Games are one of the best ways to get thousands of hours of Japanese without it feeling like study. This page covers which consoles and games actually work for learners, how to switch a game into Japanese, and the free Japanese games we make ourselves.
Before you buy anything, these are free, run in your browser, and are built for learners:
Hiragana quizKatakana quizKanji quizHiragana reading gameKatakana reading game
Which console? Region locks matter
A Japanese game only helps if your console will run it, and Nintendo has changed its rules over the years:
- Nintendo Switch: region-free. Japanese cartridges and games from the Japanese eShop play on a console bought anywhere.
- Nintendo Switch 2: region-free, with one big exception (see the warning below).
- Nintendo 3DS: region-locked. A US or European 3DS will not play Japanese 3DS cartridges.
- Original Nintendo DS and DS Lite: region-free, so Japanese DS cartridges work. This is why the DS was such a favorite with learners, and why used DS Lites are still worth picking up.
How to play a game in Japanese
Many of Nintendo’s own games contain every language on the cartridge. Change the console’s system language to 日本語（にほんご） in System Settings, restart the game, and the whole thing is in Japanese. Other games, especially from third-party publishers, only include Japanese in the version sold in Japan. The table below says which is which.
The single most useful thing to look for is furigana, the small kana printed above kanji. A game with furigana lets you read every word even before you know the kanji, and you learn the readings as you play.
Our picks for the Nintendo Switch
| Game | Level | Japanese text | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirby and the Forgotten Land | Beginner | Mostly kana, short lines | Very little text and lots of repetition. A gentle first game in Japanese. |
| Animal Crossing: New Horizons | Beginner | Furigana on kanji | Everyday vocabulary, casual speech from the villagers, and no time pressure. You can play for months. |
| Pokémon Scarlet and Violet | Beginner to intermediate | Furigana on kanji | Clear sentences, menus you already understand from English, and a story you can follow. |
| Shashingo: Learn Japanese with Photography | All levels | Choose kana, furigana or kanji | Made for learners: you explore Japanese streets and photograph objects to learn their names. |
| Splatoon 3 | Intermediate | Kana with some kanji | Short, slangy lines and fast menus. Great once kana feel easy. |
| Dragon Quest XI S | Intermediate | Furigana option, Japanese version only | A long, classic RPG with a furigana toggle. The US and European versions do not include Japanese text, so buy it from the Japanese eShop. |
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | Advanced | No furigana | Rich, natural Japanese with no reading help. A good goal to work toward. |
Language and furigana details are for the current releases as of October 2026. Publishers sometimes add or remove languages in updates, so check the game’s page in the eShop before you buy.
Nintendo DS classics for learners
If you have a DS or DS Lite, two titles stand out:
My Japanese Coach (Ubisoft, 2008)
The first DS game made to teach Japanese to English speakers: about 1,000 short lessons with mini-games, a placement test, and voice recording through the DS microphone so you can check your pronunciation. It starts from the very beginning, so it suits true beginners best.
漢字（かんじ）そのままDS楽引辞典（らくびきじてん）
Not a game but a Japanese-English electronic dictionary for the DS. You can write a kanji with the stylus to look it up. A real 電子辞書（でんしじしょ） is better, but this costs a fraction of one.
Some game links on this page are Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. It helps keep this site free.
Make it stick
Games give you volume; they do not explain grammar. Keep a notebook (or an Anki deck) of words that keep coming up, and look up the grammar behind sentences you see again and again. When the kanji start to slow you down, our free list of 1,000 essential kanji has the readings and an example word for each.
Our free N5 reading passages are short, graded and come with vocabulary help. When you are ready for more, Makoto, our monthly reading magazine, has furigana on every kanji and audio for every word. Get issue #100 free.
