I wasn’t sure how to start this post. So erm. I’ll just blurt it out. ✨Animal Crossing is amazing ✨… so much so… I figured I’d write about as my first post of 2026!
Grab a cup of tea… this post got long!
I brought my copy of Animal Crossing on a whim. I’d seen the ‘version 3.0’ announcement during the Nintendo Direct in October and got curious. I stumbled on a cheap cartridge only copy in the retro game store and decided to give it a go.
My friend brought a copy too and we played through the start together that evening. By the time we went to bed we’d both setup our island with silly names etc.
Animal Crossing is slow… time progresses at real world speed. If something takes a day to build in the game… you gotta wait a day in the real world too.
It’s the first thing that draws me to the game.
The slow pace builds momentum… as the game progresses there’s more and more to do each day.
It adds layers over time, things like collecting fossils, catching bugs, tending to fruit trees, building out a farm… There’s always something productive or creative to do, but it never feels overwhelming.
I go to bed in the real world genuinely looking forward to what’s happening in my island the next day.
For example… I’m writing this as I wait for my island cafe to open. I unlocked it 2 days ago but it takes a while to build. It should be ready when I open the game today… and with it a new layer of game play :)
This slow play style is perfect for my life. I can dip in and out as needed and I can invest as much or as little time as I have each day. There’s no rush, but there plenty to keep up with.
Animal Crossing has another clever trick… it runs on my Switch 2, so it’s portable and turns on and off instantly.
It’s perfect for filling all the small gaps in my life. 10 mins between calls, 5 minutes waiting for code to deploy etc. A quick bit of Animal Crossing feels much more wholesome than a dab of doomscrolling.
From a neurodivergent perspective it’s also perfect for the ‘unknown wait’ scenarios which traditionally burn my spoons really quickly.
For example, if I’m off out somewhere with my autistic partner I might be waiting 2 minutes to 2 hours before they are ready to leave…
Same in the doctors or at a train station. When there’s a gap of unknown duration… a little Animal Crossing fills it nicely. Paired nicely with AirPods to enjoy the Music or perhaps a podcast.
With Animal Crossing my days flow better than ever.
Filling gaps so I maintain momentum, or as a ‘start the day’ activity to get me going. It rocks.
The collaborative social side of Animal Crossing is kinda magic too. It’s brought my whole friendship group together!
I brought the game with one friend and we played the heck out of it together.
Visiting each others islands, helping each other get fruit and whatnot… plus endless hours chilling on GameChat, chatting away while we worked on our islands. It was epic. Perfect way to stay in touch while he’s at university or I’m travelling.
It was epic.
The over Christmas it got even better. I have another friend a copy and my switch 1 to play it on as an early Christmas present.
He joined in, loved it, and now we had three people playing.… soon after that it was four… with two other friends with previous islands dipping in too.
We play together most days. Sometimes as a group in the same room, sometimes across the internet, sometimes in pairs.
It’s brilliant.
Some of my favourite moments across the holiday break was cheering and hollowing as my friend finally caught the fish he’d been after all day. It’s joyful in the extreme.
The social side of Animal Crossing is a little different from other games…
The daily cycle of the game means we’re all playing at some point each day… over time we’ve sorta naturally ended up playing together.
t doesn’t need to be planned… it happens organically.
As a group of autistic friends with busy lives it’s rare for us to do things this way. It’s giving us something to do as a group. It’s been really wonderful. We’re spending more time together than ever.
As a last thought… I’m also finding Animal Crossing to be weirdly… productive. Lemme explain.
Time spent in Animal Crossing, alone or with friends, is rarely wasted. Whatever we do, we’re always progressing our island.
It’s nice to feel useful and intensely satisfying to see a project pay off. Creating a farm area might take a week… waiting for items to arrive, laying things out. Planting tomatoes… waiting for it to grow, watering etc. it takes time and effort. Maybe a little research or collaboration with friends.
When it’s all done, it feels amazing.
Equally, I’m finding Animal Crossing is the perfect “productive distraction” to help me get started on the day.
It’s also helps me to maintain focus when I need to listen to things.
Whether it’s a podcast, an announcement or just sitting in on sessions at a conference… Animal Crossing keeps my hands busy in the same way knitting does. My brain works better when my body is busy!
Outside of the day to day game play loop, there’s so much scope for creativity. Much like Cities Skyline’s really, you can sit down and build out all sorts of things going to whatever level of detail you desire. There’s a community on YouTube and Reddit to provide endless inspiration.
It’s good for the soul :)
I genuinely didn’t mean to get into Animal Crossing… I stumbled into it by chance but I stayed due to the value it brings me each day.
There’s so much joy to be had in cosy games and it further [highlights the power of portable consoles like the Switch 2.](/blog/2025-09-10-switch-2-has-changed-my-brain]
I can’t wait to see where it goes next. The 3.0 update lands in a few days and brings a bunch of new things to do…. I am genuinely excited to explore it together with my friends.
Embracing joy wherever we find it can be hard sometimes. I didn’t expect to find joy in a 5 year old Nintendo game aimed at kids… But I’m so glad I did.
