Animal Crossing: New Horizons
News, coverage and analysis tracking Animal Crossing: New Horizons across the outlets.
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Petit Planet Preview – Taking a cosy break from your Genshin Impact
Petit Planet is a new life simulation game from HoYoverse, moving away from their typical gacha RPGs like Genshin Impact. It focuses on cozy gameplay inspired by titles like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, where players nurture their own planetoid. The game features deep character stories and social elements, with players managing resources and interacting with neighbors.
Petit Planet is exactly the Animal Crossing clone it looked like, but after 15 hours of it I'm shocked by how many…
Petit Planet is a blatant clone of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, featuring similar gameplay mechanics like terraforming, fishing, and collecting items. Despite its derivative nature, the game introduces improvements such as bulk crafting and streamlined exploration, alongside charming characters and a unique AI companion named Nalo. Concerns remain regarding its monetization strategy and multiplayer privacy safeguards.
Bandai Namco Preparing Animal Crossing Character Magnets
Bandai Namco is releasing a new set of Animal Crossing Chara-Magnets featuring 24 different characters, including popular NPCs like Tom Nook and Isabelle, along with eight villagers. Each blind-bagged package will cost approximately $1.70 and include one magnet, one of ten stationary card designs, and a soda-flavored piece of gum. The collection is set to debut in Japan in August 2026.
UK software sales chart for the week ending April 18, 2026 – Tomodachi Life and Pragmata come out swinging
The latest UK software sales chart for the week ending April 18, 2026, sees new releases Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and Pragmata debut at #1 and #2 respectively. Nintendo Switch accounted for a significant portion of sales for both titles, with Pragmata seeing 13 percent of its sales from the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo secretly opened a dedicated London store and didn’t tell anyone
Nintendo has secretly opened a new, permanent "Nintendo Experience Zone" store in London, located inside an Argos on Tottenham Court Road. Unlike a previous pop-up store, this new location offers a wide range of merchandise from various Nintendo franchises, including Super Mario, Pokémon, and The Legend of Zelda. The store's duration is unconfirmed, but it is expected to remain open for several months.
Surprise! Nintendo launches new pop-up store in London
Nintendo has launched a limited-time pop-up store called the Nintendo Experience Zone within an Argos store on Tottenham Court Road in London. The store offers a variety of Nintendo games, consoles, accessories, and merchandise from franchises like Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, and more. This initiative is a partnership between Nintendo and Argos, with the store expected to run for a few months.
Mailbox: The Wii U's Legacy, Mii Singing, Hippos - Nintendo Life Letters
This month's Nintendo Life Mailbox features discussions on favorite Nintendo hippos, the legacy of the Wii U in light of Switch ports, and creative ways players customize their experiences in games like Tomodachi Life and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The segment also touches on the creative use of puns in Nintendo Life articles and briefly mentions Shigeru Miyamoto.
Nintendo Switch 2 eShop charts – April 19, 2026 – Mouse: P.I. For Hire and Pragmata off to strong starts
The latest Nintendo Switch 2 eShop charts for the week of April 19, 2026, show Mouse: P.I. For Hire and Pragmata off to strong starts, ranking second and third respectively. Pokemon Pokopia holds the top spot, while Pragmata's Deluxe Edition also charted in the top ten.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream players are making their pets Pokemon
Players of the upcoming Nintendo Switch title Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream are creating pixel-art Pokemon as in-game pets, with some users even designing their Mii characters to resemble Pikachu. The game, which has been in development since 2017, is set to launch in Spring 2026 and allows players to build and customize their own islands.
Why Gamers Secretly Crave Horror in Their Cozy Games
This article explores the appeal of horror elements being introduced into non-horror games, citing examples like Minecraft cave sounds and Subnautica's deep-sea encounters. Developers leverage psychological contrast and trust to create memorable, surprising moments that resonate with players, blurring genre lines and potentially leading to a 'cozy horror' subgenre.
Nintendo Switch eShop charts – April 18, 2026 – Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream launches on top
The Nintendo Switch eShop charts for the week of April 18, 2026, show Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream retaining the top spot after its official launch. Several other popular titles like Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and various Pokémon games also feature prominently in the rankings.
What we've been playing - "I started with maple trees behind the bank"
Several individuals share their recent gaming experiences across various titles. Connor details a deep grind in Old School RuneScape, Victoria discusses a 25th-anniversary item in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Bertie recounts a successful run in Slay the Spire 2 on a Steam Deck, and Kelsey describes the chaotic start of their island in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream.
Ranking all of Nintendo’s Switch 2 upgrade packs from worst to best
This article ranks various paid upgrade packs for Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, evaluating their value based on performance boosts, graphical improvements, and added content. Titles like Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Super Mario Bros. Wonder are highlighted for their substantial additions, while others like Super Mario Party Jamboree and Pokemon Legends: Z-A are criticized for offering minimal unique features for their cost.
I love Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, but having no Switch 2 version is a mistake
Despite being a delightful addition to the Nintendo Switch library, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream would greatly benefit from a Nintendo Switch 2 version. The article highlights how the game's customization mechanics and mini-games are hindered by the older console's hardware limitations and lack of support for the Switch 2's advanced mouse controls, which are now considered essential by the author.
Can you time travel in Tomodachi Life Living the Dream?
This guide explains whether time travel is possible in Tomodachi Life on the Nintendo Switch and details the significant penalties incurred. Adjusting the system's date and time allows for time travel, but it results in shops not refreshing and Mii hunger not updating for 24 hours. The article advises against time traveling due to these drawbacks, though it notes that time traveling for other games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons is safe as long as the system time is reset before launching Tomodachi Life.
PSA: You Definitely Don't Want To Time Travel In Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream
Nintendo has issued a warning that time traveling in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream does not provide benefits and instead causes negative consequences. Adjusting the system clock will cause shops to stop refreshing for 24 hours, and this timer resets if the clock is changed again. The game is best played in real-time bursts.
White House uses Wii Sports to promote Iran War and Japan is not happy
The White House has faced criticism, including from Japan's Foreign Minister, for using copyrighted video game footage, specifically from Wii Sports, in propaganda videos promoting military operations. Nintendo has remained silent, though other companies like Microsoft have also seen their games used in similar contexts without comment. The article also touches on politicians using video game metaphors in public addresses.
Famitsu software sales (4/6/26 – 4/12/26) – Top 30
Famitsu has released its latest Japanese software sales data for the week of April 6th to April 12th, 2026. Pokemon Pokopia leads the charts on the Nintendo Switch 2, followed by Mario Kart World. Starfield makes its debut on the PlayStation 5 in the top 30.
Kingdom Come Deliverance and Animal Crossing inspired this medieval cozy game where you hang with tiny dragons and make art, and it's launching to great reviews: "Hans capon mentioned therefore GOTY"
Scriptorium Master of Manuscripts, a medieval simulator inspired by Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Animal Crossing, has launched to positive reviews on Steam. The game tasks players with transcribing and decorating manuscripts, featuring over 2000 medieval art assets and the ability to have pets like tiny dragons. The developer emphasizes that the game is entirely human-made with a zero-tolerance policy for AI-generated content.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure's City Town DLC makes the Wheatflour Wonderland expansion seem like a dress rehearsal
The City Town DLC for Hello Kitty Island Adventure expands the game with a new area and the character Usahana, offering a more integrated experience than the previous Wheatflour Wonderland expansion. While the slow-paced quest progression may initially feel frustrating, it encourages daily engagement and provides a sense of accomplishment as players rebuild the town.
