Can you play Animal Crossing offline? If you’re wondering whether or not you can play Animal Crossing: New Horizons offline and what the limitations may be, we have the answers you’re looking for!
Although the earliest Animal Crossing games were a single-player experience, Animal Crossing: New Horizons showcases a growing trend of multiplayer functionality. You’re able to visit your friends’ islands (or have them visit you) to trade items or simply to have fun. Do you need an Internet connection to play, though?
Can you play Animal Crossing offline?
So, can you play Animal Crossing offline? The good news is that you can, but there are obviously some limitations.
If you just have a brief Internet outage or you’re on the go, you can still play the game perfectly fine without having to worry about an Internet connection. There are some things you should keep in mind, though:
- You can’t connect to other players online without an Internet connection.
- You can’t download new custom designs.
- You can’t download game updates.
- You can’t back up your Animal Crossing island.
Simply put, you won’t get the most ideal version of the game without an Internet connection. You’re going to miss out on new game updates that include new events and fix some of the bugs in the game. It should also be mentioned that some copies of the game may require an Internet connection to be activated the first time, especially if you’ve gotten it off of the Nintendo eShop.
Online multiplayer is also necessary for one other key reason: trading. It is nigh-impossible to get some items without trading for them with another player. If you don’t have an Internet connection and Nintendo Switch Online, it might be a worthwhile investment.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is still a great game that can be played by yourself, but it’s not worth it to miss out on updates and backing up your island. If you can’t regularly get on the Internet, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to jump on a coffee shop wi-fi every now and again to make sure everything is up to date.
