Nintendo has announced it’s going to stop selling 3DS and Wii U games through the eShop before the end of March 2023.
In explaining the decision, Nintendo said, “This is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time.” Thankfully, there’s still plenty of time left to pick up any eShop titles you missed, assuming you still own the hardware to play them on.
Nintendo hasn’t specified a date yet, but in late March 2023 it will no longer be possible to make eShop purchases for 3DS and Wii U titles. All free content (including game demos) will be removed, too, and download codes will stop working. Following that, on May 23 it won’t be possible to add funds to an eShop account for either system using a credit card, and then on Aug. 29, Nintendo eShop Cards can’t be used anymore to add funds for purchases on either system.
If you’ve linked your Nintendo Network ID wallet to the more recent Nintendo Wallet, the balance can only be used for 3DS and Wii U content until late March. After that, the balance will be limited to Switch purchases.
If you already own a load of digital content for the 3DS and Wii U, don’t worry. Nintendo says that, “for the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.”
The 10-year-old Wii U wasn’t very popular, but 783 games were still released for the system. The 11-year-old 3DS on the other hand, saw 1,374 games released and has many digital-only must-have titles including Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale, BoxBoxBoy!, Crimson Shroud, Pocket Card Jockey, and Pushmo to name a few. If you still own either system, check out what’s available and pick up any gems that haven’t been ported to more recent platforms before they disappear forever.
