Animal Crossing: New Horizons' save transfer option isn't getting any less confusing Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Animal Crossing: New Horizons' save transfer option isn't getting any less confusing Recovery after lost or damaged Switch possible one time only. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 20 Feb 2020 41 comments During a Q&A section in today's Animal Crossing Direct, Nintendo again attempted to clear up the confusion surrounding your inability to transfer the game's save files from one Switch to another. In short, you still can't. As in other Animal Crossing games, individual consoles host a single, shared settlement - a place which contains the houses of all local players. Likely because of this, New Horizons is one of several Switch games which do not support the Switch Online subscription's Cloud Backup option. But what about if you upgrade your Switch to a shiny new model? What if your Switch is stolen and needs to be replaced? Nintendo has now said there will be a way to recover your save file on another Switch - to be added in an forthcoming update post-release - but it will only offer the service "in the case of a defective or lost console". And it will only do this "one time". Watch on YouTube "Animal Crossing: New Horizons does not support the Save Data Cloud [Backup] feature," Nintendo said in today's Direct. "However, we're planning to offer a service for recovering backed up save data from the server in certain circumstances, such as console damage or loss." Tiny small print on the US version of the Direct (not present in the UK version) here clarifies: "Nintendo Switch Online members can only have save data recovered one time due to loss or damage of system." How exactly this works, Nintendo did not specify. But the ability to only do this wholesale - all of the user profiles attached to one Switch unit - seems likely tied to how the series handles its towns as shared living spaces. 'Nintendo Switch Online members can only have save data recovered one time due to loss or damage of system.' To be fair to Nintendo, the number of people likely to lose or permanently smash up their Switch will only be a tiny proportion of those who play the game. But it begs the question - if Nintendo can do this, if it does have your save data backed up somewhere, why not offer Cloud Backup in general? Why is this not supported if you are simply upgrading your Switch to a shinier new model? Martin recently played the first hour of Animal Crossing: New Horizons - click through to see what he thought of the streamlined, more structured take on Nintendo's life-sim. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store