When it comes to cozy life simulator games, the Animal Crossing series rules the roost and has released several titles over the last couple of decades.
Whether you’re an aspiring home builder, looking for friends, or a collector of shiny things and creepy crawlies, Animal Crossing games are perfect for curling up on the couch and playing by yourself for a little me time or with your friends as you build out an adorable town. There have been a handful of titles within the franchise, but one aspect remains across all versions: Don’t forget to pay Tom Nook.
If you are curious about all the games released over the years or want to play them in release order, here are all the mainline Animal Crossing games and when they were released.
Every Animal Crossing game in release order
There are six titles in the Animal Crossing franchise, starting with the original version of the game, Animal Forest, which was only sold in Japan. Afterward, there was a three-to-four-year cycle for new Animal Crossing games until the latest version was released eight years after its predecessor.
| Game title | Platform | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Forest | Nintendo 64 (Japan Exclusive) | 2001 |
| Animal Crossing | Nintendo GameCube | 2001 |
| Animal Crossing: Wild World | Nintendo DS | 2005 |
| Animal Crossing: City Folk | Nintendo Wii | 2008 |
| Animal Crossing: New Leaf | Nintendo 3DS | 2012 |
| Animal Crossing: New Horizons | Nintendo Switch | 2020 |
2001: Dōbutsu no Mori (Japanese Exclusive)
- Release date: April 14, 2001
- Sales: Unknown
The game that started the franchise was a Japanese exclusive and was never destined to leave Japan. It spawned three different versions within a year of being out, including the one most Western fans know today.
2001: Animal Crossing
- Release date: Dec. 14, 2001 (JP), Sept 16, 2002 (US)
- Sales: 2.71 million
Known as Dōbutsu no Mori+ in Japan, Animal Crossing was the series’ debut in the West and came out nearly a full year after the Japanese version. It didn’t turn any heads but sold over two million units at a time when the Gamecube was an underperforming console.
2005 Animal Crossing: Wild World
- Release date: Nov. 23, 2005 (JP), Dec. 5, 2005 (US)
- Sales: 11.75 million
Wild World is considered one of the best games in the series, and for good reason. The geniuses behind the game made two fundamental changes: Adding online multiplayer at a time when Nintendo was only entering online play and putting the game on portable devices to make working on your town much easier. This led to the series gaining worldwide appeal and turned Animal Crossing into a flagship Nintendo series.
2008: Animal Crossing: City Folk
- Release date: Nov. 16, 2008 (US), Nov. 20, 2008 (JP)
- Sales: 3.38 million
City Folk is one of the more forgetful titles from the series. Despite coming out after the success of Wild World, the game used a bunch of gimmicks, including the short-lived Wii Microphone that required an awkward placement to work and was hardly used. Despite the Wii’s, the game was pretty mediocre and didn’t evolve the gameplay outside of adding a city hub hardly anyone visited.
2012: Animal Crossing: New Leaf
- Release date: Nov. 8, 2012 (JP), June 9, 2013 (US)
- Sales: 13.04 million
New Leaf was a revival and added a bunch of mechanics we have come to know and love from the series to this date. You could create your own town instead of being locked to a set village design with no way to pretty it up outside of planting flowers, and the game gave us Isabelle, the cute mascot the series is known for nowadays. What isn’t to love about that?
New Leaf was followed by New Leaf+ Welcome amiibo, which added amiibo support for the first time in the series’ history. It allowed you to use certain Nintendo amiibo to get Nintendo-inspired villagers, like Wolf Link.
2020: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Release date: March 20, 2020 (Worldwide)
- Sales: 44.79 million
Last but not least, we have the biggest game in the series, New Horizons. A combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced players to be stuck inside and rely on games, and a complete overhaul where you could completely design your island elevated the series to new heights. There is no better way to play Animal Crossing than the Nintendo Switch release.
Spinoffs
Outside of the mainline games, there are a few Japanese exclusive games like Dōbutsu no Mori e+, and spinoff titles like Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer and Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, that were also released to fill the gaps between the main releases.
These games offer enhancements or use characters from the series in different genres to fill the void between each release.
