Animal Crossing
Officially Animal Crossing (どうぶつの森, 'Dōbutsu no Mori')
SOCIAL SIMULATION VIDEO GAME SERIES (2001+) by NINTENDO. Play as a human moving to a village/town/island populated by anthropomorphic ANIMAL VILLAGERS. NO GOALS, NO WINS — collect items, decorate home, fish, catch bugs, plant flowers, interact with villagers. PLAYS IN REAL TIME using system clock — day/night + seasons + holidays match player's real-world date. NEW HORIZONS (2020, Switch) became the CULTURAL PHENOMENON OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC — 45M+ copies sold, best-selling Switch game after Mario Kart 8 DX. All-time series has 60M+ copies.
Quick facts
Category
Video Games
Type
Individual
Players
1–8
Duration
~3000 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇯🇵 Japan
Estimated origin
2001 first release (Japan N64); Wild World 2005, City Folk 2008, New Leaf 2012, New Horizons 2020
Olympic
No
Popularity
global
How it works
Objective
No formal objective — self-directed relaxation, collection, decoration, socialization.
Rules
Basic rules
Move to a village/island + build up your character's home + surroundings
Home decoration.
Fish, catch bugs, dig fossils, farm crops (seasonal availability)
Collection loop.
Speak with animal villagers to build relationships
Social simulation.
Real-time clock: play changes hour by hour + season by season
Signature real-time mechanic.
Trade + visit friends' islands via multiplayer
Cross-player interaction.
Bells (in-game currency) + Nook Miles used for progression
Soft economy.
Scoring
No traditional scoring; measured by collection completeness (fish/bugs/fossils encyclopedias) + island score (New Horizons up to 5 stars).
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Complete critterpedia (all fish + bugs) | Requires 1+ full year real-time |
| 5-star island rating (New Horizons) | Extensive decoration + villager count |
| All museum exhibits complete | Long-term collection achievement |
Win condition · No winning — the game is a persistent life simulation.
Equipment
Nintendo Switch (New Horizons)
Latest platform
3DS (New Leaf), Wii (City Folk), Nintendo DS (Wild World), GameCube (original)
Legacy platforms
Terminology
- Bells
- In-game currency.
- Tom Nook
- Iconic raccoon business owner + shopkeeper.
- Isabelle
- Beloved secretary dog villager introduced in New Leaf.
- Nook Miles
- Secondary currency in New Horizons.
- Time Travel
- Changing system clock to skip time — controversial in-community.
- Villagers
- The anthropomorphic animal residents of your village/island.
- Turnip market (Stalk Market)
- Fluctuating turnip trading mechanic for making bells.
Where it is played
Governing bodies
Nintendo (developer + publisher)
Founded 1889 · Kyoto, Japan
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Katsuya Eguchi (series creator, Nintendo)
- Aya Kyogoku (New Horizons + New Leaf director)
Frequently asked
Why did New Horizons become a COVID phenomenon?+
PERFECT TIMING. Released MARCH 20, 2020 — the exact week global COVID-19 lockdowns began. New Horizons offered ESCAPIST COZY GAMEPLAY, SOCIAL VISITS TO FRIENDS' ISLANDS (crucial during isolation), + NO STRESS/COMBAT. It became a shared cultural experience — celebrity islands, in-game weddings + graduations, political campaigning (Biden 2020 campaign had a New Horizons island). Sold 45M+ copies making it Nintendo's 2nd-best-selling Switch game.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Animal Crossing— Wikipedia