Hong Kong protestors are using the famous ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizon’ game to stand against President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government.In response, the government has removed theNintendo Switchgame listing from China’s prominent eCommerce sites.
For those of you who are unaware, Animal Crossing: New Horizon is a game where players live on a tropical island, interact with each other, and build things around them. Surprisingly, such social simulation games have become more than just a source of entertainment.
Previously, we saw a couple whovirtually marriedinside ‘Animal Crossing’ when their real marriage was postponed due to theCOVID-19threat. Now, Hong Kong protestors are using the game to protest against their government.
Joshua Wong, a Hong Kong democracy activist, was one of the first to start this protest. He posted a screenshot of his island decorated with a banner saying“Free Hong Kong, revolution now.”
This is what we do in#AnimalCrossing… maybe it’s why these people are so anxious to go back to the game!!pic.twitter.com/vVeaGq54lv
— Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 😷 (@joshuawongcf)June 29, 2025
More people eventually started to participate in the protest by coming up with something of their own. For instance, in one ‘Animal Crossing’ video, six players used butterfly nets to hit images of Hong Kong chief executive, Carrie Wong.
In no time, the in-game protest reached people outside of Hong Kong, and protestors started criticizing President Xi Jinping in their unique ways.
Will I be arrested because of possession of offensive weapons in#AnimalCrossing😰😰pic.twitter.com/DWf3O94aC8
— ラティス🌸🐱🏴☠️香港獨立 (@0811_lattice)June 12, 2025
To shut down the protesters, Beijing officials asked sellers to remove “Animal Crossing” from eCommerce sites like Taobao and Pinduoduo.
Animal Crossing: New Horizon is not officially available in China just yet. The game is yet to be approved by China’s gaming regulator; however, this hasn’t stopped Chinese people from buying the game.
