Luigi’s Mansion 3: Master Ghost-Hunting With This Complete 2026 Guide

Luigi’s Mansion 3 remains one of Nintendo Switch’s standout action-adventure titles, blending puzzle-solving with vacuum-powered ghost combat across a sprawling haunted hotel. Since its 2019 release by Next Level Games, the game has captivated both casual and hardcore gamers with its inventive mechanics, charming presentation, and surprising depth. Whether you’re just starting your ghost-hunting journey or looking to optimize your strategies, this guide covers everything from core mechanics to hidden collectibles, ensuring you’re equipped to tackle every floor and face down Hellen Gravely’s ghostly army.

Game Overview and Story Setup

Luigi’s Mansion 3 kicks off when Luigi, Mario, Princess Peach, and a crew of Toads receive an invitation to the luxurious Last Resort hotel. What seems like a perfect getaway quickly turns sinister. By night, the hotel’s true nature is revealed: it’s a haunted fortress controlled by the devious Hellen Gravely and the tyrannical King Boo. Mario and friends are trapped inside paintings, leaving Luigi as the only one who managed to escape.

With the help of Professor E. Gadd, Luigi must navigate the hotel’s numerous themed floors, rescue his friends, and restore peace. The Poltergust G‑00, a powerful vacuum cleaner, becomes Luigi’s primary tool for combat and environmental interaction. The story unfolds across 15 distinct floors, each with its own aesthetic, enemies, and puzzle types. While the narrative is straightforward ghost-hunting adventure fare, the game’s charm lies in its humor, detailed level design, and the creativity of individual boss encounters that blend story moments with mechanical challenges.

Gameplay Mechanics and Controls

Vacuum Combat and Exploration

Luigi’s Mansion 3’s core loop revolves around the Poltergust G‑00 and complementary tools. Here’s how controls break down:

Core Controls:

• Move: Left stick
• Aim vacuum/flashlight: Right stick or gyro motion
• Suck: ZR button
• Blow: ZL button
• Strobulb flash (stun): A button
• Dark-Light Device: X button to reveal hidden objects and phantoms
• Slam: Press A after filling the suction meter to deal damage
• Burst jump: ZL + ZR to knock back ghosts and clear obstacles
• Gooigi summon/recall: Right stick press or dedicated button based on control layout

Combat Strategy: Stun ghosts with the Strobulb flash, then activate suction with ZR. Once a ghost is caught, pull in the direction opposite to its movement to fill the damage meter faster. Press A to slam and deal significant damage: chain slams by repositioning the cursor to hit multiple enemies at once. The Burst jump cancels grabs and creates breathing room against aggressive enemies.

Exploration Tips: Vacuum every curtain, carpet, shelf, and piece of foliage, most secrets are environmental. Use Dark-Light in suspicious empty spaces and areas where objects seem oddly absent. Blow air with ZL to spin fans, move objects, and trigger pressure-plate mechanisms. Each floor feels purposefully designed to reward thorough investigation, and the tools grow more useful as you unlock additional Poltergust upgrades.

Multiplayer Features and Co-Op Play

Luigi’s Mansion 3 shines in multiplayer, offering multiple ways to enjoy the game with friends and family.

Local Co-Op Story Mode: The second player controls Gooigi, Luigi’s doppelgänger made from ectoplasm. This opens up entirely new puzzle solutions, Gooigi can slip through tight grates, cross spiked floors, and reach areas Luigi cannot, while Luigi handles the heavy lifting and main combat. Co-op story is perfectly balanced for two players and encourages creative problem-solving.

ScareScraper (2–8 players): This roguelike mode features randomly generated floors with time-limit objectives. Teams can play locally via wireless or online, selecting from multiple mission types: capture a set number of ghosts, collect a target amount of money, defeat crows, or rescue Toads. Each floor completed unlocks a new floor with increased difficulty and rewards. The procedural generation ensures replayability, and the online infrastructure is stable across Nintendo Switch.

ScreamPark (Local, up to 8 players): Competitive party minigames include Coin Floating (grab floating cash), Ghost Hunt (catch ghosts before opponents), and Cannon Barrage (blast targets for points). ScreamPark is ideal for local multiplayer sessions and adds a casual, arcade-like layer to the broader experience.

The multiplayer modes are well-designed and genuinely fun, though ScareScraper ranks among the best online ghost-hunting experiences on Switch. According to comprehensive game guides, ScareScraper provides serious end-game content with escalating difficulty and strategic team composition.

Tips for Beginners and Advanced Strategies

Beginner Essentials:

• Vacuum and blow in every corner of each room, most environmental puzzles and secrets are hidden this way.
• Practice your aim with the Strobulb while moving: timing the flash stun before combat is critical.
• Use Dark-Light liberally whenever a room feels incomplete or objects seem to be missing.
• Learn ghost types: shielded ghosts require disarming with suction or a well-timed slam: crawling ghosts are faster and unpredictable.

Advanced Tactics:

• Chain slams by adjusting your cursor angle to hit multiple ghosts in succession, maximizing damage per engagement.
• In co-op, coordinate: have Gooigi attack from behind while Luigi distracts and applies crowd control.
• Observe boss patterns carefully before committing to attacks: most bosses require a puzzle step first (removing props, breaking barriers, or exposing weak points).
• Manage your Burst cooldown strategically, it breaks enemy attacks but leaves Luigi vulnerable immediately after.
• Use Gooigi proactively in single-player puzzle rooms: summon him to interact with pressure plates or reach high shelves while you handle combat.

According to IGN’s detailed walkthrough, mastering vacuum timing and understanding enemy behavior patterns separates casual players from those who breeze through higher difficulties. Practice on lower floors first: mechanics rarely change, but enemy density and boss complexity increase significantly.

Hidden Treasures and Collectibles

Luigi’s Mansion 3 rewards exploration with extensive collectibles. Here’s what to hunt for:

Gems: Each floor contains exactly 6 collectible gems, each with a unique shape specific to that floor’s theme. Gems unlock furniture for the in-game Dark Moon portrait and are tied to progression achievements. Use Dark-Light when gem locations aren’t obvious: many are hidden inside furniture or behind walls.

Boos: After clearing each floor, hidden Boos appear as collectibles. Your controller vibrates when you’re close, providing subtle hints. Boos are typically tucked in corners, behind objects, or in secret rooms unlocked by solving puzzles.

Money: Coins, bills, gold bars, and pearls are scattered throughout furniture, walls, and secret rooms. Vacuum everything systematically, and use Dark-Light on blank-looking walls. Hidden rooms often contain large coin stashes.

Collection Strategy:

• Return to earlier floors after learning new techniques and obtaining Poltergust upgrades: some collectibles become accessible only with specific tools.
• Gooigi can access areas Luigi cannot, use him to grab collectibles in narrow passages, spiked zones, and ventilation shafts.
• Check vents, pipes, and behind loose wall panels obsessively: developers hide treasures in unconventional spots.

According to GameInformer’s review, the collectible system rewards thorough play without feeling mandatory, encouraging exploration without creating frustration for casual players.

Conclusion

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a masterclass in game design, balancing accessible mechanics with surprising depth. Its vacuum combat, Gooigi co-op mechanics, and floor-by-floor progression support solo campaigns, local co-op adventures, and online multiplayer modes. From beginner strategies to advanced tactics, hidden collectibles, and replayable ScareScraper runs, the game offers content for every skill level. Whether tackling the main story or chasing completion, Luigi’s ghost-hunting adventure remains essential Nintendo Switch fare in 2026.