Animal Crossing: New Horizonsproved to be a smashing success when it launched back in 2020. It is, to date, the best-sellingAnimal Crossinggame of all time and one of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games. It cemented itself an incredible legacy and remains one of the most talked-about Switch games. That success was slightly unprecedented, especially for the series, but nevertheless deserved, as, at least now,New Horizonsremains a genuinely great entry in the series and a must-buy Switch title.
As we all await thenextAnimal Crossinggame, I find myself reflecting on that success and how it actually came about. There are a lot of factors that madeAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsthe immense financial and critical success that it is, many of which will be hard to replicate for its inevitable sequel. In fact,there’s a very good chance that the nextAnimal Crossinggame won’t be nearly half as successful asNew Horizons, especially if Nintendo makes one crucial mistake it will almost certainly make.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Success Will Be Hard To Replicate
It Was A Lighting In A Bottle Moment
AC: NH’sridiculous successcame about for a multitude of reasons, but, namely,it was as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing people to stay indoors with very little to do. It was released in March 2020, at the height of the pandemic and during the initial lockdowns, prompting many to turn to it as a source of entertainment and a way of communicating with their loved ones in an interactive way.New Horizonsprovided a safe space for many during that time and a way for large groups to band together. For that, we are all grateful.
One could argue thatAC: NH’samazing reviewswere also partially responsible, and that is definitely true. However,New Horizons’lifetime sales currently sit at around 47 million, whereas its predecessor,New Leaf, sits at just 13 million. The entireAnimal Crossingseries has sold 81.45 million copies across all games, meaning thatNew Horizonsmakes up for more than half. That level of success is unprecedented for any series.A lot of people who have never boughtAnimal Crossingdid for the very first time withNew Horizons, and I’m not convinced that will happen again.
Let us not forget that, at least to fans,New Horizons’launch was disastrous. It was missing core features and prioritized the wrong aspects of the series' iconic gameplay. Yet still, it sold well.I suspect were the nextAnimal Crossingto launch similarly, it wouldn’t attract as much attentionas there simply won’t be such an event - one can hope - that forces so many people to have nothing to do but playACand thus overlook its glaring faults. It is for this reason that I doubt the nextAnimal Crossinggame will sell as well as its predecessor.
The Next Animal Crossing Won’t Sell As Well As New Horizons
It Won’t Be Released Under The Same Circumstances
To be clear, I’m not saying that the nextAnimal Crossinggame will be worse thanNew Horizons. If itfixesNew Horizons’biggest issues, then there’s a very good chance it will be a far superior experience. Rather,I am doubtful that the nextAnimal Crossinggame will hit the 40 million sales mark likeNew Horizonsdid. Of course, the IP is far more popular now than ever before, and there are a lot of people who would love to see anAnimal Crossinggame on the Nintendo Switch 2. Of that, there is very little doubt.
However, not only will there be a lot of people who don’t own a Nintendo Switch 2, but there will be plenty who are either content with sticking toNew Horizonsor have little time and interest in picking up its sequel. The nextAnimal Crossingwill sell better thanNew Leaf, and likely by quite a margin, but few games ever sell as many copies asNew Horizonsdid, andI don’t think the love for the series is as prevalent as it was back in 2020.
Were Nintendo to release a newAnimal Crossingsoon or even next year, it wouldn’t reach nearly as many people as New Horizons did in 2020.
Even on a purely numbers level, there are far fewer people who own a Switch 2 now, or even by the nextACgame’s rumored release date, than owned a Switch in 2020. As of March 2020, 55.77 million Nintendo Switch units had been sold, according toNintendo’sfinancial reports. As of July 2025, five million Switch 2 units have been sold. Of course, it is the fastest-selling home console of all time, but even so,were Nintendo to release a newAnimal Crossingsoon, it wouldn’t reach nearly as many people as New Horizons did in 2020.
Nintendo Should Wait A Few Years Before Releasing The Next Animal Crossing
It Will Give The Switch 2 Time To Grow Its Install Base
If the nextAnimal Crossinggame is to be a Switch 2 exclusive, then Nintendo should wait several years before releasing it. I do completely appreciate the desire to have a newAnimal Crossinggame as soon as possible. However,for it to sell as well asNew Horizons- or close to it anyway - then the Switch 2 needs a far bigger install base than it currently has. Ironically, I suspect the Switch 2 would sell even better were it to launch with more exclusives, but, as it stands, Nintendo should hold off on releasing a newAnimal Crossing.
If a newAnimal Crossingwere to release next year, then it would, likely, across the entire Switch 2’s lifetime, sell very well, as the console would gradually get more users. ButNew Horizons’immediate and sudden explosion in popularity is ultimately what made it such a success and gave it its lasting legacy. For the nextAnimal Crossingto achieve that, it needs to be released to a much wider pool of players, and that is only possible if Nintendo waits just a little longer.
