Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been a sales juggernaut since its release. The island living sim had sold 26 million copies when Nintendo last released their figures and that was before it had graced a holiday season. Nintendo’s latest set of sales figures were released today and surprising nobody, New Horizons has continued to fly. A staggering stat has appeared since the figures came out though that show just how well the game is selling.
Reported on Twitter by VGC journalist Chris Scullion, New Horizons could be on track to beat Grand Theft Auto V’s first 11 months PS3 and Xbox 360 sales. Within its first 11 months, GTA V sold 34 million copies and Animal Crossing is breathing down its neck on 31 million. That leaves Nintendo’s tranquil game needing just three million sales within the next two months eclipse its ultra-violent counterpart. That’s certainly not out of the question with the game having sold an average of 3.4 million units per month so far.
In 11 months, Grand Theft Auto V sold 34 million copies on PS3 and Xbox 360 combined.
In 9 months, Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold 31 million copies on the Switch alone.
Naturally, GTA then went on to sell shitloads more with the PS4/XB1 remasters but it just shows AC's pace
— Chris Scullion (@scully1888) February 1, 2021
Will Animal Crossing: New Horizons beat GTA V in the end?
Almost certainly not. Although New Horizons is selling like hotcakes – there are a lot of things to consider. GTA V is now available on eight different platforms, Animal Crossing is only on the Nintendo Switch. GTA V had also sold over 135 million copies by August last year. That’s another issue for New Horizons. As of today’s Nintendo update, the hybrid console had sold (a very impressive) 80 million units. That means Nintendo would need to sell almost two copies of Animal Crossing to everybody who owns a Switch.
Why is Animal Crossing: New Horizons so successful?
A combination of good timing and consistent updates. It’s hard to argue that the game released at the perfect time. People were entering lockdowns all over the world and looking for something to play. Step forward Animal Crossing. The game provided a welcome level of escapism and a great opportunity to connect with friends. Nintendo has also updated the game every few months and we’ve already seen two summer updates, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and more!
What’s next for New Horizons?
The game is in second place in the Nintendo Switch all-time software chart, just behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. At this point, I wouldn’t bet against it taking the top spot. The game is also the second top-selling game in Japan of all time and could easily leapfrog Pokemon Red and Green. In terms of content, Nintendo has already confirmed February’s big update, Festivale, with Super Mario Bros. items coming soon.
The post Animal Crossing Could Beat GTA V’s First 11 Months Combined Sales on PS3/Xbox 360 by Sam Woods appeared first on DualShockers.