Table of Contents
Part
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Note
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Part 1: Start Here
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Want to hack and pirate on your 3DS? Start here
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Part 2: Breaking News
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April 2024 Server Shutdown, 3DS Software update, and more.
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Part 3: Wiki Page
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See all Wiki pages for in-depth issues, including ERRORS and SD Card issues
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Part 4: Useful Homebrew Programs, Tools, and Tips
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Frequently referenced useful programs
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Part 5: How to get any game on your device, including updates & DLC
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Explains how to get any game, including 3DS, DS, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Color, SNES, NES, and others, onto your 3DS.
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Part 6: Where to find Games
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Sources for finding ROM files
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Part 7: Migrating Saves
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how to get saves onto 3DS
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Part 8:
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Flashcarts are self-contained hardware in the shape of an NDS cartridge that allows you to play ROMs. is your best source of information and help.
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Part 9: Misc. FAQ
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Unsorted FAQ section.
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Part 1: Hacking 3DS/Restoring Hacked 3DS/Buying 3DS
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Want to hack and pirate on your 3DS? Start here:
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Do you already own a hacked 3DS and want to update it, erase it, or get back in working order?
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Do you already own a hacked 3DS and want to remove CFW? Removing the hack from a 3DS is a bad idea, better to restore it to working order and ignore the hacked software.
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Do you want to find out where the best place is to buy a 3DS? See the
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You should ONLY follow the guide in the link above. DO NOT follow video guides as they are likely out of date and may result in permanently damaging your device.
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The ONLY ways to hack your 3DS are those explained on the guide. If you cannot follow that guide, you cannot hack your device.
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Review the . If your post got removed by the automod please do not make a new one. All posts removals by the automod are reviewed by a human moderator. This might take longer than 48 hours in some cases.
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If you aren't getting sufficient help with the hacking process, ask in the official .
Frequent Questions regarding the hacking process
❓ Will this delete my existing games? / If you follow the guide correctly, it will not affect your existing games or saves.
❓ Can I pop in my SD card into a non hacked console and have my games playable? / No, it doesn’t work like that. The hack is on the device, not the SD card. Even a hacked console can’t use the same SD card you have in another system. 3DS's lock the SD card to a single system. Meaning the SD card only works on the one system it’s tied to.
❓ Can I play out of region games? / Hacking makes your 3DS/2DS be able to play any region. You can play EUR games on a USA system and the opposite USA games on a EUR system, etc.
❓ I want to hack my system, how risky is it? / Thanks to our user fork_on_the_floor2 who has among our members we can give you the empirical risks of you running into problems:
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80.58% did not have any issues hacking their system
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16.91% had minor issues that were easy to fix
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1% of users had major issues or bricked their system*
Part 2: Breaking News - Online servers, Pretendo, & 11.17 Update
Pretendo/Online Services Shutdown - April 8th 2024
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Nintendo at 4pm PDT on April 8, 2024
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For Pretendo-related information
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HACKING YOUR 3DS IS STILL POSSIBLE
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Going onto the internet is still possible. Nintendo did not (and cannot) remotely deactivate internet functionality from your hardware. They shut down their own servers that your hardware connected to.
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POKÉMON BANK & TRANSPORTER STILL WORK. No official date has been announced for those servers being shut down, but Nintendo does say it will be "soon".
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3hs hShop & FBI STILL WORK
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STREETPASS STILL WORKS
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YOU CAN STILL CREATE A NNID
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Local multiplayer still works.
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The eShop is still available to re-download officially purchased games, therefore the official System Transfer process will still work
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This includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution.
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This includes the official GTS & online trading and battling for 3DS Pokémon games.
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is working on an alternative service and to archive relevant data. for more info. Their unofficial subreddit is
"My 3DS Says I should update the software!" - 11.17 Update Questions
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If your console does not yet have custom firmware, do NOT update to the latest version unless instructs you to.
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If your unmodified console is ALREADY on 11.17, has been updated accordingly.
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If your console is running Luma 10.2.1 or higher, it is 100% safe to update. You can check your Luma version by holding (Select) while booting your console. Do not use the defunct "Luma Updater".
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If your console is on an older Luma version, you should update Luma before you update your console to 11.17.0. You can update with the Universal Updater.
