How much internet data does Animal Crossing: New Horizons use?

The online multiplayer modes in Animal Crossing: New Horizons let you (or your kids) play remotely with friends and interact with new friends in the game, but – unlike the offline modes – these modes use internet data. If you game on a fixed wireless internet connection or a mobile hotspot, you may need to keep an eye on how much data Animal Crossing is costing you.

Let’s take a closer look at how much data it takes to download, update, and play Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch. If you want to stop worrying about how much data you use online gaming, switch to an unlimited fixed 5G or 4G LTE connection.

Animal Crossing download size

The initial Animal Crossing download uses more mobile data than updating or playing the game. Keep in mind that the file size is larger than the download size (which is compressed), and that the file size increases over time as developers release patches and updates for the game.

There’s an easy way to avoid using a ton of data on the game download. If you’re afraid your data plan won’t support the download, purchase the disk and install the game offline instead.

Animal Crossing update size

The Animal Crossing 1.10 update in March had a file size of about 200 MB. Stay up to date on new Animal Crossing updates on the Nintendo website. If you’re worried that an upcoming update will push you over your monthly data limit, turn off auto-updates in the game settings. Then, choose to install updates when you have data at the beginning of the month.

Animal Crossing data use

Animal Crossing uses very little data. Think less than 10 MB per hour. The exact amount of data you use playing the game depends on the number of players in your game mode, as well as your frame rate, the tickrate of your server, and whether you simultaneously use a voice chat app:

• The more players in a game, the more data your internet network exchanges with other players’ networks. This data includes data like the location and actions of each player. Multiplayer modes with more players use more data so, if you’re sharing an island with eight players, you’ll use more data than if you’re sharing with one other player.
• A higher frame rate refreshes the game more often, which makes it run faster. A lower frame rate saves you data, but makes the game run slower. You can adjust your frame rate (measured in FPS) in your game settings. To change your frame rate, you’ll need to disable vertical synch (V-Synch).
• The tick rate of your server also affects your data use. A 128-tick server, which refreshes the game 128 times every second, uses about twice as much data as a 64-tick server, which refreshes the game 64 times every second.
• If you use a voice chat app to talk with friends while you play Animal Crossing, expect to use six times more data playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Voice chat apps like Facetime Audio can use up to 60 MB of data per hour of chat.

Upgrade to unlimited data

Are you sick of watching how much data you use playing online games? With unlimited 5G or 4G LTE, you can spend as many hours playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons as you want, even if you can’t get cable internet where you live. To find out more about wireless internet options for rural gamers, see our fixed wireless internet plans or call us at 866-439-6630.