You cannot use .CIA files directly on Citra without decrypting them first. Most players dump their legally purchased cartridges into .3DS format.
Q: Is it safe to download a highly compressed repack of Pokémon X 3DS? A: As long as you download from a reputable source and take necessary safety precautions, it is generally safe to download a highly compressed repack.
Required if playing on an actual 3DS console.
A high-quality, safe version of Pokémon X for Citra or 3DS will cost you about 1.2GB to 1.5GB of storage. In 2025, with cheap storage and fast internet, that is a small price to pay for a stable, malware-free journey through the Kalos region. Do not risk your device's security for a few hundred megabytes. Buy the game, dump it yourself, or download a clean, verified ROM from a reputable source—but stay far away from "highly compressed repacks."