Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Best Pre-Order Bonus Is Returning--Here's How To Grab It

Animal Crossing merchandise is a hot commodity these days, as fans are eager to get their hands on anything New Horizons-related ahead of the highly anticipated Switch game's release. The game's most popular pre-order bonus, an exclusive Animal Crossing journal sold at Target, has been out of stock for weeks. However, fans may be able to get their hands on the hot-ticket item on release day.

Target's latest weekly ad for March 8-14 is full of Mario Day deals, but buried off to the side, the ad also includes two Animal Crossing: New Horizons promotions. According to the ad, the popular Animal Crossing journal that's exclusive to Target will be restocked in stores on March 20--Animal Crossing: New Horizons' release date. The journal, which includes a custom 2020 calendar, comes free with your purchase of the game. However, this is an in-store-only promotion, and quantities will be limited, so you'll want to show up at Target as early as possible on March 20 if you want to snag a journal with the game. If you pre-order the game online at Target, you can bring in your pre-order receipt to get the journal.

The second Animal Crossing promotion is for the Animal Crossing: New Horizons special-edition Switch console. The ad promotes the fact that the Animal Crossing Switch will be available Friday, March 13, but it's unclear if this is announcing a restock or just noting the release date. We haven't spotted the Animal Crossing Switch back in stock on Target's website, so your best bet is to swing by your local store as soon as possible to see if they have any still in stock.

If you're not interested in the journal or ready to shell out $300 for a new Switch, there's plenty more Animal Crossing: New Horizons merch that won't break the bank, including Animal Crossing console skins to make your Switch pretty for just $20. Plus, check out our Animal Crossing: New Horizons pre-order guide for more information on its other pre-order bonuses and an adorable bell bag bundle at Best Buy.

Now that we're just one week away from the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a ton of information about the game is available. At PAX East 2020, where Animal Crossing had the cutest booth around, we got the chance to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons hands-on, trying out its clothing customization options, exploring the museum, and snitching to Isabelle about problematic villagers.