This page talks about the 3DS products' serial number and model number structures (the console, manual, accessories, games, etc...).
Console Serial Numbers
A 3DS console serial number is composed of at least two letters followed by nine decimal digits. The ninth digit is a "check digit", meaning that it is derived from the other digits.
The check digit is an industry-standard algorithm, the one used for UPC codes. To calculate the check digit of a 3DS console, separate the non-check digits into "odd" and "even" groups, where the "odd" group is digits in odd-numbered positions, and the "even" group is digits in even-numbered positions. (The first digit is "odd", with "first" representing "1".)
After separating the digits, add the digits in each group together. Multiply the sum of the odd digits by 3, then add the sum of the even digits. Take this final sum modulo 10, and the result is the check digit.
Example: CW404567772
The non-check digits are 40456777. Separating into odd and even groups, we get the following:
Odds: 4 + 4 + 6 + 7 = 21 Evens: 0 + 5 + 7 + 7 = 19
Applying the algorithm, we get ((3 * 21) + 19) % 10 = 2, matching the example's check digit.
The letter prefixes are a letter specifying the device, followed by one letter specifying the region in which it was sold. In some regions, a third letter is present; a current guess is that this letter distinguishes among factories for a given sales region. Note that several different sales regions' console may be considered to be the same region for region-locking purposes, such as Europe and Australia.
| Model | Device Prefix (Retail) | Device Prefix (Dev) |
|---|---|---|
| 3DS | C | E |
| 3DS XL/LL | S | |
| 2DS | A | |
| New 3DS | Y | |
| New 3DS XL/LL | Q |
| Sales Region | Region Lock | Region Suffix |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | Japan | JF, JH, JM |
| North America | North America | W |
| Middle East / Southeast Asia | North America | S |
| Europe | Europe | EF, EH, EM |
| Australia | Europe | AH |
Console Models
| Device | Product Code |
|---|---|
| 3DS | CTR |
| 3DS XL/LL | SPR |
| 2DS | FTR |
| New 3DS | KTR |
| New 3DS XL/LL | RED |
The DS had the product code NTR, so we see the TR is recurring.
CXI Serial
[Product][Retail/Demo]-CTR-[Type][Identifier][Region]
| Field | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Product | 2 | Product type (cartridges are LN, game boxes are TS, instruction manuals are MA, leaflets are FA, quick-start guides are MK) |
| Retail/Demo | 1 | Retail (A) or Demo (Z) |
| CTR/KTR | ? | Platform. CTR = 3DS, KTR = New 3DS |
| Type | 1 | [A/C/H/J/K/S/P/T] - Retail / C is part of the default serial 'CTAP' / H is used for built in applications like Mii Maker / J is for a normal eShop Title / K is unknown, seen in Mighty Gunvolt / S is usually a 3D Classics eShop title / P is used with GBA eShop titles / T is used with NES eShop titles. |
| Identifier | 2 | game name (two alphanumeric characters). |
| Region | 1 | [E/P/J/K/C/Y/Z/A] - English (US) / PAL (Europe/Australia) / Japanese (Japan) / Korean (Korea) / Chinese (China/Taiwan) / Unknown (Japan/Korea?) (seen in Johnny's Payday Panic (Korea)) / Unknown (seen in Mighty Gunvolt) / All (region-free) |
The longer version of the serial number adds a geographical region (usually because of extra languages).
Those are 3 letters codes at the end of the serial (can be found mostly on demos).
For example, the code of the Canadian version of Mario Kart 7 is CAN (link removed, links to incorrect image).
Physical (only?) Serial
This is similar in structure to the serial, this is like the Title ID, in the sense that it is a per title identifier, but it is not checked by the 3DS Applications (like an internally used name) and follows this structure:
CTR-[P/N/T/U]-[Type][Identifier][Region]
- P/N/T/U - P Generally used for card based games (& Digital Download versions) / N Used for built in applications like Mii Maker and some eShop titles / T is used in some e-Shop demos / U is used for Add-on Update Data
- [Type][Identifier][Region] - Same as in serial structure
So, for example, a Japanese copy of Ridge Racer 3D would have a product code of "CTR-P-ARRJ" and a serial of "LNA-CTR-ARRJ".
NOTE: The product code "CTR-P-CTAP" is the default product code for NCCH files. So when a product code isn't assigned, this product code is usually used.
Electronic Manuals
Some eShop titles have Electronic Manuals which store the product code at the end of the 'Health & Safety' section of the manual. However, product codes can differ from the above format as shown below:
CTR-[P/N/T/U]-[Type][Identifier][Region]-[Region]-[Digit]
CTR-[Type][Identifier][Region]-[Region]-[Digit]
- P/N/T/U - Same as in product code structure
- [Type][Identifier][Region] - Same as in serial structure
- [Region] - A three character representation of the title region, i.e. 'EUR' (not always present)
- [Digit] - A single digit usually '1' or '0' (not always present)
Note: These alternate versions of the product code, potentially found in Electronic Manuals don't represent the actual product code, as found in the game's CXI. They are only found in the game's Home Menu manual, and on the game's packaging and external labeling.
Back of Card Serial
AREPY10111
[Identifier]-[Production Month]-[Production Year]-[Revision]-[Production Run?]