3DS - Timeline
TodayWed, 29th Mar 2023
News Limited Run Teases One Last Physical Release For Nintendo 3DS
"Days like that remind us why we do what we do"
It's the end of a generation, with Nintendo yesterday calling time on the 3DS and Wii U eShops. Now that digital sales and physical production have come to a halt, the Switch creator is essentially done with these older platforms, but that doesn't mean everyone is.... Physical distributor Limited Run...
News Nintendo Extends Code Redemption Deadline For Wii U & 3DS eShops
You've now got until April
The global shutdown of the 3DS and Wii U eShops was technically yesterday, but it seems Nintendo has thrown a lifeline out to anyone who still has any codes left to redeem on these digital storefronts. As highlighted by the company's official Japanese customer support account on Twitter, Nintendo has extended the period...
YesterdayTue, 28th Mar 2023
News Two 3DS HOME Themes Are Now Free To Download (North America)
Stars, dots & stripes
If you happen to be located in North America, there's apparently a small eShop goodbye gift from Nintendo in the form of "free" 3DS HOME menu themes. Users in this region can currently claim a 'Dots & Stripes: Yellow & White' theme and a 'Stars: Gold & Black' theme from the Theme Shop. These themes previously cost...
News The 3DS & Wii U eShops Have Officially Closed, Purchases "No Longer Possible"
You can still download your existing library, but that's about it
Today officially marks the end of the 3DS and Wii U eShops. While you'll still be able to download your existing purchases, you can no longer buy or redeem new games from these digital storefronts. Free content including demos are also off limits. Now that the digital shops have...
PSA Pokémon Bank Is Now "Free To Use" On Nintendo 3DS
Update: Poké Transporter issues resolved
Update #2: The login issues appear to have been resolved, and everyone with the Poké Transporter installed on 3DS should now be able to access it. Update #1: We've had a slight development, with word quickly spreading online that the Poké Transporter is not working for some users. We booted up the...
News Nintendo Badge Arcade 3DS Service Ends 'Daily Free Plays'
"Farewell, Arcade Bunny"
We've got some news you probably didn't want to hear about the 3DS service Nintendo Badge Arcade. With the 3DS shutdown currently taking place around the globe, it's now been confirmed by Nintendo's Japanese website that this title has been partially shut down. As highlighted by well-known Nintendo dataminer and Twitter...
Monday27th Mar 2023
Poll How Many 3DS Consoles Have You Owned?
1DS, 2DS, 3DS, more?
Call us nostalgic, but the closure of the 3DS eShop has us reminiscing about the many incredible years of portable gaming we've enjoyed with Nintendo's last dedicated handheld console and its wider family. Recently, we've been downloading various gems we missed over the years and it's given us a chance to take stock of our...
Guide When Does The 3DS And Wii U eShop Close? Nintendo eShop Closure Guide
Update: Today's the day
The Wii U and 3DS eShops are closing today, Monday 27th March. The North American stores will be closing at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET according to Nintendo (which works out to 1:00 AM BST / 2:00 AM CET on Tue 28th March in Europe, although no specific closure hour is given for European stores — we'd get in there sooner...
Guide 39 Best 3DS eShop Games You Should Get Before They're Gone Forever
3DS eShop-only titles worth picking up pronto
It’s the final countdown — the 3DS eShop is closing for new purchases today, Monday 27th March, so we’re republishing this guide to highlight some gems you might want to consider snapping up... The 3DS eShop is closing down, after over a decade of service. It's not a huge surprise, but it is a...
Friday24th Mar 2023
News Nintendo Badge Arcade 'Free Plays' Might Be Over For Good
But it also could be an error
Players have been reporting that Free Plays on the freemium 3DS app Nintendo Badge Arcade are over. Over on the 3DS subreddit, users were booting up the game in order to cash in on their free plays only to find that there were none. Multiple users started reporting this yesterday, with European players also running...
Thursday23rd Mar 2023
Community We're Hosting A 3DS StreetPass Gathering At PAX East 2023, Come Join Us
A StreetPAX party!
