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

[Saylor]

I'm not really expecting the next AC to be shown in the Direct, I think that'd be a very pleasant surprise. 2025 feels a bit too early but I could see the next game being released in 2026. The wait between New Leaf and New Horizons felt like forever but it was an outlier in the usual pace of the games coming out so I hope we won't see another 7-8+ year cycle. I guess I would rather wait that long than have another game that feels unfinished, though. I loved NH a lot but I think most of the stuff that came out in updates should've been in the game from the beginning.

I'm not sure what to expect for how it'll look! I don't think NH looks bad by any means but I'd love to see something that looks a lil different, like leaning back into the style of the og game or something that looks kinda like the MK8 track like others have mentioned. I can't really picture not having a fixed-camera in an AC game though I'm not sure I'd want that much to change. I love how in NH you can change from the default angle to the more top-down angle from the original game.

I mostly just hope for more of the charm the older games had. Now that we have the ability to terraform and decorate our islands it'd probably feel regressive to not be able to do that in the next game, and I do love the decorating aspect, but I hope we can shift the focus back a bit more toward villager interactions and stuff in the next game.

 

[skogkyst]

I don't think we'll see Animal Crossing in the April Direct, since it will probably be focused on games that are coming out this year for Switch 2. But I do think Nintendo will get the next Animal Crossing out sooner rather than later, probably sometime in 2026 (maybe 2027). If that is the case, I actually think we could see a teaser in the fall this year.

Hoping for something in a different direction than New Horizons but I think we'll see a similar artistic direction and expand on the themes of that game.

 

[Ossiran]

I am not expecting Animal Crossing to be shown in April 2 Direct, nor do I expect it to come this year. But I wouldn't be surprised if either was the case. I won't go in expecting it.

Since the Switch 2 is coming out in 2025, I'm expecting the next Animal Crossing in 2026. I'm still hoping that that the series evolves by making things look at least a bit similar to the POV presented on the Mario Kart 8 track.

 

[nightglow]

I wonder if there are plans to use AI for dialogue, or if it is too soon for Nintendo. I do think they will eventually use it in the future. There is so much talk about AI entering everything it seems.

 

[Dunquixote]

1. I do not expect to see AC during the April 2 direct; I honestly hope it won’t to as well since I just got my new switch a year ago and new switch lite a few months ago and I want to enjoy them for much longer.
2.I’m not sure. I hope it won’t be anytime soon even within a year of its release.
3. I’m keeping my expectations to zero or low considering how disappointed I was with New Horizons. Since it was successful, I partially think they’ll think how they handled New Horizons was acceptable and may do the same thing with the next installment.

What I want is better wifi capabilities since i’m frustrated with the connection issues that I’ve been having in Pokemon Violet, Among Us and ACNH. For the cost that the console and games, the connection should be much better than it is.

 

[speardovich]

I feel like AC6 will most likely be revealed in a 2026 Direct, though the jury is out on whether it'll be a 2026 or 2027 release. It'll probably be similar graphics-wise to NH too, just with the natural upgrades that come from going up a console generation. It'll probably have a very different gimmick from NH though. (also please give us minigames i'll do anything)

 

[DarkSlayer1331]

I'm a bit late to the discussion, but I'll go ahead and throw in my own thoughts.

AC6 is not going to be in the upcoming Direct. I see it as a title that will definitely generate a lot of excitement, and is not really considered a "must have staple" close to launch. So why release this with the launch when we can utilize it to get more sales a bit later?

I can see them actually holding off until the Switch 2 has been out for at least a whole year before they even announce AC6. As a matter of fact, I think it would be something announced during a post-year Nintendo Direct. Maybe Fall 2026 (September is my thought). Then, judging by how they stretched out little announcements and teasings through social media, they can very well keep everybody talking and getting excited for months. With all of this in mind, I would be thinking a spring release, possibly in May. However, that doesn't track with the standard release time for Animal Crossing titles. Could it be that maybe they would announce the new AC title with no real details first? Entirely possible. Perhaps with a more detailed Direct coming in the late winter or early spring and putting a release in November 2027, which is the month the majority of the AC titles have been released, and would be about 7 1/2 years after the release of New Horizons. And I think that that's all very reasonable.

Final thoughts: Announced with no real details Fall 2026. A more thorough look in Winter/Spring 2027, released November 2027. It's not when I really WANT it to come - I would love to see it released this year, let's be honest. But we all know that as a company, Nintendo will be looking at platform longevity and how best to capitalize on sales.

As for how it'll look, I imagine that it will be very similar to New Horizons. However, I do think that they will be looking at a way to make it different in some way, most likely the setting and feel. With resources removed from Pocket Camp, could it be that maybe this next installment will have something similar to that? Not completely the same of course, but maybe it would be like Animal Crossing: Camping Out where you move in to a large camp ground sort of space. I think it might look a bit like New Leaf, not so much the beach theme of Horizons, perhaps with a nearby town, sort of operating a bit like the city in City Folk.

Now I can't say that I've ever been really good at predicting things, but it still is fun to think about this all and come up with some conjecture.

 

[DarthGohan1]

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 think they will show Animal Crossing 6 in the April Direct.

2001/02 Animal Crossing
2005 Wild World
2008 City Folk
2012 New Leaf
2020 New Horizons

2. It's not out of the realm of possibility, since it's been 5 years since New Horizons was released. But I have a feeling Animal Crossing 6 will be a year 2, or maybe even year 3, game for Switch 2. So a 2026 or 2027 release. ACNH was the best selling Switch game besides Mario Kart, so Nintendo is going to take their time to try to perfect AC6 as much as possible, given it has huge potential to sell 10s of millions of copies and convince a lot of people to buy a Switch 2.

3. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. I think there will be changes and new features and some features evolving. But I would be surprised if Nintendo makes any major changes to the AC formula since it worked so well for ACNH.

 

[chamomile_court]

I am not expecting Animal Crossing to be shown in April 2 Direct, nor do I expect it to come this year. But I wouldn't be surprised if either was the case. I won't go in expecting it.

Since the Switch 2 is coming out in 2025, I'm expecting the next Animal Crossing in 2026. I'm still hoping that that the series evolves by making things look at least a bit similar to the POV presented on the Mario Kart 8 track.

I also thought of this: Animal Crossing is turning 25 in 2026, so I feel like 2026 might be the best bet for another game or at least teased that year. I'll wait however long for another Animal Crossing though.