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Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp may only be due at the end of November, but it's already available in Australia; you can even grab it yourself right now if you're willing to jump through a few hoops. Thankfully, we're here to make that process a little easier.

Here's how you can get Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp on your iOS or Android device right now.

How to install Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp on iPhone

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First of all you're going to need a Mac or PC with iTunes and a little bit of patience. Open the app store on iTunes, make sure you've logged out of your real Apple ID and scroll right down to the bottom right hand corner where you should see a little flag corresponding with your country of residence. Click that and scroll further to select Australia.

Then you need to find Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and attempt to download it. We couldn't find it by searching but if you find Super Mario Run and click on the text underneath the title that says 'Nintendo co., Ltd' it'll be there are the top of the list. Because you're not logged in it'll ask you to sign into your account, but instead select 'Create New Apple ID'. Agree to the terms and conditions that you've almost certainly read thoroughly and start inputting an email address and password. You'll have to use an email address that isn't registered to a current Apple ID.

Fill in the rest of the page truthfully or however you see fit and then move on. You'll be asked for payment information, but because you tried to download a free app 'None' should be highlighted automatically. This is what you want, as otherwise you'd have to input genuine Australian credit card details. Under billing address any first and surname will do.

For the billing address you'll need to input a real location and postal code. We recommend looking one up on Google Maps and simply copying down everything you see, but try to be discreet.

Once you've verified your account you're all done! Simply log into this new Apple ID on your iOS device and download the app. When it requires updating in the future you'll need to sign back into this account so make sure you write the login details down on a piece of paper to be extra safe.

How to install Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp on Android

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Android's open nature means that installing is a little easier than it is on iOS and doesn't involve creating dummy accounts or making your phone think you're in another part of the world. However, it does come with some risks which have to be considered before proceeding.

On iOS, your only option - unless you're willing to "jailbreak" your phone - is to use the App Store to obtain the game. However, on Android it's possible to download the installation file (known as an .apk) from the internet and "side-load" it onto your Android device - this basically involves disabling the security measure which prevents you from installing apps outside of the Google Play store.

Most Android phones have side-loading disabled by default, so you'll need to go to Settings, then Security (this might be listed as Privacy on some handsets) and tick the box next to "Unknown Sources". You'll get a message which states that the installation of applications outside of the Google Play store comes with obvious risks (such as viruses and malware) - so we'd like to state that we cannot be held responsible for any issues beyond this point.

Various sites online offer apk files for download, and in this case there's no real ethical issue as Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is a free-to-play title and doesn't cost money. However, due to the fact that these sites also offer apps and games that are normally paid-for, we won't be linking to any in this guide. Type "Animal Crossing Pocket Camp apk" into Google and you'll no doubt find several sites offering the file. Which one you choose is very much up to you, and done at your own discretion.

Even though you've side-loaded the game, when it does eventually become available in your region it will receive updates and your user data will be carried over - you don't have to worry about losing progress by installing the game early. The title is listed on Google Play now but can only be downloaded in Australia - but by all means add it to your wish list so you can grab the update the moment it goes live.

Or you can wait until late November, the choice is yours.


Finally, it's worth noting that only Australian My Nintendo accounts can login for the related bonuses and features. You can either ignore this and just sign in when the game launches properly in your territory, or you can create an Australian My Nintendo account. However, if you want to really get into the My Nintendo side of the app it may be best to wait until it launches formally where you live.

So, will you give this a try or just wait for the app to be released globally?