Tomodachi Life Nintendo Switch adaptation set for April release

Kelcy Conroy

Managing Editor

Since the release of the Nintendo Switch in 2017, fans have anticipated an adaptation of Tomodachi Life, one of Nintendo’s most infamous games. After many rumors, Nintendo confirmed in May 2025 that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, a new entry in the slice-of-life series featuring Nintendo’s Mii characters, was on their 2026 lineup. A game perfect for college students who grew up playing Nintendo and need an escape from the throws of the spring semester. 

Tomodachi Life was originally released in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS. It is an English adaptation of Tomodachi Collection, which was released in Japan. In the game, the player follows the day-to-day interactions of Mii characters as they build relationships, solve problems and interact with the player. The franchise has sold 6.72 million copies worldwide, putting it on the list of the best-selling Nintendo games of all time.

“When is the game coming out?” a Mii comically asks in a teaser. Nintendo has confirmed that the release date of the game is Apr. 16.

Graphic from Nintendo website

People on the internet immediately approached the announcement with excitement. A user on X posted, “How it’s gonna feel to play Tomodachi Life on April 16,” attaching a GIF of a man in the bathtub playing with dinosaurs, referencing a sense of childhood nostalgia that will remind people of when they played the game in their childhood. 

In a Nintendo Direct presentation on Jan. 29, details from the game were presented and there are exciting differences from the original Nintendo 3DS game. As in the original game, players can create Mii characters based on themselves, family members, friends or celebrities. These characters can be customized right down to their personalities, quirks and living spaces, satisfying the modern gamer’s itch to personalize a video game’s experience. 

In the original Tomodachi Life, Mii characters could build romantic relationships with other characters, though strictly heternormative. In a promise to make their games more inclusive, Nintendo is adding dating preferences for each character in Living the Dream, a feature that the player can choose alongside expanded gender identity options, including male, female and nonbinary. 

There is also the option in Living the Dream to customize the island where the characters live, an option that did not exist in the original game. These differences have also caused a positive reaction online from fans. 

Will Nintendo fans at RIC join in on the fun? Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is available to preorder on the Nintendo Switch here.