Common Sense Media Review
By David Chapman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
The island life is idyllic in this latest adventure sim.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 27 parent reviews
Parents say the game is a fantastic, educational choice for children, encouraging creativity and development of basic skills like budgeting, though younger players may need adult assistance with reading. While generally inclusive and fun, concerns about progression being limited for multiple players and some content requiring caution do arise, but overall, it delivers a wholesome and relaxing escape for families.
- educational value
- fun and relaxing
- needs adult help
- limited multiplayer
- progression issues
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 207 kid reviews
Kids say this video game is a fun and wholesome experience suitable for all ages, offering a relaxing gameplay environment where players can manage their own island, make friends, and engage in various low-pressure activities. However, it does require good reading skills, making it somewhat difficult for younger children without assistance, and some find the gameplay repetitive or complicated over time.
- fun and wholesome
- suitable for all ages
- requires reading skills
- relaxing gameplay
- can become repetitive
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
Nook Inc. cordially invites you to leave the doldrums and tensions of your daily life behind to live the island life of ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS for Nintendo Switch. You'll enjoy a new, stress-free life on your personal getaway, building a new home away from home for yourself and creating a community filled with fun and friendship. You'll shape your island and your life on it however you see fit. You'll explore your surroundings and craft tools to discover the hidden treasures your island has to offer, and then channel your inner zoologist by catching and cataloging the island's various wildlife. You can also be an archeologist, digging up and piecing together fossils from the past, or maybe you want to unleash your creativity with new styles as a fashion designer or interior decorator. You can also take a tour on Dodo Airlines to visit other islands and discover new flora and fauna native to these new areas. Finally, you can invite your friends over to check out your little slice of paradise and share your community on a global scale.
Is It Any Good?
It's been many years since Nintendo first invited gamers to pack their bags and make a new virtual home for themselves in the world of Animal Crossing. Now, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo has fine-tuned the franchise's formula to the point of near perfection, offering gamers an island vacation that's easy to pick up and almost impossible to put down. The game offers up all the core mechanics that have appealed to fans since taking out their first mortgage with Tom Nook. Once again, there's no winning or losing. Instead, the game is essentially a personal Zen garden, encouraging players to simply have fun and enjoy life on their island as they see fit. For some, that might mean raising a colorful garden; others might enjoy passing the time near the water with some fishing. There's no wrong way to play here, and that's the best part about it.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons brings with it a number of upgrades and additions that fans of the series should appreciate. Right off the bat, players have more customization options for their characters, including choosing their characters' skin tone. This might seem minor, but it adds a much more personal touch that can make the game more relatable to players. It also introduces a robust crafting system to the series. By visiting a bench, players can use materials collected from the island to build all kinds of items, from handy tools to festive decor. Being able to craft tools is a welcome change, as players no longer have to hope certain tools are in stock at the shop. Another interesting addition are Nook Miles, a new kind of currency that players earn alongside the usual Bells. Unlike Bells, which are earned by selling off items, players earn Nook Miles simply by playing the game. The Nook Phone app lists different challenges for players to accomplish; accomplishments earn Nook Miles that can be used to pay off home improvements or for other shop exclusives. By doing this, the game removes a lot of the "greed" element of previous games, rewarding players for things they'd likely be doing anyway.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about using games as escapism. How can games like the Animal Crossing series give a stress-free way to decompress and relax? Can games like this, with so many outdoor activities, encourage players to go outside and enjoy the fun the real world has to offer?
How can games influence how kids interact with others in the real world? Can games with positive themes of friendship and community carry those themes outside of the game and into real-world interactions?
Game Details
- Platform : Nintendo Switch
- Subjects : Hobbies : collecting , fashion
- Skills : Creativity : imagination , making new creations
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Nintendo
- Release date : March 20, 2020
- Genre : Role-Playing
- Topics : Animals ( Dinosaurs , Bugs , Ocean Creatures ) , Adventures , Arts , Friendship , STEM
- ESRB rating :
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : March 7, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate