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Last chance to buy these Wii U and 3DS eShop exclusives

From Dillon's Rolling Western to Super Mario Galaxy 2, here's a selection of games that will no longer be available once the eshop goes down.

Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Bowser, Zelda, an Animal Crossing Villager, Isabelle, Yoshi, Princess Peach, Toad, Luigi and Samus Aran in swanky outfits, taken from a Japanese commercial for the Nintendo 3DS.
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Nintendo has announced that they will be discontinuing support for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShop. This is a sad time for all the gamers who still had a list of games they wanted from these consoles. If you own a 3DS or Wii U, we’ve put together a list of the games which will be much harder (or even impossible) to get ahold of via legitimate means once the shop goes down.

Though the eShop will remain online until March 2023, you’ll only be able to add credit to your account until August 29 2022, after which time, it will only be possible to redeem codes that you already own (and if you want to add funds using a credit card, you’ve only got until May 23 2022). This only leaves fans with a few months to buy up the 3DS and Wii U download titles they’ve always meant to buy.

We’ve broken this down into categories. First, we’ve listed ten of the best games that are exclusive to the Wii U and 3DS eShop. If you don’t add them to your library before March, they’ll be gone forever (unless Nintendo re-releases them in future). Then we’ve listed a selection of games from past Nintendo consoles which aren’t exclusive to the store, but which are currently only available to buy through via that platform.

Here are the ones you won’t want to miss:

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Nintendo eShop exclusives

It was during the Wii U and 3DS era that Nintendo introduced characters like BoxBoy, Mallow and Dillon who appeared exclusively in download titles, but even the likes of Mario and Donkey Kong had a few download exclusives. The following games will not be legitimately accessible anywhere once the eShop is gone:

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Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move Nintendo $9.99 Buy now Network N earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales. Pushmo Pushmo Pushmo Nintendo $6.99 Buy now Network N earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales.

 

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Game Boy Nintendo eShop Games

The Game Boy was one of Nintendo’s most popular consoles and, of course, it had a big library of popular games. At this point in time, the only way that you can buy Game Boy games from Nintendo is through the 3DS eShop. Here are a few of the best ones to look out for:

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Pokémon Red Version Pokémon Red Version Pokémon Red Version Nintendo $9.99 Buy now Network N earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 Nintendo $3.99 Buy now Network N earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales.

 

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Game Boy Color Nintendo eShop Games

Just like with the Game Boy before it, the only way to legitimately buy Game Boy Color games at this time, is from the 3DS eShop. With big Zelda and Pokémon games included in the selection, it’ll be a shame once these are no longer accessible.

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Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon Crystal Version Nintendo $9.99 Buy now Network N earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Nintendo $5.99 Buy now Network N earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales.

Game Boy Advance Nintendo eShop Games

Curiously, Game Boy Advance games were not released for the 3DS, but for the Wii U. Like its two predecessors, it has a library of fantastic games and encompasses many of the best-known and most beloved Nintendo franchises. Unfortunately, it is impossible to purchase these games through the browser version of the Nintendo Store, but you should be able to access them through your console:

  • Mario vs Donkey Kong
  • DK: King of Swing
  • Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
  • The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
  • F-Zero: GP Legend
  • F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
  • Mario Kart: Super Circuit
  • Fire Emblem
  • Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
  • Golden Sun

Nintendo DS eShop Games

It is hard to imagine many DS games being ported to the Nintendo Switch due to the fact that they all require two screens to play. Weirdly, they were not available in the 3DS eShop, but the Wii U eShop, which made clever use of the Game Pad so that you could see both screens. Some of the best games in this selection were as follows (much as with the GBA games, they are now no longer listed on the browser version of the site, so we cannot link them):

  • Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
  • Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
  • The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
  • Animal Crossing: Wild World
  • WarioWare: Touched!
  • The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
  • Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
  • Metroid Prime Hunters
  • Mario Hoops 3-on-3
  • Star Fox Command

Nintendo Wii eShop Games

The mother of motion controls saw many fantastic new instalments in several classic series, like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Donkey Kong Country Returns. At this point in time, these games, and many others, can only be bought new via the Wii U eShop. Here are some of the best ones, again, we are unable to link them:

  • Super Mario Galaxy 2
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns
  • Super Paper Mario
  • Metroid Prime Trilogy
  • Wario Land: Shake It!
  • Punch-Out!!
  • New Play Control! Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat
  • New Play Control! Pikmin
  • Mario Super Sluggers
  • Sin & Punishment: Star Successor

Outside of this selection, you’ll also find that there are NES, SNES and Nintendo 64 games which are only available to buy via the Wii U or 3DS eShop. However, as Nintendo is actively making games from these libraries available on the Nintendo Switch, we’ll hold out hope that these remaining games will eventually be included in Nintendo Switch Online.

Check out our guide on the Nintendo 64 games included with Nintendo Switch Online for an idea of the games available through that service.

Adam is the Senior Ecommerce Writer at Pocket Tactics and has been a writer for 10 years and a gamer for almost 30 years. Most of all, Adam is a fan of Nintendo games and has owned every one of their consoles (except the Virtual Boy) and keeps our buying guides updated to ensure we’re only recommending the best handheld gaming gear. If you notice any references to Donkey Kong in Adam’s work, it’s because Adam is a frighteningly passionate Donkey Kong fanatic.