At long last, the Nintendo Switch is getting an Animal Crossing game. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which Nintendo announced would be delayed until 2020 during last year’s E3 presentation, is finally due to be released on March 20.
New Horizons sends players to a deserted island, thanks to a vacation package sold by Tom Nook, Animal Crossing’s unfairly maligned raccoon real estate agent. Nook Inc.’s Deserted Island Getaway Package promises “an island full of possibilities” and the opportunity to “build a new life from scratch.” In gameplay terms, that means new crafting abilities, new character customization options, and new anthropomorphized animal villagers to befriend.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for pre-order now. Below, we break down pre-order bonuses from each retailer, and round up the Animal Crossing-themed hardware tied to the release. Take a look at your options now, so that come March 20, you’ll be ready to take a (virtual) vacation in style.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons pre-order bonuses
While Nintendo isn’t offering any official pre-order bonuses with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Best Buy is throwing in a “Phone & Tech Badge” (it’s just a reusable sticker of Tom Nook) with pre-orders. The sticker is only available when you buy the physical edition of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but My Best Buy Rewards members will receive the program’s standard $10 reward certificate from pre-ordering either a physical or digital copy.
Target also announced its own pre-order bonus — a free 2020 planner with the Nook family on the cover — but that limited-edition bundle sold out within a week.
Of course, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is also available to pre-order at Amazon, GameStop, and Walmart, but so far those retailers haven’t offered any bonuses with the $59.99 game.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch console
Alongside Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo is dropping a limited-edition Switch console that matches the game’s cute, beachy aesthetic. The Joy-Cons come in sky blue and seafoam green, and the dock features Tom Nook and his sons Timmy and Tommy waving from a small island. The back of the console itself is embossed with waves and silhouettes of Animal Crossing characters camping.
There are two important things to note about this new Switch. The good news is that it is the updated Switch model with improved battery life that Nintendo released last year. The bad news is that, despite the branding, it doesn’t come with a copy of the game. You’ll have to buy it separately if you want to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Edition Switch.
The special-edition console costs the standard $299.99, and is up for pre-order at Amazon, GameStop, Walmart, and Best Buy.
In addition to the lovely new console, Nintendo will also release an “Aloha Edition” Switch carrying case, patterned with mint green leaves. The carrying case will cost $24.99 and come in both standard Switch and Switch Lite sizes. It’s currently available for pre-order at Target and Best Buy.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch controllers
Third-party accessories manufacturer PowerA is also getting in on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons hype with two new versions of its Enhanced Wireless Switch Controller. The first controller features Timmy and Tommy Nook and a leaf pattern background. The second gives the spotlight to the guitar-playing dog K.K. Slider, with a background consisting of a variety of Animal Crossing icons like apples, vans, apples, and fish. Both controllers are mint green, though the Nook brothers version features darker green thumbsticks and buttons; on the K.K. Slider edition, they’re brown.
Both controllers cost $49.99 and will be released on March 10. They’re available for pre-order at Amazon.