If you're heading to Boston for PAX East this weekend, you might want to grab your 3DS, 2DS, New 3DS XL — whatever, just grab your 3DS console — because we're hosting a community meet-up to reminisce and celebrate StreetPass! Hosted by the lovely Zion Grassl, champion StreetPass and one of our lovely video hosts over on...
News Pokémon Games Continue To Dominate 3DS Charts Ahead Of eShop Shut Down
Catch all the Game Boy classics while you still can
Time is running out for the 3DS and Wii U eShops with the shut down taking place next week on March 27th. Ahead of this, we've got a sales update to show you what's charting on the 3DS eShop in North America with less than a week remaining. The Virtual Console Pokémon Game Boy games are still...
Tuesday21st Mar 2023
Video Everything To Do Before The 3DS And Wii U eShops Shut Down
The end is nigh
Are you starting to panic about the impending closure of the 3DS and Wii U eShops? Do you find yourself wondering which last-minute games to pick up, or even how to link your Nintendo accounts properly? Then worry not, dear readers, we're here for you. Our lovely video producer Zion has put together an extensive video that goes over...
Monday20th Mar 2023
PSA You Only Have One Week To Purchase 3DS And Wii U eShop Games
Can we panic yet?
March 27th, 2023. Judgement Day. The day when Skynet will rain nuclear fire upon the earth and send a Terminator back in time to... Hang on. Sorry, wrong script. Two secs... March 27th, 2023. The day when the 3DS and Wii U eShops will shut down permanently, preventing users from purchasing new games and downloadable content. It's...
Sunday19th Mar 2023
Random YouTuber Spends Nearly $23K Buying Every 3DS & Wii U eShop Game
Jirard Khalil completes his preservation mission
The 3DS and Wii U eShop services are shutting down at the end of this month and that means you've only got so much time left to buy all of the digital games you possibly can on Nintendo's older storefronts. YouTuber, streamer and video game media personality Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil has taken...
Saturday18th Mar 2023
News Pokémon Game Boy Titles Dominate 3DS eShop Charts Ahead Of Service Closure
Get 'em while you can
We're now nearing the end of the month and that means we're getting closer to the end of the 3DS and Wii U eShop service. If you haven't got around to making any last-minute purchases just yet, and are wondering what's hot on the 3DS eShop right now, the weekly sales chart for North America should help you out. As you can see...
Thursday16th Mar 2023
Random The World's Largest DS Just Got A 3D Upgrade
And it even has a working Circle Pad
You might remember in July of last year, designer and all-around tech wiz BigRig Creates managed to build the world's largest working DS using a TV and McDonald's touchpad. Well, just as the DS gradually evolved into the 3DS, BigRig has managed to give his creation a dimension-adding upgrade. That's right, the...
Wednesday15th Mar 2023
Reminder Catch All The Pokémon Games On 3DS & Wii U Before The eShop Closure
Gotta purchase 'em all
The 3DS and Wii U eShop services are closing down at the end of this month on 27th March, and while all sorts of games and applications will no longer be available for purchase, one series in particular that's taking quite a hit is Pokémon. Serebii.net has put together a short social media reel to highlight what exactly will...
Friday10th Mar 2023
News Two 3DS Games Have Been Made Free To Download On 3DS eShop (Europe)
Kid Tripp and Digger Dan DX can be yours
Four Horses has made two of its 3DS eShop titles free to download in the run-up to the digital storefront's closure at the end of the month. Kid Tripp and Digger Dan DX are both currently free and will be free for the remainder of the eShop's life, Four Horses has revealed. (Thanks for the tip, Dogorilla!)...
News Capcom 3DS & Wii U Games Available For Just $2.99 In Final eShop Sale (US)
Get Phoenix Wright, Monster Hunter & more
The 3DS and Wii U eShops are shutting down at the end of this month, and ahead of this, lots of game developers have been slashing prices on their libraries across both platforms. Capcom is the latest to do this - with an absolutely massive sale currently taking place on Nintendo's slightly older digital...
