Which Flashcart Should You Choose for Nintendo 3DS?

The Nintendo 3DS Family

The Nintendo 3DS family includes six systems:

1. Nintendo 3DS;

2. Nintendo 3DS XL;

3. Nintendo 2DS;

4. New Nintendo 3DS;

5. New Nintendo 3DS XL;

6. New Nintendo 2DS XL.

Some games have separate versions or features designed only for the more powerful New Nintendo 3DS systems. For flashcarts, however, another issue matters more: not every older device works on all of these consoles.

Gateway and most of its clones, for example, appeared before the New Nintendo 3DS was released and depended heavily on the system firmware version. Sky3DS+ and Stargate work differently: they impersonate a normal licensed cartridge, so they can run on every system in the family.

DS Flashcarts and 3DS Flashcarts

First, we need to clear up the main source of confusion.

All flashcarts that can be inserted into a Nintendo 3DS fall into two broad categories:

1. Cartridges for running Nintendo DS games;

2. Cartridges for running Nintendo 3DS games.

The first category includes the many different R4 models, Ace3DS X, DSPico, and numerous other devices. They may work perfectly well on a Nintendo 3DS, but the console runs them in Nintendo DS backward-compatibility mode. That means you cannot put Nintendo 3DS games on them.

The “3DS” label changes nothing. An R4i Gold 3DS, for example, may be an ordinary DS flashcart. The manufacturer is simply saying that the device is compatible with the Nintendo 3DS console.

True 3DS flashcarts are much rarer. Broadly speaking, there were only three genuinely independent families:

1. Gateway 3DS and its clones;

2. Sky3DS;

3. Stargate 3DS.

Every other device either copied one of these solutions or never reached a full commercial release.

Do You Need a Flashcart at All?

In the Nintendo DS era, a flashcart was the easiest way to run homebrew and game backups. Things turned out differently with the Nintendo 3DS.

Today, any standard system in the Nintendo 3DS family can be modified regardless of its model, region, or installed system software version. Once CFW is installed, games and applications run directly from the console’s memory card.

As a result, a modified console:

• does not require a separate flashcart;
• is not limited to encrypted .3ds images;
• is not bound by region restrictions;
• can run homebrew;
• does not force you to switch games with buttons on the edge of the cartridge;
• does not depend on a manufacturer team that disappeared years ago.

This is why modern custom firmware has almost completely destroyed the market for 3DS flashcarts. On Nintendo DS, a good cartridge can still be more convenient than software-based ways of launching games. On Nintendo 3DS, the opposite is true.

Flashcarts still have one advantage, however. Sky3DS+ and Stargate can run 3DS games on a completely stock, unmodified console. You only need to copy suitable images to a memory card and insert the cartridge.

If, for some reason, you are determined not to modify the console, this can still make sense.

Gateway 3DS and Its Clones

Gateway 3DS appeared in 2013 and became the first widely available flashcart for running Nintendo 3DS games.

In truth, it resembled a normal flashcart only on the outside. Gateway required its own modified firmware, while the red cartridge itself was only one part of the complete system.

The package contained two cartridges:

• the blue one was a standard DS flashcart used to install the exploit;
• the red one was used to run 3DS games.

Gateway also depended on the system firmware version. Different console models and firmware versions used MSET, Spider, Ninjhax, and other exploits. You then had to create a sysNAND backup, configure emuNAND, update the red cartridge, and separately update the virtual firmware.

I covered all of this in detail in my guide to setting up Gateway. Even earlier, I described how I tried to find a suitable console and get Gateway running in 2023.

At the time, this was a genuine breakthrough. Gateway popularized emuNAND, game-selection menus, and built-in cheat support. Today, however, there is no point in hunting for an old console with suitable firmware, configuring outdated exploits, and relying on a final update released in 2016.

Gateway also had a much darker side. The developers added anti-clone protection to one firmware release that could deliberately lock the console’s internal memory. Because of bugs, not only clone owners but also some buyers of the original Gateway were affected. You can read more about this in a separate article on the history of Gateway 3DS.

MT Card

Gateway’s arrival produced an entire wave of clones. The most interesting was MT Card.

Its developers did more than simply copy Gateway: they added features of their own. MT Card was the first to let users switch between installed games with a button on the cartridge itself. It also had a Micro USB port for updating its internal firmware.

For a while, MT Card genuinely competed with Gateway and even surpassed it in some areas. Its final firmware was released on December 25, 2014, however, and emuNAND support stopped at version 9.4.

Today, MT Card is interesting only as an unusual collector’s item.

3DS Link, Orange 3DS, and Other Clones

The other clones were much worse.

3DS Link, Orange 3DS, and R4i Gold 3DS Deluxe Edition used interchangeable firmware and copied Gateway’s code with almost no changes.

The 3DS Link developers understood the stolen code so poorly that, along with another Gateway firmware release, they also copied the protection capable of bricking a console. They later tried to remove the dangerous part, and when that failed, they took MT Card firmware instead and simply disabled its menu.

As a result, the final version could not even create emuNAND, and the cartridge remained limited to old Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL systems running firmware 4.1–4.5.

There is no reason to buy cartridges like these today. Gateway and MT Card at least have historical value, while 3DS Link and Orange 3DS are useful only to people building a complete collection.

