MODX GAMINGNintendo 3DS / 3DS XL / 2DS XL Guide
Your 3DS & 2DS Guide
Works for the whole family — 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS, New 3DS XL & New 2DS XL. Everything you need to install games, themes and use your custom firmware, set up personally by Lewis.
No games on it? That's completely normal.
If you've just unboxed your 3DS and there are no games installed, nothing is wrong — it's intentional.
Your 3DS has been set up by Lewis with custom firmware, so you're in full control. Instead of pre-loading games, it's ready for you to install exactly what you want, free, over Wi-Fi. This guide walks you through it step by step.
Understanding your home screen
Your console has four clearly labelled folders across the top of the screen, so you always know where to go:
🎮 Games (top left) — install and launch your games from here. Contains HShop, your game store.
🎨 Themes — customise your console's look. Contains Anemone.
🛠️ Mods — all your custom firmware tools live here. Explained further down.
📱 Apps — the standard Nintendo apps (camera, settings, eShop and more).
Installing games — HShop
Inside the Games folder you'll find HShop — your game store. A massive library of 3DS games, DS games, DLC and updates, downloadable free over Wi-Fi.
Connect to Wi-Fi
Before opening HShop, connect to your home Wi-Fi (System Settings > Internet Settings).
Open HShop
Open the Games folder and launch HShop. You can sign in with a free account or continue as guest — both work, but an account tracks your downloads across sessions.
Find your game
Browse by category or use search. Navigate with the touch screen or d-pad, and press A to select.
Install it
Select your game and press A to download. It installs directly to your console — you can watch the progress on screen.
Play
When it's done, exit HShop and go to the home screen. Your game appears as an icon, ready to launch.
Custom themes — Anemone
Inside the Themes folder is Anemone, which changes the whole look of your home screen — backgrounds, music, icons and more. Thousands of free community themes are available.
Open Anemone
Go to the Themes folder and open Anemone.
Browse for a theme
Tap the download icon on the touch screen (or press X then left on the d-pad) to open the theme browser — this connects to Theme Plaza with thousands of themes. Give the list a moment to load.
Download it
Select a theme you like and confirm the download — it saves straight to your console.
Apply it
Back on the main screen, highlight your theme, then hold A and press Up on the d-pad to install it.
See your new look
Press Start to exit, then the Home button — your theme is applied instantly.
Your Mods folder — apps explained
Inside the Mods folder is your custom firmware toolkit. You won't need most of these day-to-day, but here's what each does. Tap to expand.
📂FBI Advanced›
🔄Universal Updater Handy›
💾Checkpoint Handy›
📡FTPD Advanced›
🚀Homebrew Launcher Advanced›
Your Apps folder
The Apps folder on the far right holds all the standard apps that came with your 3DS — camera, settings, Download Play, Mii Maker, StreetPass Mii Plaza, Nintendo 3DS Sound, Activity Log, AR Games, Face Raiders and more.
These work exactly as Nintendo intended. Your custom firmware runs alongside everything Nintendo built in, not instead of it — so all your standard features stay fully intact.
Still stuck? Lewis is happy to help.
Every ModxGaming console is set up personally by Lewis, and every order is backed by real, personal support. If anything doesn't look right or you get stuck at any step, get in touch and he'll help you directly.