As the news hit just a few months ago, Nintendo announced that after March of 2023, the Eshop for the 3DS gaming system will be closed forever. This means that all variations of the 3DS such as the 2DS and others that use the same Eshop will forever be barred from purchasing games digitally through the official store, as Nintendo is shifting its main focus to the Switch consoles that are producing much more revenue. Many fans knew this day would come, yet it still hurt to hear. 

The 3DS lasted for more than 10 years when it came out in 2011, and throughout that time, many amazing titles were released. Games like “New Super Mario Bros. 2” broke sales records for a portable device, and “Animal Crossings New Leaf” held its position as an important entry in the Animal Crossing series. With the Eshop closing forever, people won’t be able to play any of these mainline titles unless they buy a physical copy that’s been used before. 

Although it is very easy to find decent quality physical copies of mainline titles for the 3DS on Ebay or Mercari, there are many amazing games that are only being sold digitally through the Eshop, which is why many fans are bummed out. With the Eshop closing, people will not be able to buy titles like the original Pokemon games or Mario games which have been emulated to the 3DS and expanded its playing capabilities as a console.

However, people can still play games that they bought digitally before the closure begins. Many fans prepared by making lists for people who are fans of different game series on which games they should think about purchasing if they haven’t already. For example, Pokemon fans recommend most people get all four mainline 3D titles that came out in the last 8 years along with Pokemon Bank which is a software that allows transferring of any owned Pokemon character between games. Other fandoms like “Super Mario,” “Legend of Zelda” and “Kirby” have their own specific recommendations that include emulated games as well. Fans are also recommending titles that weren’t developed directly by Nintendo. Many Lego games are still worth purchasing and even just checking out some of the random demos may be a good way to take advantage of the time we have left.