Sky3DS+

Sky3DS appeared in late 2014. It was fundamentally different from Gateway and its clones.

Sky3DS did not require custom firmware, emuNAND, or an exploit. Instead, the cartridge impersonated a normal licensed game. The console did not even know that a completely different device had been inserted in place of an original cartridge.

This approach had several immediate advantages:

• it worked on unmodified consoles;
• it supported every Nintendo 3DS model;
• it did not depend on the system firmware version;
• setup was very simple.

There were limitations as well. Sky3DS could run only clean, encrypted images of original cartridges in .3ds format. .cia files, decrypted images, and modified games did not work. Region restrictions also remained: a European game ran on a European console, while a Japanese game ran on a Japanese one.

The cartridge also lacked a proper menu. Games were switched with a physical button on the shell.

The first Sky3DS version, with a red button, had an especially strange limitation: the cartridge remembered only ten games, and there was no normal way to replace them with others. The next version, with a blue button, removed this limit but still could not run games using newer protection.

The final version was Sky3DS+ with orange buttons. It added support for later games, two buttons for switching forward and backward, and ordinary file copying to the memory card without requiring the DiskWriter program.

Sky3DS+ remains the best traditional flashcart for 3DS games. It works with current system firmware and does not require console modification. It can also run Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, which do not work with Stargate.

The only problem is that Sky3DS+ is now rarely found in normal retail channels. You have to look on the second-hand market, where it is easy to confuse it with older Sky3DS versions.

Stargate 3DS

Stargate 3DS appeared in late 2017. It was probably released by the same people who had previously worked on Gateway, but this time they used the operating principle of Sky3DS+.

The cartridge could impersonate an original 3DS game and did not require the console to be modified. Two buttons on the edge let users switch between the stored images.

Its main feature, however, was a second operating mode. Pressing both buttons at the same time turned Stargate into a standard DS flashcart running Wood R4 firmware.

The result was a three-in-one device:

1. A flashcart for Nintendo 3DS games;

2. A flashcart for Nintendo DS games;

3. A cartridge with NTRBoot support for installing CFW.

On paper, Stargate looks ideal. It works on every system in the Nintendo 3DS family, does not depend on the firmware version, and combines the capabilities of two different flashcarts.

Support ended almost immediately after release, however. As a result, Stargate never learned to run some later games, including Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

Other limitations remained as well:

• only clean, encrypted .3ds images are supported;
• .cia files and decrypted images do not work;
• region locking remains in place;
• 3DS games can be switched only with the buttons on the cartridge;
• DSiWare is not supported;
• there are no cheats, real-time saves, or other extra features.

Counterfeit Stargate cartridges are also found on the market. They look almost identical to the original apart from a much more poorly printed label.

In the end, Stargate can be called the most versatile 3DS flashcart, but not the best one specifically for 3DS games. If you want both Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS libraries on an unmodified console, it remains an interesting option. For compatibility with 3DS games, however, Sky3DS+ is still better.

What Should You Choose?

Once outdated clones and devices of interest only to collectors are removed from consideration, the choice becomes fairly simple.

If You Want Nintendo DS Games

Buy a standard DS flashcart, such as Ace3DS X or DSPico.

There is no reason to look for an expensive Stargate solely for its Nintendo DS mode. I covered the current options in more detail in “Which Flashcart Should You Choose for Nintendo DS?”.

If You Want Nintendo 3DS Games

The best option is to install CFW and run games from the console’s own memory card.

This now works on every standard system in the Nintendo 3DS family, regardless of model or firmware version. CFW offers far more features and is easier to use than any existing flashcart.

If You Do Not Want to Modify the Console

Look for a Sky3DS+ with two orange buttons.

It works on every Nintendo 3DS model, supports current firmware, and handles later games better than Stargate. You will still have to use clean, encrypted .3ds images, match the game’s region to the console, and switch games with buttons on the cartridge shell.

If You Want Both DS and 3DS Games

Stargate 3DS is worth considering.

It is the only cartridge that combines a full Nintendo DS mode with the ability to run 3DS games on an unmodified console. You will have to accept the lack of support for some later games and the complete end of software updates.

If You Want a Cartridge for a Collection

Gateway 3DS and MT Card remain the most interesting options.

Gateway started the entire story of commercial Nintendo 3DS hacking, while MT Card was a rare clone that genuinely added features of its own. Using them for games today makes little sense, but they are fascinating parts of flashcart history.

3DS Link, Orange 3DS, and other early clones are worth buying only for a complete collection. They are too outdated and potentially dangerous for practical use.

Epilogue

The history of 3DS flashcarts was short and very strange.

Gateway first sold what was effectively its own CFW together with a mandatory cartridge. The market was then flooded with clones, some of which could damage the console itself. Sky3DS later learned to impersonate an original game and work without any exploit, while Stargate tried to combine everything in a single shell.

By the time Stargate was released, however, ordinary software-based custom firmware had already become more convenient, safer, and more capable than any flashcart. The market therefore almost disappeared.

In the end, the best way to run Nintendo 3DS games today is to skip the flashcart entirely and install CFW.

If you are determined not to modify the console, the choice comes down to two devices: Sky3DS+ and Stargate 3DS. Sky3DS+ is better specifically for 3DS games, while Stargate is more interesting for its versatility and separate Nintendo DS mode.

All other 3DS flashcarts are now mainly collector’s items.