20 Beloved Video Games No One Admits They Hated

5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Picture the scene. It's 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic has just erupted, and all of a sudden everyone has plenty of time on their hands with nowhere to go. With daily international news pretty dire, people wanted to get lost in new worlds that hadn't been effectively shut down, so they did. Some turned to movies or books, but for gamers it was just a question of which game would fit the bill. Enter Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which launched almost exactly at the time the pandemic reached a global scale.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the 5th instalment in the life simulation series. Players are tasked with building up an island from scratch, accomplishing several daily tasks and developing their community of cute anthropomorphic animals. Everything about the game screams chill out and relax, so it quickly became the perfect lockdown companion, bringing gaming communities together. At a time when people couldn't meet up in real life, New Horizons provided them with a virtual platform to use for get togethers, and it proved to be an ample substitute. It sold an incredible amount of copies, and has earned a reputation as one of the best of its kind.

However, many players who initially jumped on the hype found themselves asking an uncomfortable question: is it really that good? The gameplay loop is deliberate and slow, with progress often tied to the real-world passage of time, which can bring things to a grinding halt. It's an acquired taste, for sure, and at a time when people were seeking entertainment, Animal Crossing: New Horizons didn't necessarily quench their thirst. As time has gone on, however, it's become clear that the game's staying power is unquestionable, as the community goes from strength to strength and the player base is as solid as ever.