Nintendo’s piracy FAQ explains where players can legally download its games.

Nintendo’s Intellectual Property & Piracy FAQ says its enforcement program targets unauthorized Nintendo games distributed online, circumvention devices or software used to play them, and counterfeit products.

Nintendo's case rests on money and time. It says developers and publishers depend on legitimate sales to survive, and that a single game can take several years of work from large teams, with substantial costs before it ever reaches a shelf. In the company's telling, piracy discourages the creation of new games, and the bill ultimately lands on players. It calls piracy a significant threat to its own business and to thousands of companies that develop games.

A wide net

The FAQ on Nintendo's support site defines piracy as copying, downloading or distributing illegal games. That definition stretches well past a shady download. Counterfeit games and systems fall under it, and so do circumvention devices and system modifications. Nintendo states flatly that online piracy and counterfeiting of its products are illegal.

Nintendo's IP Enforcement programs operate in more than 40 countries. Nintendo pairs legal action and technology with consumer awareness work, and it lobbies for stronger intellectual property legislation on top of that. It says it works with domestic and international enforcement authorities, customs agencies among them, and teams up with industry associations and other companies to push for legal changes.

Where the legitimate games are

For console users, the answer is short: Nintendo eShop or the Nintendo website. Games built for phones and tablets can be found through Google Play and the Apple App Store.