Animal Crossing Officially Returns With New Adventure On April 14

2 hours ago 8

Published Apr 7, 2026, 9:01 AM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond.

Animal Crossing is among the most popular cozy game franchises of all time, and it's hard to believe it's been over six years since New Horizons was first released. While players are excited about the recently released Nintendo Switch 2 port for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the massive 3.0 update, fans have been patiently awaiting news on the future of the franchise beyond that.

But there's at least one new Animal Crossing release that fans can mark their calendars for on Tuesday, April 14, and it's an exciting New Horizons adventure that continues the fan-favorite "Deserted Island Diary" saga (via VIZ Media).

Animal Crossing Gets Official New Adventure On April 14

Isabelle from Animal Crossing in front of Ditto from Pokemon Pokopia looking thoughtful with a lightbulb above its head.

Animal Crossing fans can mark their calendars for an exciting release set to drop on April 14 from author and illustrator Kokonasu Rumba and VIZ Media. It's an officially licensed manga series set in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons universe based on the Deserted Island Diary series.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Deserted Island Diary Volume 10 is officially slated for both physical and digital release next Tuesday, and fans of the games can partake in a brand-new adventure if they pre-order now. Physical copies will be available for just around $12 USD on most major online retailers, with digital copies available for roughly $11 on Google Play, iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, and Nook.

Volume 10 is a 125-page adventure following "the cold-loving Sprinkle [who] shows up asking for a vacation home, but does she seriously want the temperature set at minus 30 degrees Celsius?!"

Will There Be Another Animal Crossing Game Anytime Soon?

While there's still no official announcement regarding the next mainline game in the Animal Crossing franchise, considering it's one of Nintendo's most popular IPs, fans understand that it's only a matter of time.

After the recent New Horizons 3.0 update and Switch 2 upgrade, the above Deserted Island Diary release, and even a recent unique Animal Crossing event, players have plenty to keep them busy while they wait for a new game to officially be announced.

That said, the timeline for a new Animal Crossing game is hard to narrow down, with some rumors suggesting that a 2026 reveal or shadow drop could be possible, however unlikely. Nintendo has hosted a couple events so far in 2026 that didn't reveal any new Animal Crossing updates, but there are sure to be several more this year, and fans are hopeful there's something big in store.