Forget New Horizons, Animal Crossing New Leaf Just Made Its Comeback

Last week saw Nintendo shock fans by announcing the return of Animal Crossing: New Horizon four years on from its last update.

With the 2020 release arriving at the perfect time and saving our sanity through the COVID-19 pandemic, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has gone on to mean a lot to its player base which is why it was heartbreaking to see Nintendo announce its final update back in 2021.

First released way back in 2001, the Animal Crossing franchise has become one of the most successful social simulation games of all time, allowing players to live in harmony with some of their favourite animals.

However, it was 2012’s Animal Crossing: New Leaf that many considered to be one of the best.

That is why fans were heartbroken when Nintendo announced that it would end New Leaf’s online features back in 2024 with the shutdown of 3DS online services.

Of course, players could still enjoy the offline features for Animal Crossing: New Leaf but with no new updates or content expected, it was still a sad time.

However, in another shock announcement, Animal Crossing: New Leaf is back.

Nintendo

While we wait for Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 and its Nintendo Switch 2 port, Animal Crossing fans can pass the time by enjoying the Nintendo 3DS soundtrack for Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

Available to listen to via the Nintendo Music app, players can enjoy the whole album of musical pieces from the game just as long as they have both the app and a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

The album consists of a whopping 188 tracks making a runtime of over five hours.

It joins fellow Animal Crossing title, New Horizons, in playlists alongside some other of our favourite Nintendo titles.

News of the brand-new album dropped overnight and fans have already come forward with their thoughts over the new addition.

Fans are feeling the hype

“Time to vibe like it’s 2013 again,” one user commented.

Ah, the good old days.

“On my way to listen to K.K. Bubblegum on a 24-hour loop,” another added.

For user Rockety, there is no better news.

“Best drop you’ve done since launch,” they shared.

“Like this is the real good s**t. ALSO NEW LEAF MENTIONED IN 2025 WOOOOOOO.”

As you can see, fans are pretty excited and this new update will definitely make the wait for Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0, which arrives on 15 January, that much easier.