Nintendo Switch: Sneak peek at 6 exclusives coming in 2020 and beyond

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Release Date: March 20, 2020

The Animal Crossing series has been a popular franchise for Nintendo since the original game’s release back in 2001. The charming setting and characters created a cute-yet-immersive life simulator game full of customizable options.

Nintendo has since released several Animal Crossing titles, but the latest entry in the core series was the 2012 3DS game Animal Crossing: New Leaf (an updated version compatible with amiibo came out in 2017, also for the 3DS). Nintendo looks to give long-time fans a brand new experience with the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Taking place on a deserted island, Animal Crossing: New Horizons looks to increase the player’s “world-building” options by allowing players to build up their own island retreats. The game will also use the crafting system introduced in the mobile game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which lets players convert collected materials into crafted items like furniture.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was originally slated for a late 2019 release, but Nintendo pushed the release date back to give the developers more time to finish and polish the gameplay. Outside of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Cyberpunk 2077, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, is one of the most anticipated games being released in the first part of 2020.