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Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life

Nintendo is ending 3DS and Wii U eShop functionality with prepaid cards today, 29th August. After today, you won't be able to redeem the card directly on either the 3DS or Wii U consoles.

Maintenance is scheduled for 30th August 4:30am UTC, and if we had to guess, that's when the functionality is being removed. RIP using the touch screen or Game Pad to type our code in with a stylus...

This is the next phase in Nintendo's gradual shutdown of the eShop on both consoles. The company announced earlier this year that both the 3DS and Wii U eShop will be closing on 27th March 2023, and Fire Emblem Fates will be removed one month earlier. So we're in the final seven months of the eShops lifecycle. Boohoo.

It's not quite the end of the world yet, though! You can still add any leftover eShop cards to your Nintendo Account and spend the funds on the eShops — all of them! But make sure you get your Nintendo Switch account linked to the one you use on your 3DS and Wii U! Don't worry, if you haven't done that, we can tell you how to link your Nintendo Network IDs in our handy guide.

For more information on when the Wii U and 3DS eShops close, we've put together all the info you need, as well as a comprehensive list of the best DLC available on the eShop for both systems:

Further reading

You can still grab eShop cards from us too using the link below. Otherwise, reminisce with us on the joys of huddling over your touch screen or Game Pad in the comments.

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