Why do people like Animal Crossing games?

[Sinmenon]

Animal Crossing is what people have been calling "cozy games". The focus of these kinds of games is menial tasks that let you slow down and turn off your brain for a moment, and let you create your own objectives. Maybe your objective is to collect all the insects, fish, and artifacts for your museum, or maybe to befriend a villager. Or create a town or house that follows an aesthetic.
Hell, many of these games actually discourage you from running or you will ruin the flowers, for example.
To me, it isn't too dissimilar from when you go to a JRPG or a rogue-like game and decide to spend an entire afternoon grinding for levels or items to craft something, or spend one day in an open world game doing random quests.

 

[VampireLord1024VampireLord1024's icon]

I'd rather play Super Cream 64.

OK.

 

[RockinACup]

I'd rather play Super Cream 64.

 

[Fray Guillermo]

Because they're comfy, with a tinge of weirdness that sadly disappeared with New Horizons

 

[Sleepstate]

pioneered chore games which are super popular these days folks find what conventional gamers would deem boring relaxing and enjoyable. people also like the various villagers their designs and personalities and how you interact with them the customization you can do to your village character ect

 

[Frickinfrik]

Cause it’s stress free. Unless if you’re a speedrunner, I’ve seen grown men break controllers and destroy desks over Animal Crossing when they were speedrunning it. Me personally, i find Animal Crossing boring, it’s just not my thing. Others can enjoy the game, it’s just that people have different tastes.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Played City Folk (Basically Wild World 2.0) and i can say

It feels good

Not only a break from reality, but also of being say an assasin or an adventurer in gaming, yeah, those are cool, but sometimes i want to take it easy even in my entertaining, that's why i even still watch some Sanrio animations between my shonen and comedies

 

[Sinmenon]

I also forgot to mention that looking into the lore of some NPCs can be surprisingly sad, like the Able sisters. And no one is going to take away your house if you fail to pay the loan.

 

[Deleted member 13897]

First title I really wanted was New Leaf, for some reason. I took an immense amount of comfort in the predictability of the game through my turbulent college years. I played a lot of happy home designer when I was homeless/couchsurfing which is….something i didn’t connect until maybe just now. And the next title released…oh God, when we were all staying indoors early in the pandemic…
I’ve…used this series as a teddy bear. I mean I knew that, but lining up my circumstances during each successive release is a crazy smack in the face.

Animal Crossing is ultimate escapism. Colors, design, animals, it’s got everything. Each item, each piece of furniture is a treasure. Something to pour over every detail of in the catalog. Paper tiger, rattan bedroom set, messy chair, the washing machines, the bowls of soup, the ice set that could be customized and ended up looking more like a rainbow crystal palace, it’s all great.

Older Animal Crossing titles don’t have the same sort of maximalism and saccharine sweetness of newer titles. I do wish the villagers could still be rude and curt. Now they have this sort of sycophantic quality that many people find annoying and insincere.

My New Horizons island is crazy btw. I’ll have to share it sometime

 

[Cheela Cheela Cheela's icon]

Is chill af :3 i got animal crossing new horizons for my sister and i ended up playing it more.
Having fun with new leaf now :3

 

[Deleted member 13897]

Having fun with new leaf now :3

Have you been beetle hunting on the island for money??

 

[ciro64]

Oh yeah, my first New Horizons save had this cool mechanical bird, but I restarted it because I named the island wrong and now I got this dumb green bear instead.

I'm still salty about it.

 

[Aziamuth]

Back when I was younger I enjoyed the type of routine Wild World presented. Talking with NPCs who often had something fun to say, fishing, digging holes, catching bugs. It was a very good game to play for 20 minutes and then move on to something else.

It's something that you play in esporadic, short bursts, like Nintendogs, Monster Hunter or a fighting game, not a long term investment.

 

[Anti-Law Savior]

I mean...they remind of Stardew Valley in terms of gameplay and setting objectives, you know how you go about your day things like that, the overall process is to make a crap-ton of bells aka (Money) to do other things right and what you need to get it fast?

Ngl some of the villagers are jerks...kinda like some of the folks in Stardew Valley too. They seem similar to me but I'm probably wrong because I haven't actually played allot of animal crossing.

 

[DanVzare]

I only played Wild World and I found it to be kinda boring.

