Now that the Switch 2 has been revealed, let’s talk Animal Crossing 6

[Boccages]

If you didn’t know, Nintendo has revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 today.

So with that out of the way, speculations are ramping up regarding the games that will be shown during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on April 2, 2025.

1. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will be shown during the April 2 Nintendo Direct ?
2. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will be released this year, the year after or even later than 2026 ?
3. Mario Kart 9 looks quite similar to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will look a lot like New Horizons ? Same camera angle, same way of interacting with the environment ?

 

[Jhine7]

1. I do not think Animal Crossing 6 will be shown during the April 2 Nintendo Direct. Still seems far too early/quick.

2. I do not think Animal Crossing 6 will be released this year. I would say 2026, but no later than 2027. Nintendo just seems to be slow to these things nowadays, where it's becoming the new normal.

3. I expect Animal Crossing 6 to look a lot like New Horizons. I would assume the same basic functionality, but with different quirks, ideas, gimmicks, etc. Just like how Mario Kart 9/10 will look like Mario Kart 8.

 

[Beanz]

1. no i don’t expect animal crossing 6 to be shown during the direct. however, i don't think the wait for AC 6 to be as long as the wait for new horizons on the switch was. i can see nintendo waiting a year or two to release it.

2. 2026 or 2027.

3. animal crossing 6 will most likely look like NH even though i've always hoped that the graphics would look like it's mario kart 8 track. it will most likely be similar to NH in gameplay as well.

 

[Sheando]

1. I would be extremely surprised. I think it will be a title within the first couple of years of launch to extend the longevity of the console and keep the excitement up.
2. I agree with other posters--2026 or 2027. I think 2027 is more likely.
3. Unfortunately, yes. I don't expect them to innovate much with the next Animal Crossing game, but I would love to be proven wrong. Nintendo seems to be in a stage of making new games that are very similar to their predecessors.

 

[nightglow]

1. Unlikely
2. 2026 happens to be the 25 year anniversary of animal crossing
3. The graphics may be similar, but camera and interaction I believe will be different due to it being a sequel and the mouse functionality of switch2 being a thing.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Things I hope for: The ability to create fines for some stuff like excessive flowers in front of your house or littering to make things a bit more interesting and as a way to make sure the player isn’t the only one who paying for literally everything in the game. We could even reintroduce Booker and Copper and give them a new job to do. Another thing I’d like is the ability to actually be able to use the swimming pool outdoor item and a new clothing categories for one piece swim wear which we can then use to go swimming in the river or a lake as well and keep the wet suit for swimming deep into the ocean. Maybe add some scuba gear so we can explore some sunken treasure ships and that sort of thing.

 

[~Kilza~]

I strongly doubt we'll see a new Animal Crossing game during the April Direct, since I imagine it'll be focused on showcasing not just what the Switch 2 has feature-wise, but any games coming out for it this year (so MK9, probably a new 3D Mario, etc.), which I don't think AC will be a part of. At this point, I don't see the next AC game being announced until 2026, with a 2027 release date. I don't have any thoughts on what the next AC will look like.

 

[-Blue-]

I really hope we don't see a new Animal Crossing just yet. I know everyone wants it, but with how they handled New Horizon and how divided we were as a community when we got the unfinished game, I want them to cook it longer so we can get something better. I want them to go back to the drawing board and take what worked with all of the other games and make a definitive version.

I can go on and list a slew of things I would hope for, but we've all stated those hopes during NH's life. A real sense of progression, better villager AI/dialogue, get rid of item durability this isn't Breath of the Wild it's supposed to be a chill game, balloon items becoming an integral part of the game was horrible, an actual multiplayer with mini-games like NL used to have. It's crazy how half-baked NH actually was with how much time they had.

If we just get a NH 2.0 with dripfed content, I'm out.

 

[Corrie]

I don't see a new AC being released/announced soon, at least, I hope not. I want the next AC to cook and for the devs to take time on it. NH launch was atrocious and I hope this new one doesn't suffer the same fate.

