- Primary Subject: Pokémon Pokopia (Launch Version / Ver. 1.0.2)
- Key Update: Since its March 5 launch, players have unlocked the final "Sparkling Skylands" region, allowing for complete structural freedom on floating islands—a feature currently absent from the Animal Crossing 3.0 update.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: April 2, 2026
- Quick Answer: Pokopia surpasses Animal Crossing by offering Minecraft-like block building, multiple unlockable biomes (including floating islands), and deeper, more varied NPC interactions between Pokémon.
Owners of the Nintendo Switch 2 have been having a blast with Pokopia, and it's easy to see why, given that it's essentially a game that allows your imagination to run wild with all the options you're offered. That, along with it being tied to one of the most popular franchises ever, Pokemon, was a recipe for success, and it really became one.
People can't stop playing it, and it's certainly one of the best life and social simulation games that have come out in a while. However, with how great Pokopia is, it makes you wonder about another Nintendo franchise that was supposed to be the king of the genre, Animal Crossing.
For years, the series of games involving hundreds of cute anthropomorphic characters was highly regarded for giving fans the cozy and laid-back experience that no other could bring. Also, the amount of creativity you could have with them in terms of making a community that you desired made fans look forward to every new Animal Crossing release.
People are still waiting for the day a new entry will come to the Switch 2, but given what Pokopia has managed to do, one question springs up: Do we really need it? I understand that there are still many who love the franchise, but looking from an objective standpoint, a new game likely wouldn't be able to compete with what Pokopia already has to offer.
To start, let's take a look at the world. In Animal Crossing, while there are some areas that you can visit in the series of games, you're mostly tied down to one spot in terms of having villagers and making the community you want. You can make it as pretty or as cool as possible, but you're still stuck with that one space to work on.
Pokopia, on the other hand, has so many places where you can build. At first, you stick to the main area, which is Palette Town, but the more you progress, the more areas you unlock. You can eventually build in places full of mountains, near a beach, or even on floating islands. So long as you can place a block or an item, you can build wherever, meaning the community you desire is whatever place you deem fitting, and you can have a lot.
Regarding building or creating, Pokopia also has Animal Crossing beat in that aspect. In the latter's recent entry, New Horizons, you're given more imaginative ways to make your playable areas unique, like through the mixture of in-game items, terraforming the land, or editing patterns of floor tiles or wall panels. Great as that was, it was still limited in terms of what you could make with your imagination.
However, Pokopia doesn't have that problem. You can essentially make whatever you want, so long as you know how. This is because the game is similar to Minecraft, in that you can remove or place blocks to create structures that the game doesn't have. Combine that with the amazing recreative items that you can craft and put down, and you can make anything from a roller coaster, a working subway station, or even a Japanese-inspired castle.
All those points should have been convincing enough that a new Animal Crossing isn't needed, but if you need one more, then it would have to be how both games handle their characters. Again, we must take a look back at New Horizons. Many say it was a step down from previous entries, as it felt like Nintendo played it safe with their dialogue, making the characters feel flat and less unique.
The next entry might fix that issue, but why bother when Pokopia has already done it so much better? The characters in the game all have distinct personalities that really make them feel like their own person, or in this case, Pokemon. While some of them still share the same dialogue, many have enough unique lines that help capture the essence of who they're supposed to be.
The way they interact is also better than anything Animal Crossing characters have ever offered. As you play, you'll see them usually getting along. But then, there will be instances where you might find them having deep conversations, arguing about something superficial, teaching one another about their habitats, and so on. Things like that make you look forward to meeting up with the characters and making the world feel more exciting, something that Animal Crossing characters currently lack.
On that note, Pokopia is essentially what a future Animal Crossing is supposed to be, so I don't see a point in the latter putting out a new game. Perhaps Nintendo should hold off on releasing a new entry, at least until it can come up with something truly innovative that allows it to surpass everything that Pokopia is currently capable of.
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