Is Nintendo Switch Online Worth It For Animal Crossing?

Animal crossing was a surprise hit for Nintendo being the highest selling animal crossing game of all time, with more than 22 million copies sold, but is Nintendo Online worth it for animal crossing? Let’s discuss.

Nintendo Online only costs $20 for a years subscription and allows for you and other players to explore each others island, and message players using the best friend app to see how they’re doing, use tools and catch different bugs and fish. For $20 it is worth it, as you can play other games online.

It only costs $1.60/month but I will explain all the pros and cons of Nintendo Online for Animal Crossing, and if it’s worth getting Nintendo Online just for the game. Read on to find out.

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Why Nintendo Online Is Worth It For Animal Crossing

My first animal crossing was Animal Crossing: Wild World on the DS and I loved visiting other players’ towns using the local wireless feature of the DS.

Nintendo Online gives you the exact same experience in New Horizons but you could be on the other side of the world and still visit your friend’s island! Cool right? There is no lag, and gameplay stays buttery smooth throughout.

Nintendo Online Animal Crossing Pros

Whenever you fly out from the airport(see this guide on unlocking the airport) you get access to the best friends app on your NookPhone where you can choose anyone you previously played online with as a best friend!

Whenever you’re on a best friend island there are no restrictions on what tools you can use, allowing you to do everything from digging to chopping down trees almost treating the island on your own!

If your best friends are online you can message them your NookPhone and check in how there doing, Animal Crossing is that type of game where the community is really nice and welcoming, it’s not that type of game that attracts unpleasant people.

Message your best friends for rare item prices, as they might have something you don’t have. Better yet visiting someone’s island gives you opportunities to collect rare fish and bugs for your museum! If it’s raining on your friend’s island, it’s the perfect opportunity to go Oarfish handing and get that rare fish into your collection!

Certain bugs like the snail only spawn during rain so having Nintendo Online makes catching rare bugs and fish easier, as you can visit different islands with different weather happening. What’s not to like?

Think Animal Crossing multiplayer will allow you to trade bugs and fish with your friends? Think again, as you cannot trade bugs and fishes with each other in online mode.

This may seem crazy but think about it, a big thing in Animal Crossing is filling up your beautiful museum with around 160 unique bugs and fishes, if you could trade with players this could be achieved in a couple of days.

Not allowing bug & fish trade between players keeps gameplay fresh and exciting, as it gives an added incentive to explore all your friends unique islands and catch all the rare animals there are to catch! Fill up that museum!

Still Animal Crossing online is an excellent way to enjoy the game, as players come up with in genius ways to have fun. Send letters to your friends, accept gifts to get your Island to where you want it to be and help others get better selections of fruits and vegetables.

Even host tours of your island, and join your friends! See Stumpt’s above video for Island tour ideas! The unique photo opportunities especially in the museum will overload your cuteness levels.

Joining other islands, gives you ideas on how you can make your island amazing. I’ve seen islands with full functioning mazes, art galleries and swap shops. You will be invited to play games of tag or have fishing competitions, you can even be shouted at via the best friends app for taking fruit from other players islands. We are ALL human after all!

Overall the pros well outweigh the cons, get Nintendo Online for the best price on CD keys here.

Nintendo Online Animal Crossing Negatives

A big negative me and other players notice is whenever someone is arriving on your island if they have your friend code, everyone on your island will see their boarding pass with there name on screen. Whilst enjoyable the first and even cute the second time the excitement swiftly transforms into annoyance.

Yes, that’s right, Nintendo have never been good at online(see the reasons here), and whilst it’s a cute way of showing a friend is joining or leaving your lobby, it really feels like someone has gone out of their way to travel a large distance to spend time with you, and that’s just a nice feeling!

The problem is the inability to skip it, which Nintendo should have been implemented, maybe this happens in the future but as of this writing the loading screen/cut scene is unskippable.

Also, you cannot place new items even on your island whenever your online or in wireless mode, this makes sense if your on another island as you theoretically you could destroy your friend’s island but not being able to move furniture or even donate to the museum as a friend tags a long makes no sense!

Speaking of destroying something, you WILL accidentally destroy your friend’s flowers whilst on their island, so don’t say I didn’t warn you!