Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Game images by RAWG

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Nintendo EPD (with development support from DeNA)

iOS; AndroidOriginally free-to-play with in‑app purchases (Leaf Tickets, Fortune Cookies, subscriptions); replaced by a paid one‑time purchase version ('Pocket Camp Complete') in Dec 2024

Health Score

MIXED

Official Website

About This Game

A gentle, family‑friendly mobile life‑simulation where players manage and decorate a campsite, complete small fetch/collection requests for animal characters, craft furniture, and visit other players’ campsites. Gameplay emphasizes creativity and light task-based progression rather than combat, but the original free-to-play version included time gates, gacha-style Fortune Cookies, and direct purchases that can speed progress. Nintendo later replaced the service-based app with a paid offline 'Pocket Camp Complete' that removes microtransactions and allows save transfers.

Score Breakdown

Positive Aspects

Educational Value

2/5

Creativity

4/5

Pro-Social

3/5

Risk Factors

Addictive Monetization

5/5

Time Pressure / FOMO

3/5

Social Risk

2/5

Content Intensity

0/5

Negatives

•Original free-to-play version featured aggressive microtransactions
•loot-box style Fortune Cookies
•and time-gated progression
•online features expose children to limited social interaction and potential in-app spending pressure.

Positives

•Low-violence
•gentle gameplay
•strong creativity/customization (camp and camper design)
•simple tasks that teach resource management and planning.

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Official Ratings

Everyone

ESRB

Users InteractDigital Purchases (In-Game Purchases)

In-Game Purchases; Users Interact

PEGI 3

PEGI

In-Game PurchasesUsers Interact

Age Recommendations

ℹ️Ages 3-5

Not recommended as a solo app for most 3–5 year olds due to reading demands and in-app purchase systems; safe to play briefly with parental supervision and account/payment controls.

ℹ️Ages 6-8

Playable with parental guidance: children can enjoy decorating and simple tasks, but parents should disable in-app purchases and discuss spending mechanics and waiting timers.

ℹ️Ages 9-12

Generally suitable — encourages creativity and light resource management; ensure in-app purchases are blocked/monitored and talk about gacha/loot mechanics.

ℹ️Ages 13-15

Appropriate; teens may enjoy customization and social features. Warn about microtransaction psychology in the original free-to-play release and encourage use of the paid 'Complete' version if available.

ℹ️Ages 16-18

Appropriate for older teens; low content risk aside from monetization mechanics in the original free build. The paid 'Complete' release removes purchase risks.