"Animal Crossing: New Horizons" was announced in a Nintendo Direct in September 2018 for the Nintendo Switch. The game was released worldwide on March 20, 2020, though its release was initially planned for 2019. It quickly became the first console game to reach five million digital sales within a month, with the high sales often attributed to the social distancing and stay at home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon after its release, the game became one of the few in the series to receive additional content post-launch, with future additions rumored to be on their way. The game won "Best Family Game" at The Game Awards 2020.