Remember when Nintendo called Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ 2.0 update the final major free update to the game? It turns out, a lot can change in four years. And here I am again, back on my tropical island paradise, playing through another big free addition – and a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of one of my favourite Switch games.
But wait, what does this mean for Animal Crossing’s future? We’re almost six years into New Horizons’ life with no sign of a new game in the series to come. The announcement back in October 2025 filled me with a mix of excitement and worry, just like Jim, because, yay, more Animal Crossing to lose my life to! But also, oh no, when is the next Animal Crossing coming?
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Months later, and after a week of decorating hotel rooms, putting together a LEGO-themed nook in my basement, and contemplating terraforming part of my island all over again, I’m a lot less conflicted. In fact, I’m happy to wait for a brand new Animal Crossing, because in a few years' time, it might be the perfect game to experience with my daughter.
Yes, in 2026, I’m going to become a parent. This has added a whole new layer to how I think about video games. Both my husband and I had parents or relatives who were also into games, who encouraged us to pick up and play and experience the magic of the medium. Now the two of us are talking hypotheticals about which Dragon Quest our child should play first, or how we can use video games to teach her about life and love and empathy.
I knew I was expecting a child when the 3.0 update and Switch 2 Edition were announced, and I was hit with this strange realisation: New Horizons just seems to be there whenever my life is changing.
I don’t need to remind people of 2020, but I’ve found myself slipping back into the familiar rhythms of island life multiple times: when the DLC dropped in 2021, I was looking for a new job; in 2023, I started a brand new island as I was packing up my life to move across the Atlantic. And now I’m back again ahead of parenthood.
It’s still the perfect reprieve from everything going on in the outside world, but with our impending new addition, it’s made me rethink how I play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I couldn’t help but recall Roland’s experience with the beginnings of New Horizon with his own child, and the prospect of getting to see my daughter’s face as she helps me play through a completely new game is wonderful.
I’m so used to the mechanics and the way Animal Crossing rolls, but New Horizons is easily the most complex entry so far, even with the handful of QoL updates 3.0 brought with it. There’s no way I could imagine throwing a young child into the game, especially on an island I’ve poured hundreds of hours into. Does she really want me to explain why the museum is surrounded by Japanese-themed decorations, or why I live next to the Able Sisters?
The next game is unlikely to scale back that much, but what it does offer is a chance for a fresh start on an experience that both parent and child will be jumping into, together, for the first time. I can’t really think of anything better than that.
Usually when I play Animal Crossing, I’m a bit of a min-maxer. I like making money, so I’ll spend hours upon hours fishing, catching bugs, trying to farm scorpions and tropical bugs on Mystery Islands. I’ve also been playing this series for 23 years, importing the original from North America because I desperately wanted to experience this cosy little life as a kid. I’ve never looked back.
As a result of this feverish love of the series, the slow-life aspect has been somewhat compounded in recent years, so a new game is the chance for me to reset the way I play. I'm guilty of time-travelling and scouring the internet for turnip prices, but now I'm side-eyeing those decisions. I don’t want to do this with my kid. I want to play the game the way she wants me to, and she’ll be the one calling the shots. She will be the reason I’m playing – if that’s what she wants.
I know this isn’t the most child-friendly series given how much there is to do and how much text there is, but my aim would be to act as a guide for my daughter while she delights in designing her own characters or she giggles at the animalese voices. It’ll be a safe haven she gets to design with the help of her parents, not just a digital world she can watch enviously as I mow my way through progression.
Hypothetical thinking is dangerous, I know, and there are many things I can’t predict: for one, she might not like video games at all. She might get bored or frustrated, or she might simply prefer other activities. The world is her oyster. Plus, we might get a new Animal Crossing game in a year — you never know! — and I don’t think a baby would understand what’s going on.
But I’m no longer clamouring for the future, or a faster release schedule. New Marios, Zeldas, and Animal Crossings are nice and all, but you know what’s better? Sharing those experiences with someone you love unconditionally and watching them form their own loves, thoughts, and opinions of those experiences.
Are you excited for the future of Animal Crossing? Or are you happy to stick with New Horizons for the foreseeable future? Let us know down below.