Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

This 87-year-old grandma eats, sleeps, and breathes ‘Animal Crossing’

Add as a preferred source on Google
Animal Crossing
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How much Animal Crossing is too much Animal Crossing? One 87-year-old grandma knows the answer to that question: You can never play too much. But we imagine she’s logged many more hours in Animal Crossing: New Leaf than you. Paul Hubans’ grandmother has put 3,580 hours into New Leaf. Yes, you read that right.

In a viral tweet, Hubans shared a picture of the Nintendo 3DS‘ Activity Log with the proof.

Recommended Videos

My 87-year-old grandma has played Animal Crossing New Leaf on her 3DS every single day for the past 4 years now.

Her 3DS finally broke this year, so we got her a new one for Christmas. During a system transfer I checked her activity log: pic.twitter.com/R33KycrW4q

— Paul ⚔️ Hubans (@phubans) January 1, 2019

Hubans made the discovery while performing a system transfer for his grandmother, whose 3DS died after four years of daily use. Given the fact that his grandma played New Leaf every day for four years, she averaged close to 2.5 hours of game time per day. That’s a staggering and beautiful love for New Leaf. She has spent nearly 150 full days inside the adorable community simulator. We think she’s an inspiration.

Hubans was kind enough to give the people what they wanted by sharing a picture of his grandma (our hero) playing 3DS. We’d like to think the look of satisfaction on her face was caused by a great day of picking perfect fruit.

Here she is! pic.twitter.com/JfETQ2FEJm

— Paul ⚔️ Hubans (@phubans) January 2, 2019

So how does grandma typically spend her time in New Leaf? Hubans said she likes to do the “daily village chores, like hitting rocks, digging up fossils, etc.” That makes sense considering grandma does, in fact, play the game daily.

With Animal Crossing coming to Nintendo Switch in 2019, we sure hope grandma will get the chance to restart that clock and play for another 3,000-plus hours. Hubans said that the family wants to save up to buy her a Switch for the next iteration of the popular franchise. After his tweet went viral, Hubans, an indie game designer from California, shared a link to The Indie Game Legend 3D, a game of his that launched in early access on Steam late last year. He is also working on UFO 50, a retro-style collection of indie games.

Hubans’ grandmother isn’t the only one around with a passion for a single game. Grandma Shirley is an 82-year-old YouTuber specializing in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Shirley is so beloved in the Elder Scrolls community that fans want to see her as a character in The Elder Scrolls VI.

Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
Intel’s Arc G3 Extreme could be the plot twist handheld gaming needed
My time with the MSI Claw and Acer Predator Atlas suggests AMD finally has genuine competition.
Intel Arc G3 Extreme Hands On with Acer Predator Atlas 8

If there’s one gadget category I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time obsessing over in the past few years, it’s handheld gaming PCs. I’ve put hundreds of hours into the Steam Deck, bought an original ROG Ally for myself, and most recently reviewed the ROG Xbox Ally X in depth. I’ve seen this market evolve from a cool experiment into something that can genuinely replace a gaming laptop for quick sessions on the couch or while travelling. I’ve also experienced its biggest weakness firsthand. No matter how good these machines get, there’s always some compromise lurking around the corner, whether it’s battery life, thermals, performance, or software quirks.

So when I landed at Computex 2026 and got the chance to spend time with Acer’s brand-new Predator Atlas 8 and MSI’s latest Claw 8 EX AI+, I was naturally excited. Not just because they looked cool, but because they represented something the handheld market desperately needed: real competition. Truth be told, Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme processor might just be the most important handheld announcement we’ve seen in years. And honestly? It’s about time.

Read more
Xbox’s next era may start with a painful question about console prices
A new Xbox Wire post points to surging parts costs, tighter supply, and more pressure on future console pricing.
Xbox Logo

Xbox is putting unusual pressure on its own console business, and a new Xbox Wire post gives players a clear reason to watch for an Xbox price hike.

Microsoft says storage and memory prices are climbing fast, while Xbox can’t currently make as many consoles as players want to buy. It also says the business needs a new hardware model and new partnerships as it remains committed to Helix.

Read more
Steam is ending gift cards because scammers were raising too much hell
Digital gift cards will remain, but physical cards are being retired from stores
Steam gift cards.

Valve is pulling physical Steam gift cards from retail stores, bringing an end to a program that has been around since 2012. The company confirmed, as spotted via SteamDB, that it will no longer send new stock of Steam gift cards to retailers once current supplies run out.

Digital Steam gift cards are not going away. Valve says users will still be able to buy them directly through Steam, and existing physical cards can still be redeemed whenever users choose. Retail stock, however, is expected to disappear by the end of 2026.

Read more