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If you’ve already updated your hacked device to 11.17 BEFORE updating Luma, and now receiving an error,
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You cannot downgrade from 11.17.
Citra, Yuzu, and FBI
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In March 2024, the creators of Yuzu Switch Emulator settled a lawsuit with Nintendo resulting in the immediate shutdown of Yuzu and other projects operated by the same team. This included the 3DS Emulator Citra, and FBI, the app used on 3DS hardware running CFW.
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Citra is still available to download. See
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Likewise, FBI is still accessible as instructed in
New NNID's and Pokémon Bank
Part 3: Wiki Pages - In Depth Answers to Issues
Part 4: Useful Homebrew Programs, Tools, & Tips
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See the FULL LIST of available 3DS Homebrew programs and . Posts asking for the "best homebrew apps" will be removed.
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: Download official 3DS & VC games as CIA files directly to 3DS. See if .
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FBI - Install CIA files, scan QR codes and download games over WiFi. Only works for 3DS games and VC’s, not NDS games. See
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- rip roms from a cart, rip saves, and much more. .
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Pokémon - If you just want to play Pokemon games, see
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Universal Updater - Install homebrew apps and files. Most of the apps on this list can be downloaded from the Universal Updater.
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- Turn any ROM into a CIA file. Inject Nes, Snes, GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, Mega Drive, Game Gear and TurbiGrafx 16 ROMs in to the 3DS.
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- file transfers to the 3DS over wifi without the need of removing the SD card. Available in the Universal Updater app.
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- file management of your SD card from your 3DS instead of plugging it into your computer. Available in the Universal Updater app.
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Anemone theme manager - View and download custom themes. .
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Checkpoint - Back up & restore your save file for 3DS and official VC games. Install cheats as well!
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- Amiibo Emulation. See the list of games.
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- Customize your folders and home screen with badges and icons.
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- Folder selector for if you reached the 300 titles limit on the 3DS.
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Do NOT use the "Ghost eShop." Its files are sparse and of bad quality. See Part 5 below.
Part 5: Where to find Games
Ripping 3DS & DS cartridges
CIA file sites
Rom Sites
QR CODES
CIA COLLECTIONS
Part 6: How to get any game on your device, including updates & DLC
3DS Games, DSiWare, and Official Virtual Consoles (Gameboy, GBC, NES, SNES)
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, the hShop 3DS App contains all 3DS games, official virtual consoles, and DSiWare.
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Download updates to 3DS Games in the "updates" section of 3hs.
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Download DLC to 3DS Games in the "DLC" section of 3hs.
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Posts asking about updating your games or downloading DLC will be removed for failing to read the FAQ
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.CIA Files: Alternatively, download the CIA files from the sources above, insert into the CIA folder on your SD card, and run them in FBI.
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.3DS Files (CIA files are easier, but 3DS files can be installed as well): Alternatively, download the 3DS files from the sources above, insert into the 3DS folder on your SD card, restart 3DS in GODMODE9, locate the file, and select "build cia from file". The .CIA file will transfer to the gm9/out folder. Install via FBI.
MAKING VC GAME INJECTS (GBA, GB, GBC, NES, SNES, PS1, NEOGEO, ETC)
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Use to make VC inject CIAs of various platforms which get added as Home screen icons. an alternative guide on how to use it.
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are also available, but only on NEW 3DS/2DS. Compatibility is not perfect. .
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games are recommended for only NEW 3DS/2DS systems. Games also may have performance issues.
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All require rom files, which are readily available online. If you want help with where to find them ask in the .
Available Emulators for 3DS Hardware
Gameboy Advance
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Option 1: Download .CIA files from some of the above sources or Google "[Name of game] GBA .CIA file". Install via FBI.
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Option 2: Create your own .CIA VC Inject files with . .
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Option 3: Download .GBA files and run via open_agb_firm
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runs .GBA ROMs natively without the use of emulation. This ensures best possible compatibility.
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This requires full hardware access to the console. Therefore, it runs as a FIRM (like GodMode9), and is not a regular 3DS app.
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The benefits of this include not needing to use NSUI to make a VC and not clogging your home screen toward the title limit
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Install and setup as described in their .
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After installing, boot your 3DS while holding Start, and select open_agb_firm. Then choose any .GBA file on your SD card.
