Summary
- The next Animal Crossing game isn't expected until 2026, posing a long wait for fans of the series craving new content.
- The rumored features for the 2026 game, including a larger city and new multiplayer activities, aim to enhance the player experience.
- Despite the disappointment of a prolonged content drought, the extended development time may result in a more polished and improved game.
After the massive success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, fans of the series are eagerly awaiting to see how Nintendo follows up. Unfortunately, a recent rumor suggests that the next Animal Crossing game isn't planned to be released until 2026, potentially creating a six-year gap between Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the next entry in the series. While the Animal Crossing content drought might continue for longer than some fans might be expecting, the rumored 2026 release window for this next title will hopefully result in a better overall experience.
Alongside this 2026 release window, the recent Animal Crossing rumor also suggests that this next game will incorporate a variety of features that are reminiscent of Animal Crossing: City Folk on the Wii. Allegedly, this new game will include a larger city with vehicles for transportation and a shopping center that will allow players to sell their designs to others. The game will also apparently place a greater emphasis on multiplayer activities, with a variety of mini-games for players to enjoy together, but fans will still have to wait a while to experience these features if this rumor is accurate.
The New Animal Crossing Game Rumors Explained
Rumors have begun swirling of a potential leak concerning a new Animal Crossing game in 2026, though Nintendo has yet to confirm or deny anything.
The Next Animal Crossing's Rumored 2026 Release Window Stings for New Horizons Fans
While Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a huge revitalization for the series, becoming the second best-selling game on the Switch as of February 2024, the game was not without controversy, particularly surrounding its post-launch content. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was missing features like the Roost and Gyroids at release, but this content was slowly added over time via updates in the months following. However, this stream of content ended with a final 2.0 update in November 2021, only a little over a year after launch, leaving players hungry for more content in the time since.
If the next Animal Crossing game really isn't coming out until 2026, then the six years between releases will make the limited amount of post-launch content for Animal Crossing: New Horizons sting all the more. Animal Crossing fans are already used to waiting for long development periods between games, with an eight-year gap between Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. At least in that case, fans had the Welcome amiibo update for New Leaf in 2016 to breathe new life into the game ahead of New Horizons, but it seems like fans won't have the same luck with this entry.
A 2026 Release Window Might Be a Blessing in Disguise for the Next Animal Crossing
It might be disheartening for fans to hear that a new Animal Crossing game might not be coming until 2026, but this release window could be a good sign for the quality of the game's content. Similar to how New Horizons greatly built upon the foundation of New Leaf's customization options, the long development cycle for this next entry could point towards the game addressing some of the concerns fans had about New Horizons. If these rumors are true, then it seems like this next Animal Crossing game will go a long way to improve upon the multiplayer components that were lacking in New Horizons.
Additionally, a 2026 release window basically confirms that the next Animal Crossing game will be developed with Nintendo's next console in mind. With the Switch 2 likely releasing in 2025, many fans were expecting Nintendo to have a new Animal Crossing game as a launch title after how successful New Horizons was at selling Switch consoles. However, waiting a year after the console's release makes it more likely that the next Animal Crossing game will be able to avoid any potential hardware quirks the system may have, ensuring that it can deliver the best experience possible at the peak of the console's life.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Released
- March 20, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Everyone / Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Expansions
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Happy Home Paradise
- Franchise
- Animal Crossing
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
- How Long To Beat
- 100 Hours
