Far too late to start getting into AC:NH?

[Ryzon]

i am so late to the party, I LOVED AC: WW and NL and though I picked up NH at launch I never got the chance to play it due to various personal circumstances that happened around the time of release personally. I now would love to start playing it again, but I am worried that so much time has passed and I am so late to the party that it almost feels like I should just wait for the new version to come out instead of getting into this one. I have probably missed a tonne of events, the community that was playing has most likely moved on, and of course Nintendo (so I read) have certainly moved on and the game is no longer supported.

What should I do guys, is it too late and I should just wait, or should I jump into NH?

Thanks, and have a great day!

 

[Tindre]

If you already own the game I would say you can absolutely have fun playing it. Events will happen during irl events, even if theres no new updates. Theres also the huge update that came with the dlc that we who got into the game early might have been a tad too burnt out to play really. So you would maybe have more fun with that too. Maybe the hype has died down a little but in general its a single player experience and I am sure you will find people here still to visit or trade with. I hope you have fun with the game and have a nice weekend.

 

[Croconaw]

The hype has definitely died down. It’s unfortunate, but that’s just how it works. Things die down eventually. I think you can still have fun with the game even with the hype as low as it is. Even so, there are still people that play. You shouldn’t have a problem finding people to play and trade with. I’d recommend just enjoying New Horizons as it is right now. It’ll probably be a while before a new mainline game is even talked about, so enjoy this one while you can. It’s the newest game in the series for now, so people definitely still play. Heck, people are still playing New Leaf, and that game was released way back in 2013. You’re definitely not late to the party.

 

[_confused_piplup_]

Well, yes most people stopped playing, so yeah I think you might definitely get the feeling of "coming late to the party". On the other hand, Animal Crossing is a game that has much to offer even offline, like yeah mainly offline lol. And it's a slow and long term game.
Yes, Nintendo moved on, but take into account that the new Animal Crossing is going to be on the new Nintendo console which wasn't yet presented. Also, I think Animal Crossing will need a year or a couple to release its game on the new Switch, but obviously those are just predictions. I am not an expert, but I think you might have to wait much before a new animal crossing game will be released!

 

[Moritz]

New horizons is still a very fun game.
Certainly worth playing.

The community might not be as big or active as it once was, but there are still people playing it, people making videos about it and streaming it.

Plus, it's not really a game that needs a community to be fun.
Its pretty much a solo game at its core so this shouldn't deter you.

I say give it a go.
You'll have a blast.

 

[nightglow]

I don't think any of that will matter much. Though there are no more updates coming, you can still visit islands through the dream feature if you have the online Nintendo service, and you can still browse custom designs because the game is still supported by Nintendo servers and will be until the Switch isn't supported anymore.
Nintendo probably won't come out with a new animal crossing game until a new console comes out. this is heavily assume because it has always been one AC game per console in the past.
The events in the game you heard about through updates are still in the game. I think the only one that isn't there anymore is the Mario stuff because when I started a new file it didn't come up when the date came.
Because of the most recent update, trading with another player for items isn't needed. You can get stuff just fine by yourself now THANKFULLY LOL.
The game is mostly a single player or single island experience so you should be just fine even if you don't have the Nintendo online service. Though the player base is much smaller now, people do still play the game. And I think that player base will grow a tiny bit as most people recover from thier burn out and want to play AC again while waiting for a new AC to come out. Because more than likely their choices are ACNH on switch or unsupported ACNL on unsupported 3ds.
So have fun! Make threads! Take pics!

 

[themysterybidder]

i am so late to the party, I LOVED AC: WW and NL and though I picked up NH at launch I never got the chance to play it due to various personal circumstances that happened around the time of release personally. I now would love to start playing it again, but I am worried that so much time has passed and I am so late to the party that it almost feels like I should just wait for the new version to come out instead of getting into this one. I have probably missed a tonne of events, the community that was playing has most likely moved on, and of course Nintendo (so I read) have certainly moved on and the game is no longer supported.

What should I do guys, is it too late and I should just wait, or should I jump into NH?

Thanks, and have a great day!

If you decide to start playing you can come over to my island I have a lot of stuff laying about my island: clothes, extra flowers, other items, etc. If you would like anything let me know and I'll give you a Dodo Code, free of charge!

 

[ZeldaCrossing64]

Well, think of it this way: ACNH has only been out for two years now, and there are players who are going back to ACWW. I don't think it's ever too late to go back to a game, I started playing Zelda OoT recently and that game was released in '98.
There are still plenty of people still playing ACNH, and if that wasn't the case the game is still enjoyable offline. Nintendo is probably working on other games (or even console/handheld) right now and the next AC game could take a while, so you have plenty of time to enjoy ACNH before the next release.

 

[azurill]

I don’t think it’s too late to start. I’m sure they are others just starting NH and some of the older ones. I know I would continue to play the older games as well if I had the time. The good thing about starting later is not having to wait for updates. You already have them and know not to expect more. I’m sure you will have fun with NH.

 

[Imbri]

I rarely, if ever, play with others, so I'm still on my island, doing my little jam. As others have said, there are still active players, so you would be able to trade for items, though with the update that isn't as necessary.

I'm one of those stubborn ones who had to breed all the flowers myself, get all the museum items on my own (which is why I'm still dogging Redd for one last piece), and like to just putter about. NH is my escape from the craziness of my everyday life, so taking a slow approach to doing this is nice.

