The end of an era of two of Nintendo’s most memorable console generations.
A few months after Nintendo’s initial announcement, the company has now revealed the final date for the closure of the eShop on Nintendo Wii U and 3DS, officially signaling the end of an era of two-generation console titles. Players will have until March 27, 2023 to continue using the eShop on these two consoles, after which it will be closed for further purchases. However, Nintendo mentioned a few other things to note if you have a ton of games purchased through the online service.
First, all eShop-related purchases on both platforms will stop working, including base games and DLCs. Also included in this move are free demos for select games as well as all free content made available for both platforms. Earlier this year, Nintendo already blocked the use of credit cards to add funds to your eShop wallet on both platforms. On August 29, 2022, Nintendo will also remove adding funds through eShop Cards. This is something to consider if you still have a lot of them lying around.
If you have your Nintendo Network ID account (used on 3DS and Wii U) linked to the current Nintendo Account (used for Switch), you can still continue to purchase games from the 3DS and Wii U eShop until March 27, 2023. after which you can only use the shared account balance for the eShop on Switch.
For curators who care about these games disappearing forever, fret not. In the same post, Nintendo assures gamers that games they purchased from the eShop for 3DS and Wii U will still be downloadable “even after March 27, 2023 and for the foreseeable future.”
The post ends on a somewhat nostalgic and positive note, as Nintendo also affirmed the huge role of the 3DS and Wii U in the company’s history. You can track your journey with these consoles via a new site that showcases various game stats you’ve earned on both platforms over the years.

The end of an era of two of Nintendo’s most memorable console generations.
A few months after Nintendo’s initial announcement, the company has now revealed the final date for the closure of the eShop on Nintendo Wii U and 3DS, officially signaling the end of an era of two-generation console titles. Players will have until March 27, 2023 to continue using the eShop on these two consoles, after which it will be closed for further purchases. However, Nintendo mentioned a few other things to note if you have a ton of games purchased through the online service.
First, all eShop-related purchases on both platforms will stop working, including base games and DLCs. Also included in this move are free demos for select games as well as all free content made available for both platforms. Earlier this year, Nintendo already blocked the use of credit cards to add funds to your eShop wallet on both platforms. On August 29, 2022, Nintendo will also remove adding funds through eShop Cards. This is something to consider if you still have a lot of them lying around.
If you have your Nintendo Network ID account (used on 3DS and Wii U) linked to the current Nintendo Account (used for Switch), you can still continue to purchase games from the 3DS and Wii U eShop until March 27, 2023. after which you can only use the shared account balance for the eShop on Switch.
For curators who care about these games disappearing forever, fret not. In the same post, Nintendo assures gamers that games they purchased from the eShop for 3DS and Wii U will still be downloadable “even after March 27, 2023 and for the foreseeable future.”
The post ends on a somewhat nostalgic and positive note, as Nintendo also affirmed the huge role of the 3DS and Wii U in the company’s history. You can track your journey with these consoles via a new site that showcases various game stats you’ve earned on both platforms over the years.