5 Activities Animal Crossing Needs to Add on Nintendo Switch 2

While there are many cozy games out there, Animal Crossing has proven to be one of the best franchises in the genre. Between its relaxing atmosphere, real-time simulation, and social aspects, Nintendo fans have enjoyed multiple entries over the years. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is widely considered the best game in the series, though some feel it lacks content and feels repetitive compared to past entries, particularly Animal Crossing: New Leaf. With the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 approaching and no news on the next Animal Crossing game, Nintendo has the opportunity to make this future entry incredible, but it needs to add more engaging content.

One way Nintendo can improve the Animal Crossing series is by adding more activities. Many play Animal Crossing daily to complete a checklist, but by adding more things to do, players will spend more time in-game. We’ve gathered five activities Nintendo can add to the next Animal Crossing game to make it that much more special.

1) Group Activities

One of the best parts of the Animal Crossing series is welcoming new Villagers to your town. However, there isn’t all that much to do with them besides talk and give them gifts. For the next entry, Nintendo needs to allow players to get their Villagers together and have group activities. This could be playing sports, singing and playing music, playing hide and seek, and so much more. 

Expanding upon the Villager system would make Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Switch 2 feel so much more lifelong and give even more social immersion. Nintendo could add a list of group activities and then expand on these with updates. Seasonal events, such as a Secret Santa game or Trick-or-Treat on Halloween, would expand upon this system. Villager personalities could dictate what kind of activities they would join the player in, and how the player designs their town could further affect this.

2) Bike Riding

Animal Crossing has always been about having a leisurely life, and riding a bike through town would perfectly capture this. Not only could the player have a bike, but Villagers could ride bikes too. Having bike meetups or seeing two Jock Villagers racing would be a charming sight and add more life to the game. Bikes or skateboards would offer faster transportation, ways to have more conversations with Villagers, and provide different features based on looks.

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Players could customize and design their bikes to their liking. Perhaps adding a basket would give extra storage, or a horn could startle bugs and make them easier to capture. Nintendo doesn’t even have to settle on bikes. Kayaks would be a great addition as well, especially if Nintendo incorporates rivers and oceans. Maybe even a hang glider to jump from a cliff and soar over the town. Adding vehicles would add a new way to travel and take in the beautiful scenery that players have built.

3) Running a Store

This seems like a feature that should have been in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but players should be able to run a store. A resale store would be an excellent way to offload furniture and accessories players no longer want, but also share with Villagers. Selling used furniture to Villagers, or even allowing them to sell their own furniture to one another, would make the economy more fluid. It would also be incredibly wholesome to see furniture being passed around the island.

Nintendo could also let the player sell bugs, fish, and other collectibles. Prices could be set or can be flexible, like the Turnip Stock Market. This would further incentivize players to collect items and could be a quick way to make money. Villagers could put in requests or orders and encourage the player to get these items for a big profit. While selling to Nook’s Cranny is fine, it doesn’t have the same flair as running your own local business.

4) Add an Arcade

Arcade machines are already present in Animal Crossing: New Horizons; however, they are little more than props. It would be an incredible feature for these machines to offer playable mini-games. Nintendo could incorporate older games such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and more. Obviously, it wouldn’t make sense for Nintendo to make these classic games fully playable via Animal Crossing’s arcade games, but it would be a nostalgic blast to get a demo of these classic titles.

Nintendo could also create arcade games that offer little mini-games, such as the ones seen in the Mario Party series. These could be Animal Crossing-themed, and Villagers could even play them too. Adding a favorite game category to Villagers would allow them to compete with the player for the high score and give them more personality. A prize grabber could also offer new ways to get items and recipes as well.

5) Diving and Underwater Exploration

Diving is technically present in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but it is a barebones feature. In its current state, players simply dive down to a bubbly spot and collect an underwater creature. The next Animal Crossing game should expand on this and add an underwater environment players can explore. This can be an unlockable area that players can explore by upgrading scuba gear. Not only would this give players more to do, but it could add an underwater portion of the town.

Imagine an underwater town for both the player and the Villagers to explore. While many of its residents would be sea-dwelling species, land-dwelling species could don scuba gear and hang out underwater too. Players could start off only being able to hold their breath underwater, but then expand the town by exploring with better gear. A dark underwater cave could add a new way to explore and discover treasure, further offering ways to enjoy Animal Crossing.