What do you do when your 3ds won't read games?

[AidenTheGamer]

I know it's kind of a dumb question, but what works for me, which is putting a game card in and taking it out of the slot, sometimes doesn't work or even stops working. Any suggestions or other things to tell us?

 

[MapleSilver]

Have you tried using multiple game cards? If not, make sure it isn't the card that is not working. I've had a number of game cards fail on me over the years, but I've never had the 3DS reader fail before.

If it is your game card, if you care about that data, get it out of there as soon as possible. If it's your 3DS, I haven't had to deal with that problem before so someone else would have to help you there.

 

[AidenTheGamer]

bump

 

[DubiousDelphine]

oh i kinda blow on my game cartridges

 

[CambriaSpeedRacer]

Pok?mon Y won't read 25% of the time, so I just keep popping it out and putting it back in until it works. Sometimes blowing on it, too. It always works. Eventually.

 

[Sweetley]

Either check out if the contacts on the cartridges or the card slot on the 3DS are dirty. Sometimes dust
or other dirt can be a reason that such a issue happens. Try also to blow into the card slot, that may help
too. If it's still not working, then either the cartridge doesn't work anyone or the card slot has a malfunction.

 

[Seastar]

People always say that blowing on the cartridge will damage it (Because of saliva getting it wet), but I am guilty of doing this all the time. It does make my games work, but ones I've had for a long time (Such as Pokemon Diamond and Pearl) are getting harder and harder to make them work again. It's probably the blowing that is making them worse, so keep that in mind if you choose to blow on yours.

 

[Hat']

I take it ou and put it back in. If it doesn't work I blow inside of the cartridge holder.

 

[Tao]

People always say that blowing on the cartridge will damage it (Because of saliva getting it wet), but I am guilty of doing this all the time. It does make my games work, but ones I've had for a long time (Such as Pokemon Diamond and Pearl) are getting harder and harder to make them work again.

It doesnt work. When you take it out and put it back in it will or wont work regardless of whether you blow on it. I'm guilty of blowing on carts too (not 3DS carts) but I know full well it does absolutely nothing but potentially harm the cart.

 

[HopeForHyrule]

My Pikachu N3DS XL doesn't read my games sometimes. Usually popping it out and back in works. My other systems work fine though, so I know it isn't the game cartridge's fault.

 

[SensaiGallade]

If your DS is struggling to read multiple games, then there may be an issue with the card reader, in which you would have to send your DS off to Nintendo to check it out.

 

[Blood Eclipse]

I turn off the WiFi on my 3DS. Sometimes, for some odd reason, the game won't boot up when it's on. If that doesn't work, I try wiping the back area with a clean (dry) cloth. And then remove and reinsert your cartridge until it works.

I had this problem when I dug up my ancient Wild World cartridge and tried inserting into my 3DS. I wiped it with a cloth and then inserted and reinserted the cartridge like 35 times till it finally worked. c:

 

[Mr_Persona]

I would get a new console and if only it can't be fix.
Next send it off for a trip to nintendo
3rd I will try to clean the cartridge

 

[Stella-Io]

I usually just re insert the game, or blow on it. Sometimes if I haven't played a DS lite game in a very long time and insert it in to my 3DS, the system doesn't read the cartridge at first. I just turn the system off, wait a bit then re insert it. So far my card reader hasn't stopped working totally... yet. I hope it doesn't.

 

[SherlockLina]

I do a blow pattern in the hole. Works every time

 

[MarzipanDragyn]

Sometimes, my 3DS won't read my copy of Magical Starsign, but I'm not so surprised because of how long I've had it (almost 10 years! ). I just click it in and out a few times, as that usually gives the system the idea. This works with my other cartridges, too. Just take care of them, and they'll continue doing their best to work!

 

[Shellzilla_515]

Shake it a couple of times and insert it again. NEVER blow into cartridges at all because your saliva can damage the pins, potentially making it unplayable permanently.

 

[MapleCake]

I had gotten a new 3ds xl a few years ago and it wouldn't read most of my games, expecially old dsi or ds lite ones (I had to pop them in and out practically 30 times and sometimes they still never read.) I've tried cleaning out my game port with a little bit of alcohol on a cotton swab, let it dry and popping the game back in, which usually made it read right away. Sometimes it's just the cartridge is old and theres not much you can do. I also read somewhere once that all cartridges have kinda a "life expectancy" where they can be popped in and out and played somewhere between 3000-4000 times before it will essentially stop working properly and corruption happens. Im not sure if thats true ans even then, I doubt you've played or tried to play your game that many times yet.
Blowing in the cartridge port works sometimes. I think most of the time, dust just gets trapped and it makes it hard for it to be readable. If all your games are unreadable, you can try looking to see if any of the metal pins that reads your cartridges in your port are standing up straight. This happened to me once and I took a needle and dislodged the stuck pin. And hopefully you don't use water to clean your port as that can rust the port and your game. (Stupid I know but people do it.)
I got the new 2ds xl during launch and stopped having that problem though. I've replaced my 2ds 3 times as well, for different reasons (all for deep scratches and one mostly because I dropped it too much so it would turn off on me.) However my 1st copy of new leaf is still pretty fickle but not as terrible as it was before when I had my 3ds. It usually reads most of the time now instead of almost never before. I think the 2ds having kind of.. a port cover, makes the cartridge sit a little tighter so it reads better.
There's a possibility you couldve just had a defective DS too.
I always thought this was just normal of anything from Nintendo since the NES though lol.