Q&A for How to Download Free Games on Nintendo DS

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Question

Can I use a smartphone to do this?

Community Answer

If you mean use a smartphone to transfer the files to the Micro SD card, then yes.

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Question

What is the recommended size for an SD card?

Community Answer

32 GB should be enough. It's what I'm using and has 64 games on it, from Pokémon to Zelda.

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Question

Is there a trusted site to buy R4 cards?

Community Answer

There is no trusted site to buy R4 cards. You can try eBay at your own risk. Technically, R4 cards are cheaper than Gateway cards.

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Question

Can I put more than one game on one card?

Community Answer

Yes, depending on how much the card can store and how large the games are. If it says 32GB, for example, that means you can only store up to 32GB of data.

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Question

Can I download an NDS file using my Android phone?

Community Answer

Yes, as long as you have enough free space on your phone, and you find a way to put the files on your micro SD.

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Question

Is the R4 card technically an SD card that a DS takes?

Community Answer

The R4 card is the normal, DS- sized game cartridge that you put the SD card into.

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Question

Do I need a micro SD card or an R4 card to download games to my DS?

Community Answer

You need both. R4 acts as a 'card reader' and your micro SD card is your memory where your downloaded games are saved.

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Question

Can I transfer a game from my phone to my Nintendo 2DS?

Community Answer

Yes. Transfer the files to an SD card from your phone then put your SD card in your Nintendo.

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Question

Can I download 3DS games on it (if I own a 3DS)?

Community Answer

No, you can't because there's no shop. You will only have the games that you went out and paid for in the shop. Play on Pictochat as an alternative.

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Question

Can I put my SD card into my PC, or do I have to buy a special adapter for it?

Community Answer

Some have slots and some don't. You'll have to look up information on your specific PC to figure out which you have.

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Question

Why can I not paste my ROM into the SD card?

Community Answer

You have to make sure that the file is in NDS. I would also suggest downloading a 7z file if you can't get an NDS version, as there are ways you can find to convert it.

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Question

Can I download 3DS games and play them on a DS lite?

Community Answer

No, the 3DS is designed to have more capabilities than the DSi and DS. However, you can play DS and DSi games on the 3DS.

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Question

What are the other ways to download games on my DS lite?

Jed Lingao

Community Answer

This is the only way, unfortunately. The DS Lite can only read from the cartridge slot.

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Question

Can I play downloaded games if I don't have an R4?

Community Answer

Any Nintendo DS without a SD slot will require a R4.

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Question

Can I connect with other players when I play the ROM on my Nintendo DS?

Community Answer

No. The games are basically just copies of the actual games in ROM format, and the connection features will not work.

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Question

What does it mean if I see an error message when I'm booting up my r4 card?

Community Answer

It means that you did not download the game in a .nds format.

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Question

When I extract one of them it only gives me one file, will that work?

Jed Lingao

Community Answer

Yes, as long as the extension is ".nds" (at the end if the file name). So it should be look something like "Game/FileName.nds."

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Question

How can I put my 2DS SD card on my PC to put the game on it?

Community Answer

There are many ways to do this. If you don't already have a microSD adapter (similar to the R4 card, but for computers), then you can buy one. (SanDisk is a reputable brand.) The other option is to buy a card reader. You can plug all sorts of cards into a small device, which plugs into the computer via a USB port.

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Question

Can I download the game onto my micro SD and put the micro SD into an adapter?

Jed Lingao

Community Answer

No. You need to get a flashcard (what R4 is). There are many of them on the Internet.

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Question

Can I download a GameBoy game onto the card and play it on a DS Lite?

Community Answer

Nintendo DS Lite doesn't have anywhere to insert an R4 or micro SD card, so no, unfortunately.

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Question

Is this legal? This seems like pirating.

Gumpgator

Community Answer

It isn't in the UK, it "technically" is in the US. Just to be safe, stick with home brew games.

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Question

Does this work with any console without hacking? Just plug and play?

Felix Vincent

Community Answer

If you don't need to bypass any system blocks (on the DSi/2DS/3DS/New 3DS), then it should work on a stock console.

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Question

Do my files need to show up with a DS cart icon?

Felix Vincent

Community Answer

Unless you have an emulator installed, its fine if the files have blank icons.

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Question

Will this work with a DSi as well?

Felix Vincent

Community Answer

If the flashcart hasn't been blocked, then it should work fine with a DSi/DSi XL.

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Question

Can I do this on Windows 10? Or do I need to do it on an older version of Windows?

Felix Vincent

Community Answer

This should work on any Windows computer with an SD card slot or with an adapter.

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Question

Does it have to be a DS or can I use a 2DS, 3DS, new 3DS and/or new 3DS XL?

Felix Vincent

Community Answer

While most carts are compatible with the 2DS, 3DS, and New 3DS (and their XL counterparts), they are commonly blocked due to system updates.

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Question

Can R4 SDHC card fit the Nintendo 2DS?

Felix Vincent

Community Answer

An R4 will work in a 2DS unless it has been blocked with system updates. In that case, you will have to find a different R4 card.

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Question

Do you need an R4 if you have the adapter that came with the micro SD card?

Felix Vincent

Community Answer

Yes, the adapter will only work in full sized SD card slots on a Windows or Mac computer.

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Question

Can I use this games while only putting a micro SD instead of an R4?

Felix Vincent

Community Answer

You need an R4 card to play the games, the DSi will not run any roms from an SD card (and the original DS/DSlite lack an SD card slot).

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Question

Can I put an older game on the r4 card?

Felix Vincent

Community Answer

Any .nds rom should work with games that do not require any special physical features (such as Infered or tilt sensors).

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