Animal Crossing 25th Anniversary Release Officially Confirmed For August 2026

Published Aug 3, 2026, 8:55 AM EDT Chris is a Gaming Editor at ScreenRant. He has been a professional writer since 2009, and has written for top TV, comics, movie, and video game outlets like Engadget, Polygon, Destructoid, and more. He brings with him an expertise in every game genre, no matter how niche or mainstream. You may know him as the former Managing/Reviews Editor of Destructoid, where he published hundreds of game reviews across every genre, including MMOs, sports games, and Metroidvanias. Find Chris on Twitter @_SRChris. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Nintendo has been around so long that franchises that started in the 2000s are now considered retro. It's been that way for a bit, depending on how you judge what's "retro" and what's not, but either way you slice it, Animal Crossing is 25 years old this year. It really has come a long way since then. It all started in 2001 on the Nintendo 64 and GameCube with the first game, released in Japan. From there, it debuted in North America a year later, and the rest was history. Although there haven't been that many mainline entries (OG, Wild World, City Folk, New Leaf, New Horizons), there have been a ton of spinoffs, and the cast has appeared in numerous games, including Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart. Thanks to a new announcement, we know that there's going to be a bit more going on for the Animal Crossing 25th anniversary than expected. Thanks to a new drop from Max Games, we know there is more Animal Crossing merch comingfor the 25th anniversary in Japan. Here is everything that's on the way: Nintendo Switch 2 Smart Pouch - Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Switch 2 Card Case 24 Card Pockets - Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch 2 Card Case 24 Card Pockets - Animal Crossing: New Horizons The description explains that the cases "can store both Nintendo Switch 2 game cards and Nintendo Switch game cards." The console pouches can store the Nintendo Switch 2 console with the Joy-Con 2 attached, but they are "not compatible" with the original Switch, Switch Lite, or OLED models. Sadly, this drop is only available in Japan at the moment, but you can import these if you're really into them. That said, Max Games products do typically arrive overseas at some point, and later this holiday season seems like a great time to spring these on fans. For reference, these are shipping in Japan in "early August." So there's a bit of time to decide on whether you want to partake. Animal Crossing really is a unique series for a ton of reasons. New Horizons came at a perfect time in 2020, and became a smash hit. It created legions of new fans who are eagerly awaiting the next mainline game, which should hopefully arrive in the near future. Then again, Animal Crossing is known to have long gaps between releases, with an eight-year gap between New Leaf and New Horizons.