How to Play Animal Crossing New Horizons on PC

No game has attracted users during this COVID-19 lockdown as Animal Crossing New Horizons. We, humans, are social animals. So when social distancing became a necessity in real life, many of us simply took to the social simulator in New Horizons to keep our minds intact. In fact, it ranks as the second most-selling game of the year, behind Call of Duty. There is just one drawback- it’s a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Alas, the majority of casual gamers don’t really own Switch but rather play on PCs. So will PC users never get to socialize on the famed island of Animal Crossing?

Animal Crossing New Horizons on PC

Animal Crossing New Horizons is not only the most successful series in the Animal Crossing franchise, but it’s also Nintendo’s third-best-selling game ever. The game has certainly taken society by storm with people all over the planet playing it, right from casual gamers, to influential content creators and to celebrities. And now, even PC users can play the game using the emulator Ryujinx. The Preview Build on Ryujinx’s Patreon supports Animal Crossing New Horizon version 1.0.0 and 1.1.0.

For the most part, the emulator works very well. However, there are a few issues you’ll have to contend with or work around. First off, a few missing light effects and visual issues will make certain elements look different. For instance, the grass is not always greener (get it?). Unfortunately, this is the minor issue, but also something you’ll have to learn to live with.

Now comes the bigger issue. Often times, the introduction of the game tends to crash the emulator. However, there is a way around this bug, which is to simply skip the introduction altogether using a save file. Follow the instructions given by Patreon to successfully download and open a save file.

So there you go!

You can now enjoy Animal Crossing New Horizons like the rest of the world. Don’t let the quarantine get you down, go out and socialize with your new animal friends. Be warned though, you’ll be starting off with a deserted island, you’ll need to make it presentable to attract new friends.