When Did the Nintendo 64 Era End? Timeline of Decline

There is no single "death date" for the Nintendo 64; it was a gradual decline rather than an abrupt stop. Here is the timeline of its life cycle:

Key Milestones

• Decline Begins (~2001): The launch of the PlayStation 2 (2000) and the Nintendo GameCube (2001) significantly eroded the N64's market share.
• Production Discontinued (2002): Nintendo ceased manufacturing the console hardware in 2002.
• Final Official Release (December 2002): The last licensed game released was Mario Party 3 in North America (November 2001) and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (August 2002). In Japan, Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Forest) launched in April 2001. Mario Kart 64 was a 1996/1997 launch title, not a final release.

By late 2001, the platform was effectively in "end‑of‑life" status, with developers shifting focus to the GameCube and PS2. The N64 lingered on shelves and in homes for years after, but 2001–2002 marks the definitive end of its commercial relevance.