It's hard to explain, but that's kind of the point.
A game where you can barely do anything and almost nothing happens. But when something does happen, because it's so rare, it means the world to you.
The game is more about the atmosphere than actually accomplishing any task. It's a game about relaxing, getting to know your neighbours, building up a collection of whatever you want, and just plain old hanging out.

It's difficult to hype up a game where you do nothing. But trust me, if you're into that kind of game, Wild World scratches that itch like no other.

That all being said, if you want an entry where you actually DO something, I'd recommend the latest one, New Horizons. Since you can actually craft and customize your island on that one. Although personally I don't reckon much to that entry, despite it's popularity. The freedom it gives you ruins the experience. (Also, funnily enough. Despite being able to do more, there's actually less things to do.)



EDIT:
I think the best way I can describe the difference between the older AC games such as Wild World and the newer ones such as New Horizons, is that the older ones required your full attention, but you weren't doing anything for most of the game. While the newer ones always have something to do, but doesn't require any attention, so you can listen to a podcast on your phone or something.

I miss old cosy games. :(

 

[Tonberry]

They're fun, relaxing, and familiar, which all boils down to a good ol' helping of "it's comfy".
It's kind of hard to describe if it doesn't "click" with you instantly, because it really does just sound like busywork when trying to describe it to someone. But it feels like anything but chores to me.

It's nice to just turn it on and chat with the cute critters and catch a few bugs, maybe get a new piece of furniture and plant a few flowers. Just a feel-good kind of game.

I think Wild World is the least good one by a pretty wide margin, though, and definitely the one I've revisited the least.

 

[Cheela Cheela Cheela's icon]

Have you been beetle hunting on the island for money??

not yet :3

 

[popckorn]

Comfy and Lovely
And Relaxing while listening to TrueCrime Podcasts on a second screen, lol

 

[NobodyHere]

I personally couldn’t get that much into the main line of ‘Animal crossing’ but I totally get the appeal. It’s cute, simple, cozy, so on, like a warm cup of tea and blanket on a cold day.

Tbh I’ve played a lot more of ‘happy home designer’, I just like playing dress up

Post automatically merged: May 16, 2025

I mean...they remind of Stardew Valley in terms of gameplay and setting objectives, you know how you go about your day things like that, the overall process is to make a crap-ton of bells aka (Money) to do other things right and what you need to get it fast?

Ngl some of the villagers are jerks...kinda like some of the folks in Stardew Valley too. They seem similar to me but I'm probably wrong because I haven't actually played allot of animal crossing.

First time I played the ds game I got insulted by one of the villagers thus put way to much effort in sending them hate mail.

 

[solidbatman]

not a fan of it on home consoles, but being able to play it for 30 minutes or so before bed with a handheld is nice. its cozy, relaxing, stress free, and i love making everyone's places look nice while i turn my home into the crappiest little trash heap imaginable with weeds, random appliances in the yard, tree stumps, and crappy furniture.

 

[CaesariusMagnum]

AC is just a real cute and chill experience. One of those games you can go at your own pace and not get penalized for anything. I thought the same thing when I was a teenager and I sold my copy of Animal Crossing, I kinda regret that now that I got ACNH years later and ended up loving it.

 

[Fergoose]

I bought AC: City Folk around 2010 and I finally played it for the first time yesterday. I'd held off because I feared it wasn't 'my kind of game'. Sadly, I think it is a relaxing game like Endless Ocean where I desperately want to enjoy it, but it just isn't for me.

I don't have a collectable bone in my body and struggle to care if my character lives in a mansion or in a stable. I logged in for day 2 today and I didn't even have to work for Tom Nook, so ended up heading in to the city to look at things I couldn't afford and was told I can come back for an auction in 5 real life days. As if I can possibly remember that.

Early days though, but apparently compared to Wild World the AI aren't great conversationalists in this version and its potentially less engaging because of that.

 

[MSX432]

Only two words i can say about animal crossing
"Chill game"

 

[popckorn]

I love fishing and scavenger hunting for fossils.
And I love decorating my home.
I played City Folk 3 years ago before I finally had a house I could decorate and make mine, so it was a great therapeutic vicarious experience of home owning when I thought I would never have a place of my own.

 

[Questless Knight]

while we ask these important question.
Why do people like call of duty.
Why do people like Battlefield
Why do people like Fortnight
Why do people like LoL
Why do people like Dota ?

I Mean people must have some weird taste to make these so damn popular.