Nintendo Ends All 3DS and 2DS Repair Services
With the capping of an era for the New Nintendo 2DS XL, Nintendo puts an end to all repairs of the whole Nintendo 3DS family system. The decision was made by the company due to an unavailability of replacements required for repairs.
Lack of Parts Spurs Final Discontinuation
This proclamation of September 4, 2025, seals the fate for a handheld first launched back in 2011. In a statement published on X, Nintendo described things as follows:
"As we have run out of parts needed for repairs, we have discontinued repair services for the New Nintendo 2DS XL as of September 4, 2025. Repairs for all other Nintendo 3DS series systems have also been discontinued."
This last service termination allows Nintendo to regain focus on its current flagship console, the Nintendo Switch 2.
A Timeline of Phasing out the 3DS
The end of repair services is the crowning act in a quasi-complete obsolescence of the 3DS by Nintendo:
- Repairs for the original Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL models were drawn in 2021.
- March 2023 sees the closure of the Nintendo 3DS eShop, thus ending all new digital game purchase abilities.
- In 2024, repair services for the New 3DS ceased in March, with repairs for the original 2DS stopped in August.
- Ending of all online services in April 2024 disabled all multiplayer and network features across all games.
Effects on Current 3DS and 2DS Users
The owners of a 3DS family console, inclusive of the consoles 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS, New 3DS XL, and New 2DS XL, must henceforth depend on third-party shops for servicing. Getting components such as batteries, screens, and buttons is becoming harder by the day. In particular, the hinge problems associated with the New 2DS XL meant that not being able to get it repaired officially became a nightmare for its users.
In addition, players who remove their digitally exclusive games from their consoles have no means of re-downloading them, therefore permanently losing access to that section of the game library.
Legacy of the Nintendo 3DS
The family sold over 75 million units globally from its launch in 2011 until June 30, 2025. Launched in 2017, the New 2DS XL was the final major hardware iteration; it was clamshell and 2D only, but it could play the entire catalog of 3DS games, including heavyweight titles such as Pokémon Sun and Moon, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and Mario Kart 7.