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Supports: RTC, ROM Hacks that can be normally run (32MB limit)
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adjust brightnesss, audio, and remap buttons by editing the config.ini file located in /3ds/open_agb_firm/
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Does NOT Support: Save States or Link Cable
Nintendo DS
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Download ROMs from the sources in the ROMS section below or ask for roms in the REQUEST MEGATHREAD and put them into your SD card in /ROMS/NDS.
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DS games cannot be a CIA file, except DSiWare.
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There are 3 ways to play DS games on your system:
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Get an R4 flashcart, see section below.
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Use a to put a DS game on your homescreen. We recomended either or . You may need to .
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Install . This is an application that, when opened, looks and functions like the DSi menu. It allows you to access and play Roms via a prettier interface. If your app is broken, try downloading it again from the Universal Updater app or . You may need to .
Other
Part 7: Migrate save files onto, and off of, 3DS
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GodMode 9 - Rip and restore saves .. Inject saves to GBA VC’s.
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Copy your .sav file to roms/nds/saves/ and name it the same as the ROM but with the “.sav” extension instead of “.nds”. Same for GBA folder, etc.
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Checkpoint - Rip saves from 3DS cart
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put physical copy into 3DS
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open up checkpoint, select the cartridge version, back up the save and name it something obvious
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remove the cartridge
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select the digital version of the game you backed up and then pick the save you just made a back up of and click “restore save”.
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How to .
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Alternatively, use or for ripping NDS game saves.
Part 9: Frequently Asked Questions
❓My game isn’t loading! / *Import the seed first by locating the game within FBI → Titles → Selecting the game → Import seed. If that doesn't work, try switching the games region to whatever it is with . If the game is USA then switch the region of it to USA and try loading it again. For certain games, like Luigi's Mansion and Tomodachi Life, you need the right region for the game to work. See the "Common Errors Wiki" linked in the Wiki section above.
❓ Whatever happened to Freeshop? / Nintendo killed it, along with all other programs that get games from Eshop servers. They are permanently dead. Try the 3hs hShop
❓ Can I update to the latest update? / Yes. Update to the latest stable release and then update your system software.
❓ I found a .CIA - now what? / Put it on your SD card and use an installer like FBI to install the game.
❓ Can I get banned for pirating games? / As of April 8 2024, there are no servers to be banned from. In theory you can be banned from Pokémon Bank, but there is currently no known way for that to happen.
❓ How can I install games if I don’t have access to the SD card? / Use or (Use version 1.4.0 if the game you’re sending is 1GB or larger). Boop is PC only while FTP can be done via PC or your phone. and FTP Phone guide for and . FTP is easy to use on PC just use a FTP app like .
❓ If I have a pirated copy of Pokémon, can I use the Pokébank? / Yes. PokéBank is now free to use and can be downloaded from the HShop. You can also use on your 3DS or on your PC for a free alternative. See for more helpful Pokémon information.
❓ Can I upgrade my SD Card? / Yes. Format the new card to Fat32 and copy the entire contents of your old card to the new one. Cards up to 256GB work fine. 128GB and bigger SD cards should be formatted with 64KB clusters or else GBA VC Injects may have display problems. See the SD Card Wiki in the Wiki section above for more info.
❓ Can I do a system transfer to another system and still have my CIA games? / Yes, but the other console needs to be hacked first. Hack the system you wish to system transfer to first. (Note: back up your saves with checkpoint before doing the transfer in case anything happens). Then do the system transfer. Once done, use to restore your CIA installed games. See the "Region Change/System Transfer" Wiki in the Wiki section linked above for more details.
❓ I have some .3ds files how do I convert them to .cia, or Install them to my device? / If you want to do a conversion on your 3DS use . If you want to do it on your PC use . If you want to install them directly you can do so by using Godmode9.
❓ I have a 3DS game cartridge that I want to dump and install as a .cia how do I do it? /
❓ I am having SD Card problems. / See the SD Card Wiki in the Wiki section above.
❓ I have a DSi. Can I hack it? / See the
❓ I want to backup or edit my GBA VC Inject save how do I get the save file? / How to and how to the save.
Post a comment if any information is missing or out of date. This post is for questions and tech help. Add any requests to the stickied . Any requests here will be deleted!
Last updated: 2024-05-23. v2.3