Topic: Do my downloaded 3DS games get saved to my SD card?

So my 3DS XL I got back in 2013 broke. The right hinge got loose and the top screen eventually came off, the green wire and some ribbon cables ripped. I'm very mad that all the games that I downloaded from the e-shop are all gone, including Pokemon Moon, New Super Mario Bros 2, Mario Golf World Tour Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and several other games that were priced. I'm a shiny hunter in Pokemon as well, I obtained the shiny charm and found 86 shinies so far.

I don't think it can be fixed because some ribbon cables connecting to the top and bottom screens and the green wire ripped.

But I still have the SD card that I downloaded all my games onto. Does that mean I can still play my games if I get another 3DS? I don't think that you get your stuff back if you put a different SD card into another 3DS. But if I'm right about that, can Nintendo somehow make a completely different 3DS read my SD card and play the games I played on my original 3DS?

Even if it's starting over my games, i'll definitely go for that. But obviously I'd rather keep my progress.

SD card data is indeed tied to the system. Does your 3DS still run at all? If you're able to get into the system settings menu and run a system transfer, you should do that to get your data onto a new 3DS. Then everything would be fine. If not, I guess you'd have to see if you can get Nintendo to somehow do a transfer for you. It's possible but I don't know if they'd do it on request.

I don't think it's possible to use a 3DS without the top screen (apparently, it's required to get the thing working).

The games are indeed in the memory card, but you will likely be unable to use them without performing a system transfer first.

The good news is you can contact Nintendo and have them transfer your NNID from the dead console to a new one, this will include the right to download all your games and dlc.

You may lose your save data though; without a literal system transfer, it's unlikely the new system will recognize the data in the sd card. Nintendo may be able to do it if you send them both consoles (old and new), but that obviously involves physically sending them both consoles by mail.

Well I don't have another 3DS at the moment. So if I buy another and send the broken 3DS XL, whatever 3DS I get next and the SD Card from the original 3DS, they can fix it all?

You'd have to ask them. If the system is too much of a lost cause, they may not be able to perform a transfer.

But if they can, then they will.

It's recommended you don't send them the sd card. I've heard of people who received their systems with formatted cards, or even without the card at all.

But the sd card carries the game saves, and i'd rather have my game saves.

If they successfully do a proper transfer, the new system will be able to read the SD card anyway. They don't need to have it.