Topic: Animal Crossing - how does it work with multiple switches / user accounts?

On the fence on this still, as I don't know how it works for multi user / multi switch owners...

I have one switch with my account and my children's accounts on it - all have online accounts via the family pack.

I have a second switch with just my account.

My questions are, for anyone that may know the answer to this...?

Can I download the game from the eshop to both consoles as per all other switch titles?

I have an account on both switches - will it see the same or different islands?

If I use AC on one switch, will I be able to use it on the other?

I understand I won't be able to play on both switches at the same time and the second switch will dial in to check switch one is not already in use.

If anyone can shed light, go for it - I suppose the questions above also apply to a game card, but less keen on that as this game is not really one for game cards - you always want it on the system

Thanks!

@MrJed I think people are nervous to answer because there are two ways to set up your consoles, and are you buying digital or physical? So, your answer is dependent on those factors.

Are both consoles set up as primary consoles? or a do you have a primary+secondary console setup?

• Primary+secondary console set up allows you to play on one console, stop, pick up the other console and continue the same game. Caveat: only one Switch can be played at a time, because the game saves need to be synced between the consoles.

I gotta be honest. I don't know how to parse this all out in a simple way. If someone else here can explain it well, great! I didn't want you to sit all day, or longer, without SOME help. If no one else helps, I will say, call Nintendo, because their help line is great, believe it or not.

I can give you a bit of direction.... This page link has a list of Nintendo Support links answering common questions for setting up Switch consoles, multiple consoles, and sharing games:
https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/nintendo-switch/game_shar...

Nintendo UK support https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Contact/Contact-621598.html
+44 (0)345 60 50 247 (Calls charged at National Rate)

Thanks Woomy!

I believe my account is primary and secondary, I can dial in to pick up a save file for my account.

The primary switch is my launch day switch, but the kids use it now. I use the new secondary one now mostly and it dial in to check digital titles are not in play already on the other switch.

I would most like digital, but am interested know how this choice would effect animal crossing, keeping in mind the above family set up:)

It seems I am not the only on with issues or questions around this, I’ve now seen this on the nintendo site, but still fairly confused!!

https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/social/questions...

@MrJed

(EDIT: I just noticed you said you've had a switch since launch. Forgive me for covering simple stuff below. I'll leave that info there in case any newb readers find this thread.)

As far as Animal Crossing saves go, on your switch, if multiple people want to have their own Animal Crossing save files, you need to have multiple Switch User profiles on your switch for for each person playing Animal Crossing (if you haven't already). These are the user icons at the top of your Switch home screen.

If you buy digitally, every user on your switch can use that game. There is a catch to that. Later down the road, if you buy a new Switch for your kid or wife to use independently, (as another primary console) they will need to buy their own version of game. Digital games are tied to the account & email that bought it.

If you buy the physical cartridge, again, everyone on your switch can use that game. If you added another primary console later, you can share that cartridge with them. Caveat: the game only works when inserted into the console. So, only one Switch can use it at a time.

**currently Animal Crossing doesn't support save file transfers to another Switch. An update to the game is supposed come that will allow you to transfer your save file from one switch to another. The date for the update has not been announced.

**Animal Crossing also does not get save data backed up to the cloud. If your Switch falls out of an airplane into a firey pit of lava , your Animal Crossing game save file dies with the console. Nintendo cloud won't have a backup save file.
List of games that dont get save data cloud backup:
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a...

This is not true - you're only allowed ONE island/save file per Switch - and there's tons of negative feedback about this! Up to 8 profiles can SHARE this one island, but no solo island per profile.

The only way to have multi saves is to have 2 or more consoles and a cart (or several carts of course) you use on one console at a time (still only 1 save per console), or buy it digitally on each console.

Bottom line - 1 save per console no matter what you do. Another example of Nintendo caring more about stopping a few potential cheaters/save exploiters than the wishes of the overwhelming majority of their users. ~100% of other games/devs support saves per profile on the Switch.

I would say 'vote with your wallet' but since Animal Crossing has broken all sales-records, I guess that train is long gone!

The history of being able to have multiple towns per console using multiple memory cards/copies of the game, and being able to transfer a non-mayor character in New Leaf to a new game so they can be the mayor of their own town while keeping their progress? As opposed to Nintendo begrudgingly implementing a way to even transfer anything at all to a new console in case it breaks or its owner wants to upgrade, and only after backlash from the community. I don't how this is "doing things much better" even if it doesn't affect me personally.

