Most of the games on your Nintendo 3DS consoles are in 3DS format, and some of the advantages of using the 3DS format include the ability to save and load a scene completely. On the other hand, CIA files are commonly used for installing gamecard updates in a Nintendo 3DS console. If you have a Nintendo 3DS console, you might be wondering if you can convert all the 3DS files into CIA files.
So, how can I convert Nintendo 3DS files to CIA? To convert Nintendo 3DS files to CIA files, you first need to hack your Nintendo 3DS console with Luma3DS CFW, godmode9, and a formatted SD card. Create a godmode9 folder on the SD card and copy all the 3DS files on the godmode9 folder. Create a folder naming it “in” inside the godmode9 folder and copy all the 3DS files to the godmode9 “in” folder.
Insert the SD card, press and hold the start button on the Nintendo 3DS console to boot into godmode9. Press “Home,” select “Scripts,” select “GMPMegascript” and go to “Miscellaneous,” and select “.3DS to .CIA Converter”. Select your .3DS game and press “A” to confirm and wait for the conversion process to finish. Install “.CIA” using FBI, close godmode9, and install games you wish to play on your Nintendo 3DS console.
Nintendo developed and released the Nintendo 3DS console as a handheld gaming device in 2010 as the successor of the Nintendo DS. The success of the Nintendo 3DS video game console led to many developers making emulators that can run 3DS and CIA games on numerous devices. It’s important to note, that changing file formats, using emulators and third party programs may violate certain laws depending on where you live and invalidate any warranties.
Some Nintendo 3DS games are in 3DS format, and, usually, the console cannot read 3DS ROM files. However, the 3DS files can be converted to CIA format, which your Nintendo 3DS console can load. If you want to convert 3DS files to CIA files, this is how you can do it.
First, download godmode9 and install it on your Nintendo 3DS console. You need an SD card with at least 32GB of free storage space, but you first have to format the SD card to FAT32. Insert the SD card into your PC and extract the godmode9 zip file.
Copy the godmode.9 firm to the “luma/payloads” folder in your SD card. Copy the “gm9” folder to the root of your SD card. Create a folder and name it “in” inside the “gm9” folder on your SD card. Copy the 3DS ROM file to the “in” folder and eject the SD card.
Afterward, insert the SD card in your Nintendo 3DS console and boot it in godmode9 by pressing and holding the “Start” button. Press “Home,” select “Scripts,” select “GM9Megascript,” select “Miscellaneous,” and select “.3DS to .CIA Converter.” Select the 3DS file and convert it to CIA file by pressing “A.” Once the process is complete, you can go ahead and install the game.
Booting your Nintendo 3DS console into godmode9 requires the Luma3DS chainloader; therefore, you need to hack into your console. The Luma3DS is a program that some gamers use to patch the system of their new Nintendo 3DS consoles. The Luma3DS removes restrictions on the Nintendo 3DS consoles, making it important for converting 3DS files to CIA files. You can download the Luma3DS program from a website and if you already have it, check if your version is the latest one.
You also need to download and install the FBI program, which converts 3DS files to CIA files. Download the FBI.zip file, extract the contents on your PC, and copy the FBI folder to the 3DS folder on an SD card. Copy the “fbi.CIA” to the root of your SD card and insert it into your Nintendo 3DS console.
Go to the homebrew launcher on your Nintendo 3DS console, open FBI, and go to the location where you copied the “fbi.CIA” file and install it. Whenever you want to convert a 3DS file to a CIA file, you will have to use the FBI app that will appear on the home menu after you finish installing it.
Another important thing to do is the formatting of your SD card to FAT32 before you begin the conversion process. Without formatting the SD card to FAT32, you cannot successfully convert the 3DS files into CIA files. To format your SD card to FAT32, download the format tool onto your PC and insert the SD card.
Open the format tool and select your SD card, and ensure that you select the correct drive before you start the formatting process. Leave Allocation Size on “Default,” and select the “Quick Format” option and click “Start.”
Eject the SD card once the process is complete, then proceed to convert 3DS files to CIA files using the SD card. Before starting the formatting process, ensure that you have backed up all the important files on your SD card.
You should also be careful when downloading 3DS to CIA file converting tools on the internet. Nintendo does not have any converting tools; therefore, you must download the tools from third-party websites. Not all third-party websites can be trusted; therefore, exercise caution when installing third-party programs on your PC or Nintendo 3DS console.
Ask gamers with Nintendo 3DS consoles to show you the programs they have used to convert 3DS files to CIA files on their consoles. If you install a converting tool on your PC and suspect it might infect it with malware, uninstall it immediately and scan your device for any malware.
Simple Converter Tools for Converting 3DS Files To CIA?
Most current methods gamers use to convert 3DS files to CIA files are very complicated. You have to go through many steps and install several programs before you can convert the files. If you plan to convert 3DS files to CIA, you might be looking for the easiest method.
The easiest method to convert the 3DS files to CIA files is to use the 3DSConv program, also known as the 3DS Simple CIA Converter. Unlike other conversion methods, the 3DS Simple CIA Converter does not use Python or .NET Framework.
