This Cute Nintendo Game Is Now a Massive Franchise 25 Years Later

25 years ago, most gamers would have listed Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, or even Metroid as their favorite Nintendo franchise.

25 years later, millions would say Animal Crossing is the best. What a difference a quarter-century makes!

Animal Crossing is now a worldwide phenomenon with an estimated 70 million units sold since the first game's release for the GameCube on April 14, 2001.

Back when that game came out, most people who bought it thought it would be a small distraction to play in between the bigger releases in Nintendo's universe. Instead, with each ensuing release, the franchise became one of the strongest properties in its canon.

The most recent game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, became a hallmark of the pandemic era. Bored and isolated from the rest of the world due to COVID-19, people who had never played video games before bought New Horizons so they could build their own relaxing town, interact with the animal village folk, and compare their cutesy simulation virtually with friends and family. It was a revolutionary and viral moment that swept up the world in a universal sense of love.

Nintendo is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Animal Crossing by updating New Leaf to 3. 0. 2. The update will give players a thank you letter and Leaf Statue themed with the original game's graphics and style. It's a nice nod to those who have been around since the beginning of the series before it became mainstream in the 2020s.

Some of the other games that came out in between the first and most recent titles in Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS, Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS. All the games built upon one another and led to the overall feel of the world that longtime and new fans enjoy today.

Nintendo has had a lot of anniversaries as of late. The best Legend of Zelda game came out 34 years ago yesterday. The 40th anniversary of Mario started in September 2025 and is still being celebrated right now with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.