With the imminent closure of the Nintendo eShop on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS on March 27th, players are scrambling to get their hands on any games and applications they don’t want to miss out on. If you’re not sure what to get your hands on, make sure you check out our 3DS eShop recommendations and our full list of Wii U eShop exclusives.
In order to actually purchase any titles from the Wii U and 3DS eShops, however, you’ll need to add some funds to your Nintendo Network ID, which is actually a bit of a hassle these days. You see, there are two different “wallets” that Wii Us, 3DSes, and Nintendo Switches use:
- Nintendo Network ID: The wallet that the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS uses on their eShops.
- Nintendo Account: The wallet that the Nintendo Switch uses on its eShop.
In the past, users could add funds directly to their Nintendo Network ID balances. However, after August 29th, 2022, this was discontinued, and users can only purchase items on the Wii U and 3DS eShops through their Nintendo Account balances. To do that, though, you have to ensure your Nintendo Network ID and Nintendo Account balances are linked! Let’s walk through doing that step-by-step.
How to link your Nintendo Network ID (NNID) to your Nintendo Account
To merge your funds between the Nintendo Account wallet and the NNID wallet, you’ll need to link your NNID to your Nintendo Account, but you’ll need to make sure your NNID is accessible from a “non-Nintendo” device (AKA your PC, smartphone, or Nintendo Switch). Here’s how to do that on both Wii U and 3DS:
On the Wii U:
- Tap your user icon in the upper left of the Home screen.
- Tap “Change Your Information” under “Nintendo Nintendo ID Settings.”
- Enter your NNID password.
- Scroll down to “Usage from PCs and Other Devices.”
- Tap “Set Up.”
- Make sure “Use” is selected beneath “Do you want to use Nintendo Network services from PCs and other devices?”
- Tap “Confirm Information.”
On the 3DS:
- Open the “Settings” app on your 3DS.
- Tap on “Nintendo Network ID Settings” on the top of the bottom screen.
- Scroll over to the third page of these settings and tap on “Non-Nintendo Device Setting.”
- Make sure that “Yes” is selected.
- Tap “Set.”
Now you should be able to access your NNID on your PC, smartphone, and Switch, which the NNID system considers a Non-Nintendo device.
How to link your Nintendo Network ID to your Nintendo Account
Now that you’ve allowed Non-Nintendo devices access to your NNID, you can make sure your NNID is linked to your Nintendo Account, and link it if it isn’t.
- Visit the Nintendo Account website and sign in.
- Select “User Info” and scroll to “Linked Accounts.” (If your NNID shows that it is already linked, you’re done with this step! If there is no linked NNID, go ahead and hit “Edit.”)
- On this new screen, check the box next to Nintendo Network ID, and follow the prompts to finish linking your account. Now that this is done, you’ll be able to merge your funds and use them to make purchases on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops until they shut down on March 27th, 2023.
How to merge funds between your Nintendo Account and Nintendo Network ID
To merge your funds between your Nintendo Account and NNID, head to the Nintendo Account website. This time, click the “Shop menu” option, which will take you to a new page showing your eShop balance and any payment methods you’ve linked to your Nintendo Account.
On this page there’s a tiny “Merge Accounts” button on the bottom right. Click that, and you’ll be taken to the Merging Funds page, where you’ll see information about merging your Nintendo Account and NNID funds, your current balances for both your Nintendo Account and your NNID, and a big red “Merge Funds” button. Selecting the button will merge the two balances and make any balance you have available to use on the 3DS and Wii U eShops.
If your balances are already merged, instead you’ll see some blue-green text that reads “Funds have been merged” beneath “Nintendo Account balance.”
And that’s really all there is to it! Enjoy shopping and make sure you get everything you want before March 27th, 2023! Check out some related articles for more information about the Wii U and 3DS eShop closures and get some of our personal recommendations for games to buy:
Related articles
The 3DS eShop closes soon – here’s everything you need to know (and get)
Guide – All Wii U-exclusive games to get before the eShop shutdown
Merging balance for Wii U and 3DS eShops to Nintendo Accounts to end in 2024
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Written by Jaxson Tapp
As a lover of gaming and the written word, Jaxson currently fills his time not only with playing games, but also writing about them. Ready for anything, Jaxson’s passion for puzzle games, JRPGs, tough platformers, and whimsical indies helps him bring a well-rounded opinion to Nintendo Wire’s reporting.
