Download Play

Download Play is a feature of the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS that allows players to locally and wirelessly download content from other systems. The feature is specifically known as DS Download Play when Nintendo DS content is involved and Nintendo 3DS Download Play when Nintendo 3DS content is involved.

The primary purpose of Download Play is to allow multiplayer gameplay with as little as one cartridge in supported games, although it is also used for other purposes. and, as well as the spin-off title , support Download Play for its primary purpose, to allow multiplayer games with fewer cartridges than players. Download Play gameplay does not affect the ranking of the host player in Phantom Hourglass, but it does affect the rankings of any player using a cartridge in Spirit Tracks.

The number of Download Play programs available from a cartridge varies by game and region; both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, for example, have three Download Play programs on their cartridges in the North America region, each with one of the languages available on the cartridge (English, French, and Spanish), and the Download Play program sent to other systems depends on which language is currently in use. Recipient players of a Download Play program cannot use a system's language settings to play in a different language than the host player; instead, recipient players must play the game in the language set by the host player.