How Tos

How to download the 3DS Ambassador Certificate

Prepare your handheld for the incoming GBA titles

How to download the 3DS Ambassador Certificate

So you've received your ten free NES games, blasted your way through the lot of them, and are now looking forward to the ten free Game Boy Advance titles that Nintendo has in store for us.

But how will you know when they're ready? Nintendo has an answer for that - and it's called the Ambassador Certificate.

You need to download the certificate onto your 3DS, at which point you'll be able to set up notifications to let you know when your free games are ready.

Where do you get the certificate from? How can you set it up properly? Calm down! We've set up this handy step-by-step guide to setting up the Ambassador certificate on your handheld.

First - are you actually eligible? You must have bought your Nintendo 3DS before August 11st, and visited the eShop at least once before. Forgot to boot up the eShop before the deadline? Don't worry! It's still possible to be an Ambassador.
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Now that you're sure, let's get down to it. Boot up the eShop from your Nintendo 3DS main menu, and then scroll all the way to the left. See the option 'Settings/Other'? Stick your stylus on it. Go on, give it a press. How to play Snes games on DS 2
Your certificate has been thrown into your account as if you've bought it, just like any game from the eShop - so you're going to find it in the same place as all your games. Scroll down the list, and the third option should be 'Titles You've Downloaded', or 'Your Downloads' depending on your region. Press this option! How to play Snes games on DS 3
Now that you're looking at the list of your previous downloaded games, you've got a bit of a scroll ahead of you - well, depending on how many games you've bought. Scroll to the bottom of the list and you'll find the Ambassador Certificate sitting pretty, waiting for you to press it. Go on then, what are you waiting for? Press 'Redownload'! Once the app is downloaded, hit the Home button and jump back to the 3DS main menu. Open the gift, and your certificate should not be sat amongst your other games. Touch it, and hit 'Open' at the bottom. How to play Snes games on DS 4
You'll now be told that the console needs to create extra data. This is necessary, and won't mess up anything else on your console, so go ahead and press 'OK'. Once it's finished, you'll be taken to the main Ambassador Certificate screen. The setup is a little strange - it's basically a video of some scrolling text that will continuously move past in different languages. No need to read it, however, as there's only one thing you need to do here - press 'Notifications' at the bottom of the screen.
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Now the console will ask you if you'd like to receive notifications about the Ambassador Certificate program. Of course you do! Hit 'Receive', and it will all be set up for you. And that's it! Now when news about the GBA games appears, you'll receive it instantly via the notifications area on your 3DS main menu. The ten free games should be popping up some time this year, so keep your eyes peeled! How to play Snes games on DS 6

Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.