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Will Animal Crossing: New Horizons use Switch Online cloud save?

Everything you need to know about Animal Crossing: New Horizons, how it uses the Switch Online cloud save system, and more.

Josh Hawkins

February 20, 2020 9:05 AM

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If you’re planning on picking up Animal Crossing: New Horizons, then there are a few things you’ll want to be aware of—especially when it comes to cloud saves. Cloud saves are a fantastic little feature that many games and systems support. This keeps your save from being lost should something happen to your console or game cartridge for whatever reason. That’s why many are curious to know if Animal Crossing: New Horizons will use the Switch Online save data cloud backup.

Will Animal Crossing: New Horizons use Switch Online cloud saves?

Unfortunately, if you were hoping to make use of the Switch Online cloud save system, you’re going to be disappointed. Unlike other games on the portable home console, New Horizons will not support Nintendo’s Switch cloud backup feature. Instead, Nintendo will offer another way to restore your save should it be corrupted or if you find your Switch unusable.

This is a pretty big deal for many, especially those who travel with their Switch a lot. Considering how much of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is tied directly to a single console—we already know that each console can only have one island—it’s a bit ludicrous for it to not utilize the cloud save backup system. Why is this a problem? Well, it means you won’t be able to backup your save as often as possible, and even once you do back it up using Nintendo’s other method, you might only be able to restore your save one time.

This means you’re going to need to be very careful with your Switch and make sure nothing happens to your console. If something does happen to your console, you’ll need to go through the restore process—whenever Nintendo releases it. That being said, the backup system isn’t going to be available at launch. We have no real idea when it will become available, so make sure you’re very careful with your Switch in the meantime. For more info make sure you check out the rest of our Animal Crossing: New Horizons hub for news and other guides.

Josh Hawkins

Guides Editor

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.