Nintendo has announced the exact date for when it plans to close the Wii U and 3DS eShops for good. However, close isn’t strictly true. We’ll get onto that in a bit. The Nintendo 3DS eShop closure has been a controversial topic with fans. So let’s go through what’s actually happening.
If you want to buy games digitally from the Wii U and 3DS stores, then you have until the 27th of March 2023 to do so. The Japanese publisher has finally announced the date on its official support website.
You have significantly less time if you want to add funds to these stores with a Nintendo eShop Card. On the 29th of August 2022, you’ll no longer be able to add prepaid funds with these cards. Little over a month away. The good news is that if you top up before then, you do have until March next year to spend those funds on digital titles.
Some other good news is that Nintendo isn’t outright deleting the Wii U and 3DS eShops or their functionalities. Their announcement states that you can still re-download previously purchased software, DLC and updates from the stores “for the foreseeable future”. It’s not going to be completely dead like fans worried about.
What will you still be able to do?
On both platforms, users will still be able to:
- Redownload content they own
- Download existing software updates
Great news, considering the previous fears about the eShop closure.
What’s ending on the Wii U and 3DS eShops?
- Purchase any content.
- On Nintendo 3DS systems, this includes paid content, plays and passes in software such as StreetPass Mii Plaza, the Theme Shop, Nintendo Badge Arcade and Pokémon Bank.
- On Wii U consoles, this includes passes in software such as Wii Sports Club.
- Download demos.
- Download free-to-start software.
- Redeem download codes.
- Add funds to their Nintendo eShop balance.
On Nintendo 3DS systems, users will still be able to:
- Download a small number of free themes from the Theme Shop.
The end of an era
I get it. The 3DS is one of my favourite consoles. I don’t play it as often as I used to, but I still love it and boot it up occasionally to play some older Pokémon games. But with the Nintendo Switch, it’s been clear where Nintendo’s priorities have been laid for a while. This was just a matter of time.
If you still own a Wii U or 3DS, now is the time to hit the eShop and ensure you’ve got all the brilliant games you want to play. Get there before the library is cut off and you can’t buy them anymore. Especially since not every game got a physical release, and if history is anything to go by, prices of physical games will likely go up in price once the eShop closes its doors to sales.
It’s nice to have some proper clarity with regards to these eShops. Games you own can still be downloaded even after the cut-off date. It’s just sales, demos, download codes, DLCs and adding funds to your Nintendo eShop balance that’s closing.
