Nintendo has extended the deadline to redeem Wii U and 3DS eShop game codes

Nintendo has given players another week to redeem any outstanding Wii U or 3DS game codes they may have.

The company closed down the Wii U and 3DS eShops on Monday, meaning it’s now impossible to buy digital games on either system.

However, a new tweet from Nintendo’s official Japanese customer service account has announced a final grace period for players who still have outstanding eShop game or DLC codes to redeem.

According to Nintendo, the ability to redeem game codes stopped nine hours earlier than planned, so it’s extending the deadline to make up for it.

“Sales of products (download software, additional content, tickets, and in-game items) at the Nintendo 3DS series and Wii U eShop ended at 9am today,” the tweet reads. “Thank you very much for your long patronage.

“In addition, after 00:00 on March 28 (Tue), it was not possible to redeem download codes. This was earlier than the scheduled time, so we have extended the redemption until 13:30 on April 4 (Tue). Please redeem again from the Nintendo 3DS / Wii U eShop. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

This means players have until the following time to redeem any outstanding codes:

• PDT – April 3 at 9.30pm
• EDT – April 4 at 12.30am
• BST – April 4 at 5.30am

It should be noted that this doesn’t include being able to redeem prepaid eShop cards that add funds to the player’s eShop balance – this was already stopped in August 2022.

Instead, it refers to codes for digital downloads of games or DLC, such as those bought online, or the code for My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess, which was available as a MyNintendo reward until recently.

“Even after March 27, 2023, and for the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems,” Nintendo has said.

As revealed by VGC analysis, around 1000 digital-only eShop games have effectively disappeared for good now that 3DS and Wii U eShop transactions have ended.

The closure of the Wii U and 3DS eShops also meant the end of the Virtual Console service. Now the only retro games provided by Nintendo are those available on Switch Online’s various apps.