What Is Animal Crossing? The Slow-Living Game Series Marking Its 25th Anniversary, Explained by Marine

Article

Animal Crossing is turning 25 — and still getting major free updates to its current game rather than a new entry.

A Quarter-Century of Slow Living

Animal Crossing marks its 25th anniversary in 2026. New Horizons received a free "Ver. 3.0" update on January 15, 2026, for Nintendo Switch 2, adding a resort hotel, slumber islands, and bulk crafting/design tools.

The Wait for a New Entry

As of 2026, no official new mainline Animal Crossing game has been announced — the longest gap fans have faced between mainline entries.

What To Know

Reaching a 25th anniversary while still actively updating a five-year-old game (rather than a new entry) shows just how much life Nintendo continues to find in a single Animal Crossing release — even as fans wonder when the wait for a true sequel will end.

Animal Crossing is one of Nintendo's flagship franchises — see TBM's Nintendo guide for how this slow-paced life sim fits alongside faster-paced series like Mario and Zelda in the company's portfolio.

What Fans Are Saying

• "25 years of Animal Crossing is a huge milestone."
• "Ver. 3.0 giving New Horizons this much new content is amazing."
• "Really hoping for mainline news soon."

Original Japanese

• 「25周年というのは大きな節目ですね」
• 「Ver.3.0でこれだけ新要素が追加されるのは嬉しいです」
• 「新作の発表を心待ちにしています」

Easy Japanese

どうぶつの森は、任天堂のスローライフゲームシリーズです。2026年で25周年を迎えます。