Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, the free-to-play mobile game, has finally becomePocket Camp Complete. After seven years of online play, the popular app by Nintendo has gone offline with an upfront, one-time purchase. While it may seem like the end of the road forPocket Camp,now might actually be the best time to get into theAnimal Crossinggame, even if players have never touched the app before.
The best reason for players to start their own new campsite with their animal friends is thatthey’ll finally be entirely free from microtransactions and repeated requests for moneywhile playing their cozy game. Instead, players only have to fork over10 dollars to access the game, which includes special features that were previously only included in a monthly subscription forPocket Camp.
No More Microtransactions To Nickel And Dime You
One $10 Purchase, At Least For This Year
The biggest reason to jump intoAnimal Crossing: Pocket Camp Completenow is thatthere aren’t any microtransactions included in the game anymore. Previously,Pocket Campoffered both an in-game currency and a subscription service. The in-game currency, called Leaf Tickets, could be used to buy special items or to speed up chores like crafting. Leaf Tickets (replaced byPocket Camp Complete’s Leaf Tokens) encouraged players to spend a little money here and there to make boring parts of the game go by faster, which can add up after months or years of gameplay. Thankfully, thatpart ofPocket Camphas been removed, alongside some other smaller features and items.
Pocket Camp Completewill cost $10 until July 06, 2025, at which point the price will double.
The subscription service that the previous version ofPocket Campoffered included special features that made daily tasks easier, like the camp caretaker. This feature allowed players to appoint one Villager as their caretaker. The caretaker would then perform a wide range of chores automatically, like collecting rewards and friendship points. Thankfully, this feature is being continued inPocket Camp Complete, asall players will be able to use the camp caretaker after purchasing the full version of the game.
Offline Gameplay Makes Pocket Camp Complete More Like Mainline Games
A More Laid Back Style Of Gaming
Animal Crossing: Pocket Campwas always an outlier forAnimal Crossinggames, in the sense that it was a live service mobile app with subscriptions and microtransactions. Since those aspects can be unappealing to some players,the move to an offline, one-time payment game could attract players who were never interested before.
Becoming an offline game makesPocket Camp Completemore like other mainline games in the series, especially with the entries on more handheld consoles like the Nintendo Switch and the 3DS.Players can take the game at their own paceand enjoy creating a campsite without worrying about missing a seasonal event or feeling left behind when other players have special paid items.
What makes theAnimal Crossingseries so popular among long-time fans is that the games are, at their core, relaxing and calm.Pocket Camphas always been fairly popular among the fanbase, butits monetary system gave lots of players pause. Now they can play without worrying about being badgered for extra cash, unless Tom Nook is lurking around their campsite.
Future Updates Give Players Something To Look Forward To
Nintendo Won’t Abandon Pocket Camp, For Now
While it may seem like the start of a slow death forAnimal Crossing: Pocket Campto go offline, that’s not the case. Nintendo confirmed, among a series of other announcements, that the developer would continue to add new items to the game in the near future. While this won’t be exactly the same as the amount of attentionPocket Camphas had in the past from its developers, it does mean thatNintendo doesn’t intend to completely abandon the gameas soon as it’s offline. In fact, there are already lots ofnew features for players to enjoy inPocket Camp Complete.
Having something to look forward to in anAnimal Crossinggame is very motivating, since players know thatthere’s always something around the corner to enjoy. That could be a seasonal event or a special set of items, but any amount of future attention means that any new players won’t be joining a dead game.
In fact, this promise for future updates is more thanNew Horizonsreceived after its DLC was added to the game. The massively popular Switch game was last updated in 2022, despite being in the top fifteen best-selling games of all time. WhileNew Horizonsdid make very fun additions to the game, like diving and farming, it was still lacking in more content, especially for furniture and clothing. Hopefully,Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Completewill get the attention from its developers thatNew Horizonsdid not.