NH was nowhere near a bad game. Graphically it looked wonderful. The amount of detail in the trees, wind, moonlight, water sounds, etc was amazing and I hope the new game has that too. The character models looked good.

It was honestly just the lack of items and features. Imo, new games should take the original and improve on it. I don't know what happened during development but they were clearly rushed and decided to skip out on a lot of features/items. Sure, they added onto it after launch in free updates but there were still lots of items and features missing (shop upgrades, perfect fruit, etc).

I recently took the plunge and bought Pocket Camp Complete, having not played the original to avoid gacha/pay to win elements and oh boy, I can clearly see where the love went. Hint: it was not NH.

Hopefully by not having an app to compete with, the next AC video game will be what we want. The next AC game needs to take the same type of improvements and new things like Pocket Camp did. Pocket Camp is incredible! So many cool items and cute things.

 

[-Blue-]

I don't see a new AC being released/announced soon, at least, I hope not. I want the next AC to cook and for the devs to take time on it. NH launch was atrocious and I hope this new one doesn't suffer the same fate.

NH was nowhere near a bad game. Graphically it looked wonderful. The amount of detail in the trees, wind, moonlight, water sounds, etc was amazing and I hope the new game has that too. The character models looked good.

It was honestly just the lack of items and features. Imo, new games should take the original and improve on it. I don't know what happened during development but they were clearly rushed and decided to skip out on a lot of features/items. Sure, they added onto it after launch in free updates but there were still lots of items and features missing (shop upgrades, perfect fruit, etc).

I recently took the plunge and bought Pocket Camp Complete, having not played the original to avoid gacha/pay to win elements and oh boy, I can clearly see where the love went. Hint: it was not NH.

Hopefully by not having an app to compete with, the next AC video game will be what we want. The next AC game needs to take the same type of improvements and new things like Pocket Camp did. Pocket Camp is incredible! So many cool items and cute things.

Yeah Pocket Camp was my biggest concern when NH was announced. I even mentioned as such and my concerns were dismissed by most, but we know now that it was true.

I don't think we'll ever know what really went down because Nintendo just sucks at being transparent. I remember reading some comment somewhere paraphrased went something like this 'I can't really excuse the pandemic for the reason for NH's lack of content (and how long between the updates/droughts were) because Pocket Camp is getting all this amazing content and we're losing our minds over holding cotton-candy'

So yeah they need to go back to the drawing board and do better. I just made a comment on some discord server how I hope we actually get a real multiplayer experience in the next game or a more substantial one and members were trying to convince me that NH's multiplayer was better in every conceivable way than NL. We're just coping so hard with how Nintendo neglected us lol.

 

[TN4U]

1. I am not expecting it to be announced in the April direct. If it just so happens to get announced, they would likely show a small teaser with a pre-rendered scene of Isabelle or Nook talking about the next venture with no actual explanation of what the upcoming game would be about.
2. At the earliest, late 2026. At the latest, early 2028. I’d rather have a more polished product on release than the partially unfinished mess we got.
3. With the exception of a potential 4K graphics upgrade and new villager reactions/animations, I’m not expecting a ton of changes to how it looks. New Horizons already looks miles better than the previous entries. A VR-like first person mode could be a game-changer, but how many people would actually use the feature? I’m totally fine with the existing designs carrying over.

 

[Hat']

1. I can only hope for them to show us some AC during the upcoming direct but it's extremely unlikely so I'll go with a strong no.

2. ACNH made the franchise grow A LOT and hopefully Nintendo saw that. This is why I think we might be getting a 2026 release? It would be in Q3 or Q4, if not we're definitely getting at least an announcement for AC6 in 2026. Farther than 2027 would be insane to me tbh.

3. I don't mind it looking the same, there a few things they can make better looking especially considering how more powerful the Switch 2 is supposed to be however it's not my main focus. I care more about them making some actual engaging gameplay rather than refurbishing the graphics. I need them to go back to New Leaf, take us back to a forest and leave this whole deserted island thing behind for the love of god. They can even take crafting back for all I care.

