
With Animal Crossing: New Horizon’s Update 3.0 coming in hot early next year, now’s the right time to pick up another game to tide you over until then.
Dinkum is a new survival life simulation game created by solo indie developer James Bendon. Based in Queensland, Bendon based the game on his home country by having you collect resources to build a town in the Australian outback.
Although it was released into Steam Early Access back in 2022, Dinkum received a full PC release earlier this year, and also came to Nintendo Switch last week.
It has a rather simplistic art style, but given the Animal Crossing similarities, I’d imagine it works best in attempting to capture the same audience.
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In case you wanted to check the game out for yourself now, there’s also a demo available to play, which you can download from the Nintendo Switch eShop. It’s also available on Steam, if that tickles your fancy.

What is Dinkum?
“G'Day! Grab your tools, gather resources, and build your town while hanging out with friends and enjoying the charm of Dinkum,” reads the official description for the game. “Plant crops, raise animals, and build your dream farm, or roam the island catching fish and bugs at your own pace.
“With changing seasons and weather affecting how your crops grow, every day brings a new challenge. Slip on your flip-flops to hunt for rare fish, bugs, or ores. Every moment becomes a special adventure.
“From red deserts and lush forests to hidden mines, Dinkum is full of wild places to explore. Hunt wild animals, gather resources, and learn how to survive in the great outdoors.”
Dinkum costs £17.99 on the Nintendo Switch, and has backwards compatibility support for Switch 2 users. Expect crisper graphics and stronger performance on the next-gen version of the game.
If you’d like to get it a little cheaper, you can also grab it on Steam for £16.75. Obviously, you’ll need to have access to a gaming PC or PC handheld such as the Steam Deck in order to play it.
It should also keep you busy while you wait for Animal Crossing: New Horizon’s upcoming Update 3.0, which was announced last month.
The new update will bring in the much-awaited next-gen upgrade, allowing higher resolutions and larger multiplayer populations for anyone who owns a Nintendo Switch 2.
Other features coming to the new update includes mouse controls, taking advantage of that lovely mouse functionality that Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers have, as well as big upgrades to storage and landscaping.
Topics: Nintendo Switch, Steam, Animal Crossing, Indie Games