgrounds to give the visuals a little oomph. The best part? All the lag from the original is gone.
As the first game to introduce copy abilities, Kirby’s moveset feels understandingly simple compared to later titles. Regardless, the levels and sub-games have aged remarkably well. If you want to replay Kirby’s Adventure or experience it for the first time, this is the best-looking and smoothest-running version, excluding remakes.
June 09, 2025
Kirby’s first outing on the DS strove to show off the handheld’s touch controls. In Canvas Curse, you draw lines with the stylus to roll the puffball around levels, find treasure, and collide with enemies to copy their abilities. Each boss also makes unique use of the touch screen, including a throwback to Gourmet Race from Kirby Super Star.
Ultimately, your enjoyment will boil down to whether you like the touch controls. If you’re able to stomach it, Canvas Curse is a delightful,underrated gem on the DSthat offers a fun and unique twist to spice up the traditional Kirby formula.
June 10, 2025
Initially launching for the Wii in 2010, Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn brings the puffball’scoziest adventure to the 3DSwith new content. When Kirby is transported to Patch Land, a world made of yarn and fabric, he teams up with Prince Fluff to find a way back to Dream Land. There’s just one catch - he can’t inhale anything.
With no life system, you’re free to take your time to explore and find secrets with no risk of a game over. The new additions include ravel abilities, which act as substitutes for copy abilities, and two new sub-games where you play as King Dedede and Meta Knight. Overall, Extra Epic Yarn is a great way to experience this relaxing game on the go.
June 16, 2025
What’s better than one Kirby? Ten, of course! When a dark wizard named Necrodeus splits Kirby into ten miniature pieces, you must guide the army of puffballs across the Popopo Islands to become one again. Similar to Canvas Curse, you use the stylus to move the Kirbys and flick them across the screen.
Mass Attack is the closest the Kirby series has ever gotten to Pikmin’s gameplay style. You can toss your army around to grab items and pummel enemies, but the Kirbys can die if you’re not careful. There are even several incredible sub-games, including a top-down shooter and an RPG mode that references the Kirby anime.
Jul 03, 2025
Kirby Triple Deluxe takes full advantage of the handheld’s 3D feature by providing perspective-based platforming that has you swap between the foreground and background. However, the biggest addition is the Hypernova ability, which allows you to inhale everything on the screen to annihilate enemies and solve puzzles.
If you like Return to Dream Land, Triple Deluxe improves that format with more interesting levels, plenty of collectibles, and world-building that fleshes out the lore in new, meaningful ways. Plus, the Beetle ability is one of the best in the series. Don’t sleep on this one.
Jun 13, 2025
Kirby Planet Robobot puts a twist on the formula established by Triple Deluxe with the inclusion of the Robobot Armor. These giant mechs let you wield giant flamethrowers, massive buzz saws, and more to obliterate enemies and solve puzzles.
The plot follows Popstar being industrialized by the greedy Haltmann Works Company. The backstory behind this cooperation is shockingly tragic for a Kirby game, providing a ton of world-building for fans of the lore. With plenty of action-packed levels and fan service,Planet Robobot is a must-play 3DS game.
June 07, 2025
Often considered one of the best Kirby games ever, the original Kirby Super Star blew fans away with eight unique game modes and expansive movesets for each copy ability. Super Star Ultra breathes new life into the SNES original by adding quality-of-life updates and brand-new campaigns.
All the original content is back, along with new modes, including the True Arena, where you face the toughest bosses in the series, and Meta Knightmare Ultra, which has you playing as Meta Knight. Overall, Super Star Ultra knocks it out of the park with stellar controls, a phenomenal lineup of copy abilities, and some of the best levels in the series.
