- Classic Nintendo 64 Pokemon Snap got ported for Nintendo 3DS.
- New game release for 3DS after almost 10 years since the last release.
- New Nintendo 64 Pokemon Snap port will work with other consoles and modes of playing the game.
3DS owners have been blessed with a new Pokémon game to play in 2026, as if this year wasn’t wild enough already.
A Legacy Is Revived Back Finally
Pokemon Snap is as legendary as some of the most powerful creatures from the series. Kicking off in 1999 on Nintendo 64, the game brought a welcome change of pace for Pokémon fans, allowing them to explore and capture Pokémon in a completely different way: through photos. After years we are getting back which brought the series into the current era, complete with newer Pokémon to find and secrets to uncover. It’s a fantastic companion piece for the mainline games, letting you see everything in a new light. It’s no wonder people are clamoring for more constantly.
Now Nintendo 3DS been entirely replaced with the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, Due to this, support for the 3DS has officially ended, and yet here we are after almost 10 years since the last release, with a new Pokemon game you can currently grab for the system, with a bit of catch though. Pokemon Snap released on the Nintendo 64 in 1999, later receiving a sequel on the Nintendo Switch in 2021.
Nintendo 3DS Gets Its First New Pokemon Game Since 2017
Modding and emulating has been all the rage this year with several decompilations dropping on PC, which can then be taken and transformed into PC ports for games never meant for that platform. Modders have realised that portable game consoles like the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita and now the 3DS are excellent platforms for these distributed classics, which is how Pokémon Snap is now playable on the 3DS.
A team led by modder Manurocker95 has unofficially ported Pokemon Snap to the Nintendo 3DS. The port fully recreates the original game using Unity, and even makes use of the console’s stereoscopic 3D display and gyroscope controls. You can also use touch controls and amiibo. This version of Pokémon Snap features new routes and monsters not present in the original, and comes with support for a wide range of languages, including Castilian Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese.
Pokémon Snap 3DS's first beta is out NOW! 📷
— Pokémon Fangame News (@PokeFangameNews) May 12, 2026
Features:
– Playable on every device capable of running 3Ds games
– New routes and Pokémon not present in the original game
– Touch and Gyro support
– Fully localized in 7 languages
⏬️ Check it out ⏬️https://t.co/JKIzzp0TmS pic.twitter.com/rbUgksdVc8
How Players Without 3DS Can Play Nintendo 64 Pokemon Snap
“Although designed for Nintendo 3DS hardware (especially New Nintendo 3DS), the game is also playable on other platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Nintendo Wii U, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo Switch,” says Manurocker95. “It is compatible with both real hardware and emulators (Citra, Azahar, etc.). Keep in mind it’s a new 3DS-targeted game, so enable New 3DS mode in the emulator settings.”
Fans who do not own either of a 3DS or 2DS consoles can emulate it with the relevant software. Be warned though, Fans will need their own dump file of the game for this and simply downloading a copy for the internet is piracy, and we dont recommend that.
Though it is warned to players that the current build of Pokemon Snap on the 3DS is not fully complete, but the full version will be available soon. Right now only 12 Pokemon can be photographed in both the tutorial and beach levels, with the other levels being added later as time goes on. Despite not being a finished project it’s still really impressive, and arguably something both Nintendo and The Pokemon Company should have tried to do themselves.
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