It uses the ExHeader and ExeFS XORpads, and you can generate them using “ncchinfo.bin” at the start of the conversion procedure. The 3DS Simple CIA Converter will scan every subfolder and convert all the 3DS files to CIA files. Ensure that you do not select a folder with too many subfolders because it may hinder conversion.
To use the 3DS Simple CIA Converter, boot the program after downloading on your PC. Copy your 3DS games into the “roms” folder on the SD card and insert it into your PC. Click on the “Create ncchinfo.bin file” button to create “ncchinfo.bin” from the 3DS ROMS. Use the godmode9 program together with the “ncchinfo.bin” to generate ExHeader XORpads.
On godmode9, select “SDCARD,” “ncchinfo.bin,” “NCCHinfo options,” and build “XORpads.” Copy the XORpads files you created on 3DS from the SD card’s root into the “xorpads” folder. Return to the 3DS Simple CIA Converter and click on the “Convert 3DS ROM to CIA” and choose the folder you want to store the 3DS files; afterward, wait for the process to finish. Insert the SD card, and you can now access all the files on the SD card as CIA files.
Many of the methods that gamers need to use to convert 3DS files to CIA files are extremely complex. You need to be tech-savvy to complete the conversion process. You need to download and install several programs on your PC and Nintendo 3DS console, such as godmode9, FAT32 format tool, and FBI.
If you mess up on a step, you have to start the procedure again or lose all your games. Some methods might be easy because they can take so long to finish. Therefore, before selecting the conversion process, ensure that you choose the easiest and shortest one.
The most important thing you should do before starting the process is to ensure that you have backed up all your important data on your SD card. Most 3DS to CIA file conversion requires the use of an SD card. You have the option of buying a new one, or you can use an old one as long as it has enough space.
If you use an old one, insert it into your PC and check if it has any important data. Copy all the data you deem important to your PC because formatting the SD card to FAT32 wipes out every data stored in the SD card, and there is no way of getting back the deleted data.
Do You Need To Decrypt 3DS To CIA?
Sometimes, 3DS ROM files can be in either encrypted or unencrypted form, and most of the time, it is the backups of Nintendo 3DS console titles that are encrypted. If you want to convert 3DS files to CIA files, you might wonder if you must decrypt the files before starting the conversion process.
You have to decrypt encrypted 3DS files before you can convert them to CIA files. You can use the CIA 3DS decryptor to decrypt all the 3DS files and CIA files. If you have encrypted CIA files, the program will decrypt and convert the files to CCI or decrypted CIA files if you have installed Citra.
You can download the decryption program from many appropriate websites but must take caution, as some of these programs maybe classed as illegal, so using them is done entirely at your own risk. Before using the CIA 3DS Decryptor, ensure you get game files legally because if the game files were downloaded illegally, the program would not decrypt the files.
To decrypt the 3DS files, download the “Batch CIA 3DS Decryptor.bat” to your PC. Copy the encrypted CIA and 3DS files to a folder that supports multi-files. Run the program and wait. It might take up a lot of space on the RAM if the encrypted files are too large.
After the process is finished, you can access all the decrypted 3DS files and convert them to CIA files if you wish to do so. If there are games that the program could not decrypt, copy them into the “seeddb.bin” folder and try again.
Decrypting 3DS files allows gamers to play Nintendo titles on other gaming devices like PCs and smartphones. If you wish to play Nintendo titles on your android smartphone, you can use the Citra Emulator. The Citra Emulator is the first Nintendo 3DS emulator for PC, and the developer later added support to android smartphones in 2018.
After installing the Citra Emulator, you can play any Nintendo game you have stored on your android smartphone. You can download the Citra Emulator from the Google Play Store.
After downloading and installing the Citra Emulator on your android device, open the app and grant permission to the app to access files on your device. Select the folder that contains your ROMs, choose the game you want to play, and start playing it. You should note that the Citra Emulator is not a light application because it takes a lot of your phone’s battery and pushes the operating system more than other apps on your phone.
Therefore, you need a strong android smartphone to run the Citra Emulator. You can also install the premium Citra Emulator to support the developers and ensure they keep improving the app.
The Citra Emulator cannot play most of the Nintendo 3DS titles. Therefore, you should download games that have full support on the emulator. If you are playing a game and its performance is poor, it might be in the trial phase, or the developers are still removing the kinks to make it better.
As you wait for your favorite games to be available on the Citra Emulator, some of the great Nintendo 3DS console games you can play include Pokémon: Sun and Moon, Fire Emblem Fates, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Rune Factory 4.
Finally
There are several methods to convert 3DS files to CIA files; therefore, you can choose the method that is the easiest and safest method to convert the files. If you decide to convert your game files from 3DS format to CIA format, ensure you do it in your free time.
The conversion process requires concentration because one wrong step and you might lose all your game files. If you do not wish to use the long process to convert the 3DS files to CIA files, you can download the 3DSConv program and follow the instructions discussed in this article.