Wednesday8th Mar 2023
News Shantae Goes Half Price In WayForward's 'Last Chance' 3DS And Wii U eShop Sale
Mighty Switch Force 1 & 2 also discounted
With the 3DS and Wii U eShops closing in less than a month, WayForward has joined a growing list of publishers discounting their games for one last sale before the end. There are a number of games across both platforms to go over here, including the likes of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and Mighty Switch...
Sunday5th Mar 2023
Soapbox 3DS' Boundless Creativity Got Me, And Nintendo, Through Some Tough Times
A platform for change
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Andy McDonald celebrates and reminisces about a console that showcased Nintendo's off-the-wall creativity at its very best... With the 3DS’ days numbered as an active...
Saturday4th Mar 2023
News This Is What The Pokémon Bank 3DS Shut Down Update Looks Like
See one of the incoming changes
March marks the month of the 3DS eShop shutdown and as part of this, The Pokémon Company previously announced it would be making its Pokémon Bank service on Nintendo's handheld device entirely free. Serebii.net webmaster Joe Merrick has now highlighted one of the changes that will be made on the software side as...
Friday3rd Mar 2023
Update: Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 for Wii U taken offline
Update [Fri 3rd Mar, 2023 15:30 GMT]: Nintendo has announced that it has begun temporary emergency maintenance on Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U. While unconfirmed, it's heavily speculated that the maintenance - which at the time of writing has no time frame attached to it - is...
Thursday2nd Mar 2023
Talking Point Which Is Your Favourite 3DS Theme?
Main theme
As we continue our trip down memory lane before the 3DS (and Wii U) eShops close up for new purchases, firing up our old consoles recently has reminded us just what a bounty of gaming joy 3DS presents every time you crack open that clamshell. What a wonderful little console! (Check out our 'Countdown' series if you're looking for eShop...
News Atlus Cancels "Final" 3DS Game Sale Ahead Of eShop Closure
Sorry, Japan
The 3DS eShop is scheduled to shut down this month, and in response to this, publisher and developer Atlus (known for series like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei) was planning on hosting one "final" sale on the platform in Japan. Instead of going live today, yesterday the company announced it would no longer be happening. It apparently...
Monday27th Feb 2023
Reminder Today Is Your Last Chance To Get Fire Emblem Fates On 3DS eShop
Don't miss out
In one month, on March 27th, 2023, the 3DS and Wii U eShops will permanently cease new purchases on games and DLC. We're very sad. However, today (February 27th, 2023) actually marks your last opportunity to purchase Fire Emblem Fates, as Nintendo will be removing it from the eShop store on Tuesday 28th February, one month prior to...
Wednesday22nd Feb 2023
News 3DS Tactical Adventure 'Fragrant Story' Releasing Free DLC Expansion Before eShop Closure
Sniff this
Last year in April, a new 3DS 16-bit tactical RPG game known as Fragrant Story was released. It's one of the few physical releases on the handheld in recent years and is also likely to be one of the last. With the 3DS eShop closure on the horizon, the developer William Kage is now using the remaining time to pump out a few updates. The...
Thursday16th Feb 2023
News You'll Have One Year To Transfer Funds Once 3DS & Wii U eShops Close, Says Nintendo
Get that Nintendo ID linked!
Ahead of the 3DS and Wii U eShop closures next month, Nintendo of Europe has shared a reminder on Twitter on what you can do in the lead up and aftermath of the end of the services. Importantly, Nintendo has clarified that you'll have until March 2024 to merge 3DS and Wii U eShop funds with your Nintendo Account. In
Thursday2nd Feb 2023
PSA Don't Worry, 3DS System Transfers Will Still Be Possible Following eShop Closure
Well, that's something at least!
As you will all likely know by now (we hope), the 3DS and Wii U eShops will no longer allow users to purchase or download new games onto their systems come March 27th, 2023. Nintendo has been reasonably forthright regarding what will and won't be possible after this date, but one question that's been lingering in...
