Animal Crossing: New Horizons continues to be popular over two years after it was released, surpassing lifetime sales projections for the Animal Crossing game. Although Nintendo has confirmed it will no longer release major updates for Animal Crossing: New Horizons after version 2.0, released in late 2021, the game continues to be popular and maintain a substantial loyal following. Happy Home Paradise, a paid DLC released alongside the free version 2.0 update, added a wealth of exciting new content. The DLC allows players to design vacation homes for ACNH villagers, which reignited interest in the game and saw an uptick in players returning to experience Happy Home Paradise for themselves.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released in March 2020 exclusively for Nintendo Switch. Its unexpected heights of popularity are often credited to New Horizons’ release coinciding with mandatory lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ACNH quickly became synonymous with life in lockdown, keeping players’ spirits positive during an unparalleled time. Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold over 22 million copies globally in its first four months, with lifetime sales exceeding 38 million copies – making it the second best-selling Nintendo Switch game of all time behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
As of March 2022, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has sold over 38 million copies, according to Statista. 31 million of those sales occurred in 2020, the year of New Horizons‘ incredibly successful release. Although sales in subsequent years pale in comparison to 2020, New Horizons has now exceeded more units sold than all other Animal Crossing games combined. The longevity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including the recent surge in popularity thanks to Happy Home Paradise, shows that ACNH‘s viral popularity wasn’t 100% due to quarantines. The most recent installment in the Animal Crossing series remains one of the most popular games for Nintendo Switch well into 2022, over two years after its initial release.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Player Count For 2022
Although Nintendo announced New Horizons will no longer receive major updates after the version 2.0 update and the Happy Home Paradise paid DLC, the game still receives updates containing small changes like bug fixes to keep the game well-maintained. Additionally, Animal Crossing: New Horizons features numerous limited-time events like Bunny Day and May Day to keep players busy and engaged month-to-month. Players can also look forward to in-game contests like Bug-Off and Animal Crossing‘s Fishing Tourney, which award players with prizes for catching bugs and fish respectively.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains a steadfast favorite with both the Animal Crossing community and Nintendo Switch gamers, and it’s likely this won’t change until the next installment in the Animal Crossing series is released. Considering the game has sold 38 million copies since launch and average trend interest is around 4-6 percent, that means roughly 2,228,000 of the 38 million people who bought ACNH are still playing it regularly.
Until then, New Horizons remains the most successful installment in the franchise, in terms of sales and reviews, with the highest Metacritic score of any Animal Crossing game. Many Nintendo Switch gamers continue to enjoy Animal Crossing: New Horizons daily, showing that the game’s popularity isn’t exclusive to pandemic-related lockdowns, attracting a dedicated following over two years after ACNH‘s perfectly timed release.
