My Experience Modding my 3DS

Modding my 3DS has always been a dream project of mine. With the 3DS eshop closing in March 2023, making downloading and purchasing games on a base 3DS now impossible, the only way to purchase more games was to either purchase second hand or mod it! I’ve decided to do a mix of both. I still have all of my physical 3DS games, however I loved the idea of being able to customize and add software whenever I want to without the limitations of the base model. So in the summer of 2025, I decided to pull the switch and went through the journey of modding my 3DS.

My biggest concern, like everyone, was potentially bricking my console. However if you follow the steps on 3ds.hacks.guide, it is nearly impossible to do so. This website provides crucial information and detailed steps to mod your 3DS without issue. My biggest advice is to not follow any video tutorial as those can become outdated quickly. 3DS hacks will always have up to date information for all consoles and versions. After following all of the steps and booting up my 3DS to see all of the additional software adding that helps with modding further, I was ready to add games, themes, badges, and more.

Games

One big reason for modding a 3DS is to download and play from the huge library the 3DS provides. There are tons of games that are only available digitally or are quite expensive second hand so this is the most cost effective measure to playing these amazing games. With the hShop you can download from a huge library of games from many different regions as well as the many games that featured on the virtual console. It's quick and easy with the provided qr code or you can download the file and manually place it in your sd card. Here are some games I downloaded that I don't own physically as well as games I do own and recommend:

Themes/Splashes

My number one reason for modding my 3DS was to make it my own by customizing it! Themes, splashes, and badges are great ways to personalize your console. A splash is the screen that appears when you turn on your 3DS. A theme is the image, music, and color scheme of your home menu. Lastly, badges are icons that can be placed around your home menu. You can make your own or you can download user created ones from sites like Theme Plaza. Here is my current splash and theme:

Final Thoughts

Modding my 3DS is one of the best decisions I've made. It’s helped me get off my phone and go back to the fun of my youth by playing on one of my favorite consoles. Being able to customize with splashes, themes, and badges, and adding any game I could want was something my 12 year old self could only dream of and now I’m living in it. If you have a 3DS lying around, I highly recommend modding it, all it costs is a new sd card and some time and the world is your oyster. My next project is going to be modding my childhood Wii, something I should’ve done a long time ago.