Can I play my old 3DS games on a new 3DS without a system transfer?
My brother lost his 3DS and his super smash bros game along with it, so he is obviously pretty mad. He has a couple other games as well that he has data for (physical copies, not bought from the E shop) and he is really scared that if he buys a new model the the new 3DS and puts his game in he wont keep his characters. We just need to know if he can still play his old 3DS games on a new, new 3DS without a system transfer.
Best Answer
It depends on the game.
Any game that you have a physical copy of isn't tied to your device. It can be played on any 3DS, regardless. If you bought a game on the E-Shop, it's tied to your Nintendo ID/account.
However, some games store their save data on the actual device (ex: Mario Kart 7), while other games store game data on the cartridge itself (ex: any Pokemon game). A system transfer is required for any save data that was stored on the 3DS SD card in order to restore that saved data.
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How do I transfer games from old 3DS to new 3DS?
Complete these stepsAre 3DS games tied to system?
Yep, the games are still tied to the 3DS. Every 3DS has a soul, and you need to transfer this soul to a new 3DS, to use these purchased eshop games on it. But if you couldn't transfer, and you lost the original 3DS, you can call Nintendo and ask them to send you your 3DS data to the new 3DS.What happens to old 3DS after transfer?
Once the transfer process has completed, all data on the original system is deleted. After performing the transfer, any data on the SD Card of the original system can only be used on the new system, and will not be recognised by the original system.How do you download previously purchased games on 3DS?
3DS eShop Download Guide - How To Redownload Games From The 3DS eShopNintendo 3DS System Transfer Process - Let's How
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Answer 2
Yes! My aunt plays Pokémon Moon on her New 3DS XL and it works just fine! Usually, the info of the game isn't put on the SD Card. Pokémon game cartridges have the players' progress on the cartridge. It's like how us 3DS users were able to play DS games.
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