That’s not true. We have a switch and my wife set up her Animal crossing first. Now I’m playing and can’t do certain things cause I’m not primary. So if she stops playing in a week and I want to keep playing my only option is to take over her account and go back through and lose all that progress.

Sorry to jump on this thread but we have two family switches. They both are linked to the same account which I set up and one has additional peoples accounts on it from other members of the family. One switch has a copy of new horizons animal crossing which was downloaded. The other switch has a physical copy of the game. So both switches have their own copies of the game.
When they started playing it was fine but now they want to visit each others islands it won’t let them saying that they share downloadable content. How do we fix it? They want to play together and visit one anothers islands and share resources but keep their own island on their own switches.

You have to do local play. I just found out what sucks about this is you can't add yourself as a best friend if you visit your other switch locally. I was going to remove my nintendo account and add another one to my switch lite but I want to have all my digital games on both switches.

Jumping on this topic with hopefully an answer from my fellow gamers. Me and my wife have been playing animal crossing on two different profiles. We play so much I want to buy her her own switch and physical copy of the game. Now with me doing so will she lose her island once she starts on the new console and game, or can I put her profile from the first switch to the brand new one? Saving all the hours she’s put into the game and continue playing the game she loves.

Ok, I made an account because I needed to ask something I haven't seen covered anywhere.
I am the main user on my switch and have a digital copy of ACNH associated to my Nintendo account. My girlfriend has a local account on the same Switch and we play together on the same island. Great. Now she wants to play with her friends online. If I make a Nintendo Account for her and link it to her local account, and pay for the Nintendo Online service, can she play online? Remember the game is digital and associated to MY account. I'm worried she still won't be able to go online with it because the game isn't technically hers. I'm especially worried she will lose access to the game altogether simply by having a Nintendo Account linked to her local account. Seems stupid that Nintendo would punish us for making a Nintendo Account, but that's what I'm pondering now.

Thanks in advance!

Hello,

I do have:

• 1 Switch with Physical Animal Crossing cartridge
• 1 switch Lite with digital Animal Crossing downloaded
• Both Switches under my account

When we start the two games on the 2 different switches, still we can't play and it gives error that one account is using downloadable data/software etc....any clue how to sort this one out please? shouldn't it be easy since 2 different switches and 2 different purchased copies of the game (one physical one digital?)

Thanks for your feedback on this.

Hi everyone my concern is about animal crossing new horizons for the Nintendo switch

I myself have a Nintendo switch console with animal crossing physical, my brother has a switch lite. If he play with my cartridge on his switch can he have his own island or will he have to share my island,
Thank you in advance

I spoke with Nintendo Support about this issue and they told me "Animal Crossing: New Horizons does not support the ability to transfer your save file from one Nintendo Switch system to another. We have only announced that the ability to recover save data from the server will available later this year." This is a failure on both Nintendo's and the game creators' part.

Hi, bit late to this just wondered if can anyone help. Iv send my switch off for repair but still wanted to play so I inserted animal crossing cartridge into my brothers switch and it’s started from the beginning, just wondered if iv lost all data or if I reinsert it into my switch if all data will be the same? Hope this makes sense

Alright I'm counting on whoever may be reading now to answer questions I have about this in a straightforward way; It's honestly so frickin dumb that Nintendo or whoever makes these decisions chose to limit each console to one island.

Here's the situation: I own a single switch (Switch 1) with a digital copy of ACNH, and am currently debating purchasing a second one (Switch 2) along with a physical copy in hopes that I can access my same games and saves, AND start a new island IN ADDITION to being able to visit them both and trade items/villagers with myself.

What I'm thinking is this.
I sync the consoles (while choosing not to redownload AC), make an alt Nintendo account along with its own local account on Switch 2, then purchase the Online family plan so my alt account can travel. I then launch the AC cartridge as the alt account so that the new island it starts is under another Nintendo account entirely.
Could I achieve what I want with this? And if so what are some important things to keep in mind? Does Switch 1 or Switch 2 need to be the primary console, and does it even matter in the end considering the game will be used by an entirely new user? Will my account simply existing on both consoles interfere when trying to launch both games?
And finally, is there any way at ALL to still trade with myself with JUST two consoles and not needing to buy the game again, even with a second account that has Online like I mentioned?

Sorry for such a huge reply but it'd be greatly appreciated if anyone could answer these for me! I desperately want to restart my island without losing my favorite characters and going through the hours of searching it took to get them all again. I'd also love to use a different name, and the inability of even a simple name change without hacking was another stupid decision on the game makers' part.