Animal Crossing New Horizons is Japan's best Switch release of all time

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That's a lot of bells, baby

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Animal Crossing New Horizons is certainly living up to expectations - it's now Japan's best Nintendo Switch release ever.

According to Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, the latest installation in the Animal Crossing universe sold 1.88 million copies in just three days. That handily beats the game that previously held the Switch record - Pokemon Sword and Shield. Eurogamer reports New Horizons is doing numbers that would make Tom Nook salivate, with launch week sales better than New Leaf, Wild World, and City Folk combined. That's a lot of people escaping to deserted islands, eh? 

Those 1.88 million copies are being put to good use, as Japanese players have created some beautiful custom designs in New Horizons, with homages to Pokemon trainer Ash, pancake hats, and Gucci outfits.  

The Animal Crossing hype has also driven up Nintendo Switch hardware sales higher than they were when the console launched three years ago, selling 392,576 units in one week. Famitsu doesn't track digital sales, so you can imagine the global sales of Animal Crossing could well be astronomical - expect some news from Nintendo in the near future regarding even larger sales numbers.

There's no denying that the current global health crisis may be contributing in part to the New Horizons boom, with plenty of players having a lot more spare time on their hands. But, the community has been waiting for this game for quite some time - it was always going to do well. Now, as we all do our part to keep each other healthy, it's nice to pop in and visit our friend's islands once in a while, and with sales numbers like these, there are a lot of friends to be had. Just don't trample on my damn flowers. 

Alyssa Mercante
Alyssa Mercante
Former Features Writer

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.