How to Get & Play Retro Consoles in Animal Crossing New Horizons
The Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 update sends players back in time by allowing them to play emulations of retro Nintendo games on their islands. Whether you’re looking forward to revisiting a childhood classic or want to collect all the new items available, this guide will teach you how to unlock every retro Nintendo console available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the requirements needed to play them.
How to Increase Your Home Storage in Animal Crossing New Horizons
With so many wonderful items to collect in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players should expand their storage as soon as they can – here’s how.
How to Get All Retro Nintendo Games in Animal Crossing New Horizons
How to Fully Upgrade the Hotel’s Catalog
To get the new Retro Nintendo Consoles in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you need to complete work for the hotel run by Kappn’s family. The consoles become available after doing enough work at the hotel to upgrade its catalog for the third and final time. While there is some uncertainty in the community about the requirements for this, we found that completing the following tasks allowed the consoles to be ordered:
- Having at least a 3-star rating on your island.
- Decorating all 8 hotel rooms and the VIP room.
- Bringing a tourist to the hotel and decorating a VIP room for them.
- Completing 50 DIY requests for Kappn.
If your island rating drops below 3-stars at any point before unlocking the catalog, you will not be able to unlock it until you bring your rating back up. This will occur regardless of how many DIY requests are completed and how many hotel rooms are decorated.
Talking to Grams after completing these requirements will allow you to purchase retro Nintendo consoles from the new Special tab in the hotel catalog. You can only purchase 5 items a day, with the items themselves arriving in the mail on the next in-game day. If you want every Nintendo console, you’ll need a total of 3,500 Hotel Tickets.
There are seven retro Nintendo consoles available in this catalog. However, there are only six games to play as the two Super NES consoles play the same game. Here’s a look at all Nintendo consoles in Animal Crossing: New Horizons:
|
Console Name |
Game |
Price (Hotel Tickets) |
|---|---|---|
|
Famicon |
Clu Clu Land |
500 |
|
Famicon Disk System |
Ice Hockey |
500 |
|
Game Boy |
Dr. Mario |
500 |
|
NES |
Ice Climber |
500 |
|
Super Famicon |
Panel de Pon |
500 |
|
Super NES (NTSC version) |
F-Zero |
500 |
|
Super NES (PAL version) |
F-Zero |
500 |
The hotel shop will also sell the Nintendo Switch 2 item, but it will not contain a mini-game like the other newly added consoles.
How to Play Every Retro Nintendo Game in Animal Crossing New Horizons
In order to play retro Nintendo games in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you will first need to meet the following requirements:
- Own the in-game console in Animal Crossing: New Horizons that contains the game you want to play.
- A Nintendo Switch Online Membership.
To play one of the new games, start by placing the required console either in your home or somewhere on your island. Once placed, interact with the console using the A button to turn it on. It will inform you about the game the console contains and provide you with the option to play the game or leave the console.
After deciding to play the game, your Switch will need to connect to the internet to check your Nintendo Switch Online membership. You’ll be able to boot up the game after this check passes.
When you enter a game, you will see its title screen with a few gameplay options. Use the – button on the left Joy-Con to alternate between the listed game modes, then press the + button on the right Joy-Con to select the mode you want to play. If you want to remove the button instructions, quickly press down on the top of the right Joy-Con’s joystick. This will also move the game to the center of your screen.
When you’re ready to stop playing, hold the ZL and ZR buttons until the screen transitions to black. This will end the game and return you to your island in front of the console you were using.
- Released
-
January 15, 2026
- ESRB
-
Everyone / Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
- Multiplayer
-
Online Co-Op