 

[rrenaa]

1. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will be shown during the April 2 Nintendo Direct ?
2. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will be released this year, the year after or even later than 2026 ?
3. Mario Kart 9 looks quite similar to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will look a lot like New Horizons ? Same camera angle, same way of interacting with the environment ?

1.) I don’t think so.

2.) I think Animal Crossing 6 will probably be announced or we get a sneak peek in 2026 and then it being released way later.

3.) In my opinion, New Horizons looks good so I wouldn’t mind it being similar. I don’t know what else it could look like but I see it being similar to each other. I hope it’s like Pocket Camp with all the cool, pretty furniture and events! Please more different events!!

I’m excited to see what Nintendo has in store for us, hopefully all good things!

 

[rocketspruggs]

If you didn’t know, Nintendo has revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 today.

So with that out of the way, speculations are ramping up regarding the games that will be shown during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on April 2, 2025.

1. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will be shown during the April 2 Nintendo Direct ?
2. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will be released this year, the year after or even later than 2026 ?
3. Mario Kart 9 looks quite similar to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will look a lot like New Horizons ? Same camera angle, same way of interacting with the environment ?

1. I don't expect the new Animal Crossing to be announced at first in the Nintendo Switch 2 direct.
2. If they do end up announcing it in the direct, I could see them releasing the game next year in time for the series' 25th anniversary.
3. I think the new Animal Crossing game is going to look just like New Horizons, but some things in the new game should be different enough compared to New Horizons.

 

[Halloqueen]

1 I don't expect the next Animal Crossing game to be revealed at the Nintendo Direct in April, no.

2) I don't expect anything about it for at least a year if not longer. Frankly, I want them to take as long as they have to for the next game to be worth it. I don't care how long that is, personally, though I understand why others who only follow a few Nintendo series or even just the Animal Crossing series would want a new installment as soon as possible.

3) I kind of expect them to just use New Horizons as a base because why go through the effort of redoing some of this stuff from scratch if you don't have to. I'd like to be wrong though.

---

All I know is that I want them to bring back the fully expandable rooms in player houses because interior decorating has always been my main draw to the series. I was left severely disappointed by the base game's pitifully small side and back rooms and awkward second floor and basement. Also, while I enjoy making cool rooms for the animals in Happy Home Paradise, I'm jealous that we can't have such nice rooms in our own homes. Would also love to see some of the cool clothing, accessories and items from Pocket Camp make their way into the main series, though I kinda doubt it.

Oh and make gold tools unbreakable again, please and thanks.

 

[Snek]

1. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will be shown during the April 2 Nintendo Direct?
No. I think maybe another Mario title will be shown aside from Mario Kart 9 but not a new Animal Crossing game.

2. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will be released this year, the year after or even later than 2026?

Not this year. Maybe 2026 but that is being hopeful.

3. Mario Kart 9 looks quite similar to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will look a lot like New Horizons? Same camera angle, same way of interacting with the environment?

Maybe. Hopefully it will receive an upgrade and we can view from all angles but that is expecting too much. I imagine the next AC game won't have an island theme. Hopefully more varied environments or at least get us back into the city. I think terraforming and outside decorating are going to stay. I am not sure about crafting though. Maybe more limited in the next game but not as insane as we got in NH.

 

[Doo]

1. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will be shown during the April 2 Nintendo Direct?
No, I think it’s way too early.

2. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will be released this year, the year after or even later than 2026?
Definitely not this year. I’d say maybe the second half of 2026 or in 2027.

3. Mario Kart 9 looks quite similar to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Do you think Animal Crossing 6 will look a lot like New Horizons? Same camera angle, same way of interacting with the environment?
I think it might end up being way too similar to New Horizons. I hope it’s more like the older games but I’m not sure it will be. If I was being hopeful, I’d say it’ll look graphically similar to NH but have the stuff that feels missing. I want it to be a mixture of New Leaf and New Horizons. I think that’s possible. I expect it won’t be wildly different to NH though because of the number of new people NH brought in.