The 3DS eShop may be dead, but the system's best emulator is back from the grave

Luigi's Mansion for 3DS
(Image credit: Nintendo)

There haven't been any public updates on the development of 3DS emulator Citra since 2020, but the software isn't dead - in fact, the devs have just posted a massive progress report following the shutdown of the official 3DS eShop.

Perhaps the most notable addition is support for separate windows, letting you move the displays of the two 3DS screens wherever you like on your desktop. That will, for example, let you spread the dual screens across two separate desktop monitors, for the weirdest sort of authenticity. There's now an automatic controller binding feature, so you won't have to manually configure most major controller types. There's also streamlined support for motion controls.

All these changes have already been implemented over the past few years, but if you weren't regularly updating the client and paying close attention to the menus, many of them likely would've slipped your notice. Many other changes are much more technical - you can read about them in the full progress report - but there's one newly announced technical change that's worth calling out.

Vulkan support for Citra is now in development. If you're not deep in on PC gaming tech, Vulkan is an alternative set of tools to let games give instructions to your graphics card. Citra currently uses OpenGL for this process, which broadly works fine, but in many cases Vulkan is more efficient at handling 3D graphics. In other words, Vulkan could make Citra run better, depending on the particulars of your hardware.

Whether or not the timing of this announcement with the official 3DS eShop shutdown was intentional, it's still worth noting, as Nintendo has just cut off the only legal path to access hundreds of digital 3DS games. Meanwhile, historians are working on preserving these games and changing the law so that they can open free, legal digital game lending libraries. Continued development on emulators like Citra will be essential to ensuring a wide audience has access to accurate versions of these games in the future.

The best 3DS games are set to stand the test of time.

Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

Read more
Key art for Splatoon.
Wii U online replacement Pretendo says "we are committed to user safety" as Nintendo warns against using third-party alternatives to its dead servers
An Inkling looking shocked as she stares at the Smash Bros. logo in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal trailer.
After shutting down the Wii U online services last year, Nintendo asks players not to use "unauthorized services" to replace them as they might pose "security risks"
Mario & Luigi: Brothership trailer still
The end is nigh for the 3DS as Nintendo runs out of parts for 2 more models in Japan, with only 1 iteration still accepted for repairs
Nintendo's IP manager admits "you can't immediately claim that an emulator is illegal in itself," but "it can become illegal depending on how it's used"
Nintendo 64 console next to blue Modretro Chromatic Game Boy handheld on woodgrain desk with Alienware monitor in backdrop next to plant.
Modretro teases FPGA Nintendo 64 console that could solve my current HDMI woes
Nintendo 64 connected to monitor via OSSC and Sony transcoder with Zelda: Ocarina of Time gameplay on screen.
The Analogue 3D just got delayed again, but here's what I use to play N64 games and upscale to HD
Latest in Games
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game
Yasuke and Naoe ready to fight on the Assassin's Creed Shadows On The Radar thumbnail
On The Radar: Assassin's Creed Shadows coverage hub
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe assassinating target with Tanto skill
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first title update is a hotfix with three lines of patch notes and a download size up to 9GB
Latest in News
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game