Animal Crossing: New Horizonswas a massive hit for the Nintendo Switch, releasing just as the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns were being put into effect and becoming a go-to game for many looking to pass the time in quarantine. LikepastAnimal Crossinggames,Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis really a game with no end, as players can complete tasks on their islands and collect bells indefinitely. Or almost indefinitely, at least.
It was recently discovered thatAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsonly works up to a certain real-world date. As discovered by Reddit user AdTrue4863,Animal Crossing: New Horizonsdoesn’t work if the Nintendo Switch’s internal clock is set to 2061. This effectively meansAnimal Crossing: New Horizonswill stop working in 39 years, but luckily for those in the future, there’s a way to fix the problem.
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IfAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsplayers boot up the game with their clock set to any date in 2061 or beyond, they are met with a message asking them to close it and set a new date. The options players are given are any time between the years 2000 and 2060, so that’s quite the range to choose from. What’s interesting about this fix is that it seemingly shows Nintendo endorsingAnimal Crossingtime travel, which is a touchy subject in the game’s community.
For those who may not be aware howAnimal Crossingworks, the games run on real time, based on the internal clock of whatever console they’re running on. When it’s nighttime in real life, it’s also nighttime inAnimal Crossing. And when the seasons change in real life, so do theseasons change inAnimal Crossing. Certain dates inAnimal Crossingalso have special significance, with players able to celebrate holidays through in-game events.
Animal Crossing: New HorizonsNPCsadhere to the clock as well, meaning players are sometimes locked out of certain areas or interactions depending on what time of day they’re playing. There are things in the game that require players to wait a certain amount of real-world time as well, and so some players have taken to “time traveling” by changing their system’s clock. SomeAnimal Crossingfans consider this as a form of cheating, whereas others argue it allows them to enjoy the game better and on their own terms. Regardless of where one falls in theAnimal Crossingtime travel debate, though, it seems that Nintendo is OK with it once it’s literally required to keep playing the game in 2061 and beyond.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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