That being said, if you want to TT and unlock everything or get the past events, go for it. Your game, your play, your way. Have fun!

 

[Chris]

There were seven years between ACNL and ACNH being released. ACNH is only two years old. The next main series is likely many years off still, so there is little reason to hold off!

 

[Ryzon]

Thanks so much for the amazing responses guys. May I ask what you all mean by no longer needing to trade updates with other players due to the update?

 

[nightglow]

Before the last update, a player would be limited to certain colors of the same item. So say a player had a blue table, they may not have access to a green table unless they traded an item with another person. The last update added a Character called Cyrus who can paint your blue table green for example. You would just have to give him some bells instead of trying to find someone who has a green table to trade with.

 

[Ryzon]

Before the last update, a player would be limited to certain colors of the same item. So say a player had a blue table, they may not have access to a green table unless they traded an item with another person. The last update added a Character called Cyrus who can paint your blue table green for example. You would just have to give him some bells instead of trying to find someone who has a green table to trade with.

That sounds fantastic, can't wait to get back into it,

Fun fact: I didn't even get to the point where the town hall was built, so I have A LOT of discovering to do : )

 

[Flicky]

It's definitely still fun to play! I didn't buy the game straight off the bat and instead received it as a Christmas present, and already a large chunk of players had started to leave. It didn't make it any less fun for me. I'd even argue it made it better - the items I wanted didn't cost me anywhere near the amount it would have back when the playerbase was larger, which made decorating my island easier.

I think the only thing that is slightly more difficult is locating certain obscure villagers from other players, but even then, a lot of people will just use the amiibo cards to get them for you.

 

[Oshii]

I think you should definitely jump into the game now! With the amount of content that 2.0 released, it shouldn't get too boring for you for a while lol.

 

[Halloqueen]

If you're wanting to get on board because of the game's popularity then that aspect is definitely diminished. However, if you're interested in playing out of genuine desire to just play and enjoy yourself then there's no reason not to. If a game's content is solid on its own merits, doesn't have planned obsolescence (like how some games are tied to servers that eventually shut down), and you have the game and machine necessary to play it, then it's never really "too late" to play a game that you're interested in.

You didn't really "miss" much of note. This game is like the other Animal Crossing games, each year has its holidays and events the same as any other year. There might be some little things like the little update items they sent out periodically, like the 1 Year Anniversary cake, but you can probably track those down if you care enough about such. There were certain little quirks in the early days that were quickly patched out, like islands of hybrid flowers, but they were probably unintended anyway and not really a big deal.

I'll also echo Chris in saying that you shouldn't expect another mainline Animal Crossing installment for a number of years.

I can't say that you'll necessarily find a bustling online scene (New Horizons doesn't have minigames like New Leaf had, so there isn't so much to do with friends unless you make the fun yourself somehow), but you ought to be able to find any items you're looking for here on the forums via the Nook's Cranny section of the forum. The 2.0 update added a bunch of furniture and customization stuff, and the Happy Home Paradise DLC adds some content that should keep you well occupied if you enjoy decorating houses.

 

[Mr_Keroppi]

Its never too late to get into a new Animal Crossing game! There is this stigma with AC games that when a new one comes out that the old ones are obsolete but thats not true! I still play all of the old AC games! NH especially though with how the.... new players are people think the game is "dead" but thats just not how animal crossing is! You should definitely try and play it! Sure in my opinion and others its not as good as NL but there is 100% thousands of hours of fun within this game! Please play it and tell us how you like it in a few months! Never give up on a fun experience if others have stopped! Your never too late to try an amazing game!

Edit: There is a still a big community if you were wondering! Its not as hyped as it used to be but its still pretty big! Also if you were going to wait for a new game then you would be waiting for a while! Most AC games are normally 5 - 8 years apart so it will be a hot second lol it should atleast hold you over until then!! All events are still in the game except nature day and the hybrid island so its also fun to get on the game to check those out!!

 

[Moritz]

Most AC games are normally 5 - 8 years apart

The gaps for the mainline games were
4 years
3 years
4 years
7 years

And the 7 years between New Leaf and New horizons would probably have been shorter if the wii u wasn't a failure.
The wii u spin off games were probably imo just them reusing the work they were putting towards a wii u mainline game.

So I would expect the next game to be within the first couple of years of nintendo next console.

However since they seem to have merged their console and handheld lines, and the switch is very successful, I don't see them releasing a new console any time soon.

I'd say maybe 2026 for the next game.

 

[Mr_Keroppi]

The gaps for the mainline games were
4 years
3 years
4 years
7 years

And the 7 years between New Leaf and New horizons would probably have been shorter if the wii u wasn't a failure.
The wii u spin off games were probably imo just them reusing the work they were putting towards a wii u mainline game.

So I would expect the next game to be within the first couple of years of nintendo next console.

However since they seem to have merged their console and handheld lines, and the switch is very successful, I don't see them releasing a new console any time soon.

I'd say maybe 2026 for the next game.

I forgot! Sorry!!! I agree that they were 100% going to make an AC wii u but they cancelled it after the sad sales numbers so instead they made amiibo festival. They probably made AC plaza before cancelling the main game. tbh I hate the switch so much and I have said it many times so I wish it would end already.....