The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops are officially dead, but some hope remains

After over a decade for both platforms, the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops have officially closed—leaving the internet to mourn the loss of both marketplaces and the games left behind. 

This is something gamers have known about since Feb. 2022 when Nintendo announced both platforms would be shutting down their digital storefronts. From there, anyone who wanted to make final purchases had just over a year to check everything off of their outdated wishlists. 

During that time, a lot of retrospective looks have been cast on Nintendo’s early 2010 consoles. Fans celebrated the 3DS for its large library and unique applications as the final iteration of the legendary game company’s handheld devices while also finding the silver linings for the flawed, yet interesting Wii U at the same time. 

There were even a number of devs like Capcom, Atlus, and WayForward that took the time to discount some of their games on both systems so fans looking to do some last-minute shopping had a chance to do so at a discount.

For anyone who forgot about the closure or didn’t hear about it until it was too late, the curtain has already fallen on both the 3DS and Wii U eShop. As of 7pm CT on March 27, 2023, it is no longer possible to access either marketplace in any form to download or purchase games, applications, DLC, or any other software you did not already own. 

Through the lens of videogame preservation, this is a huge loss as hundreds of titles are now likely inaccessible in any legal fashion due to this closure.

Many of the Wii U’s games have been ported or were already available on other platforms, but the 3DS still has plenty of games that were system-exclusive and likely can’t function anywhere else because of the two-screen design and other features. With that, our only hope to see some of those “lost” games that might be too expensive for some people to purchase physically now is to get more remasters or ports on the Switch or mobile.

As for the actual functionality, not everything has been lost just yet. 

For the foreseeable future, players can still use online features for games on both the Wii U and 3DS. Additionally, games and other software you previously purchased can be redownloaded at any time despite the eShops both being inaccessible.

This is the same treatment Nintendo gave the Wii and original DS, with online functionality only being shut down on May 20, 2014.

There are some specific examples where this is extremely important, such as with Pokémon Bank. 

Now the eShop is gone, 3DS users can access all of Pokémon Bank’s features completely for free. This includes the Poké Transporter, which is currently the only way to connect Pokémon games and transfer your Pokémon from 3DS and older to newer generations using Pokémon HOME.

Related: How to get Poké Transporter for Pokémon Bank on Nintendo 3DS

If you want a full list of what is still possible now that the Wii U and 3DS eShops are gone, you can view an official Q&A on the Nintendo Support website or check community forums like dedicated groups on Reddit.