Play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on PC

One of the most amazing hit games on the Nintendo Switch console was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, despite the game having a 1080p resolution even when docked and capping at 30 FPS. However, there is good news for fans of this game! Now you can play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on PC at 4K 60 FPS with mods, by Yuzu and Ryujinx emulators.

Playing this game on PC is a different experience, the players can have access to multiple mods, which can make the game much more fun and customizable depending on the players, and in turn these mods are added as another element to a game that already has a lot of great features.

The resolution and frame rate are increased in a big way with the game on PC, and players can run the game on any Nintendo Switch emulator like Yuzu and Ryujinx. Still, one should keep in mind that the installation process for these two emulators is a bit different and users will need the latest Nintendo Switch firmware file for the Ryujinx emulator to run properly.

Now let’s see a guide so you can play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on PC using the Ryujinx and Yuzu emulators in the best way. If you want you can check for other games and consoles for Nintendo Switch.

Things That are Needed

In order to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons through the Yuzu or Ryujinx emulator, it is very important and necessary to have the following files and software installed on your PC:

• Latest Nintendo Switch firmware file, to be able to run Ryujinx.
• Yuzu or Ryujinx emulator.
• Latest Nintendo Switch prod keys.
• Controller (Recommended).
• High to mid-spec gaming PC.
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons in XCI or NSP file format.

You can get the firmware files by transferring them to a PC via a modded Nintendo Switch, as this is the most legal way to do this process. However, you can also try downloading XCI, NSP, production keys, and firmware files from specific sites, but this is not highly recommended.

Important Note: 

Ideally, make sure you use the correct files legally, so you better not resort to piracy or copyright violation.

Play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on PC using Yuzu Emulator

Let’s see the steps you can follow to be able to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on PC using Yuzu Emulator:

• Download and install the latest version of the Yuzu emulator.
• Open Yuzu and select Files, then Open Yuzu Folder, then Keys.
• Paste the files prod.keys and title.keys into the keys folder.
• Then open Yuzu and select Add New Game Directory.
• Locate and select the folder for the Animal Crossing: New Horizons XCI/NSP file to add the game to the Yuzu emulator.
• Click on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons icon to play it on your PC.

Play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on PC using Ryujinx Emulator

Now let’s see the steps that are necessary to follow in order to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on PC using Ryujinx Emulator:

• First download and install the latest version of the Ryujinx emulator.
• Open Ryujinx and select Files, then Open Ryujinx Folder, then System.
• Paste the files prod.keys and title.keys into the systems folder.
• Go to Tools, then Install Firmware, and then Install Firmware from XCI or ZIP.
• Select the Nintendo Switch firmware file you downloaded.
• Click Yes to install the Nintendo Switch firmware file.
• Go to Options and then Settings. Under Game Directories, select Add.
• Browse and select the folder that contains the Animal Crossing: New Horizons XCI or NSP file, this way you can add the game to the Ryujinx emulator.
• You must Save for the configuration to be complete.
• Click on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons icon to play it on your PC.

How to install Mods for Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Let’s see some steps that you can follow in the Yuzu emulator to install mods for Animal Crossing: New Horizons:

• Download the mod you want to use from here.
• Open Yuzu and right click on the game.
• Select Open Mod Data Location and a mod folder will open.
• Move the mod file to this folder and you’re done.

For Ryujinx there is a similar modding system as well, however it does not have an official Switch modding directory.