To play free 3DS games, we need to pay to have a Sky3DS or Gateway 3DS card. How can we freely play 3DS games without a 3DS flashcard and without a micro SD card? Many players are turning to 3DS exploits or homebrews. Can they freely play 3DS games on 3DS version 11.9 without paying? In fact, the answer is no. It is not possible to freely play 3DS games with homebrews, but it is possible to hack the 3DS with 3DS exploits to run homebrews, applications and CIA games.
What is a 3DS homebrew?
A homebrew 3DS is an unofficial software made by amateur developers for systems similar to the 3DS. This includes both games, applications and in practice getting a homebrew on your 3DS means that you are able to:
- Play Aperture Science 3D, a free adaptation of Portal for 3DS.
- Make your own themes to use them in the home menu.
- Play SNES games of blargSNES created by StapleButter or Ninjhax by Smealum.
- Play CIA games that launch boot.3dsx from the SD card. Like the homebrew launcher Loader by yellows8.
- Play games with no region limitation, as you wish. For example the HANS games of the region Four and th region three.
How to hack a 3DS to run a homebrew without an SD card?
There are far too many possibilities, the best choice is Ninjhax, the latest version is now Ninjhax 2.9 alpha. It is a software that lets you run unsigned code on your 3DS. This means that it is possible to run homebrew applications like games, utilities and emulators. In addition, Ninjhax 2.9 allows you to run cards with no region limit, and to use custom themes on your console. What is beautiful is that it works on firmware version 11.9.
Before hacking the 3DS to run Ninjhax homebrew, you have to prepare:
- A 3DS, 3DS XL or 2DS console with a firmware version between 9.0.0-X and 11.9.0-X. X representing any number.
- An SD card compatible with your 3DS (the first that comes will do).
- A copy of the CLUBIC NINJA game, a gamecard or the eShop. (gamecard available for US, EU and JPN, eShop JPN only).
Now it starts:
- Go to the section of this page titled Get Ninjhax, and enter the firmware version of your console.
- Send the form; you should get your personal Ninjhax QR code.
- Download the homebrew starter kit and extract it to the root of the SD card. Alternatively, you can choose to download only the executable menu of the homebrew Launcher and place it at the root of your SD card. It does not matter if, after this step, you have a file named boot.3dsx at the root of your SD card.
- Make sure your wifi connection is working and you are connected to the internet (that’s important).
- Start CLUBIC NINJA on your console, choose “Create”, then “QR code”, and finally “Scan QR code”.
- Scan the QR code. This step takes a certain amount of time; Make sure you fill the screen of your 3DS with your QR code. If by scanning your QR code, you return to the home screen with an error, repeat several times.
- Follow the on screen instructions. You must choose not to install the exploit on the game data backup card, although this is not recommended.
- OPTIONAL – When ninjhax has been installed on your game card, simply go back to the QR code menu and it will launch automatically.
- OPTIONAL – You can now run the homebrews on your 3DS! Drag and drop the application directory into the “3ds /” directory that was created on your SD card by ninjhax.
Now you know the different ways to hack your Nintendo 3DS / New3DS. Which one will you choose and how to choose the right method?
- If you want to freely play free games on Nintendo 3DS without limitation on a single card, then the Sky3ds+ is the best choice. Because homebrew or 3DS exploits can not directly support 3DS games on the Nintendo 3DS. And Gateway 3DS can not play games on 3DS 11.8 or 11.9.
- If you only want to have fun with homebrews and apps, change the theme on your 3DS, then you have to try Ninjhax.
- The online site Mod-Switch.com is your best choice for purchases of the 3DS flashcart in Europe especially in Portugal.