All the new and returning features Nintendo has confirmed ahead of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’s release.

After a more than a decade of fans asking when – or if – the Tomodachi Life franchise would receive another entry, Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream is probably one of this year’s most highly anticipated games. Announced last March, the game revolves around creating and caring for Mii characters as they go about their lives on a tropical island, and to say fans are excited would definitely be an understatement.

The game looks to be just as wacky as its predecessor, and thanks to a dedicated Nintendo Direct released at the end of January, we have our first glimpse at the gameplay, including some highly anticipated new features. Here’s everything we know about Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream!

Release Date and System Information

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is set to launch on Nintendo Switch on 16th April, 2026, and will receive a physical and digital release, both of which are currently available for pre-order. The game will also be playable on Nintendo Switch 2 thanks to the console’s backwards compatibility.

Price and Additional Content

Nintendo has confirmed the game will cost $59.99/£49.99. Both the physical and digital copies are listed for this price point.

Regarding paid DLC, there has been no official announcement of any additional content related to Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. However, as previously seen with other Nintendo life-sim games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the game is likely to receive free content updates after launch.

Rating

The game has received an ESRB rating of E, with warnings for comic mischief, mild fantasy and violence.

Queer Inclusion

Despite being known for the wild relationships that formed between players’ Miis, Tomodachi Life on the 3DS notably didn’t allow for your Miis to be queer – something Nintendo actually released an apology for back in 2014, promising that this would be included in the franchise’s next instalment.

However, many fans were still apprehensive about improved inclusion following Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’s initial announcement. Thankfully, the Direct has confirmed the ability to create queer Miis, showcasing a new settings menu.

When making a Mii, players will be able to select whether they are male, female or nonbinary, as well as their ‘dating preferences’. The latter setting is incredibly inclusive, allowing Miis to romance any combination of genders. You can disable romance for individual Miis by leaving their preferences blank.

New Mii Maker

Another major improvement shown in the Direct is the new Mii Maker. You may remember struggling with the old maker’s limited features, but Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream boasts a new art style and highly customisable Miis.

In the Direct, we were shown a few examples of how features such as eyes and hairstyles can be tweaked to create unique new looks for your characters. After choosing how your Mii looks, you can then choose their name, build, voice and personality.

The old Mii Maker included a method where a Mii could be generated from a photo, though it was not always the most accurate. In Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, players have two ways to make Miis; either on their own ‘From Scratch’, or choosing to ‘Get Help’, where a Mii is created by answering questions about their features.

Increased Customisation

It’s not just the Mii Maker that’s had an upgrade – Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream will give players the choice to customise many other aspects of their gameplay. The game will see the introduction of custom clothing, pets, objects, food and even houses, using a feature reminiscent Animal Crossing’s custom designs.

The island your Miis live on is also highly customisable. Not only can furniture, decorations and plants be purchased to give the island more character, but the shape and layout of the island itself is entirely up to you. In the Direct, Nintendo showed off a range of customised islands, emphasising the level of creative control players will have over their game.

Controlling Mii Interactions

Unlike a lot of the other games in the life-sim genre, Tomodachi Life is in many ways more of an observational game – although you could help your Miis, your control over them was a more limited than in a game like The Sims, for example.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream differs slightly, introducing a ‘drag-and-drop’ feature where you can pick up and place Miis near each other to make them interact by suggesting conversation topics. After meeting, Mii’s interaction becomes more autonomous, allowing their relationships to develop without the need for constant interaction.

Phrases and Little Quirks

The Miis in the game have a lot of personality. Not only will players be able to set catchphrases, but the Direct also touched on a new feature called ‘Little Quirks’, which you can collect to add further individuality to the characters. Some of the quirks shown include how a Mii eats, how they sleep and wiping away sweat.

Houses and Roommates

One particularly exciting change explored in the Direct was the fact that, unlike the last game where houses were exclusively for married couples and their children, you can now choose to have up to eight Miis live together as roommates.

Miis can ask each other to be roommates, and Miis living in the same house will have unique interactions. This was demonstrated in the Direct with two Miis fighting over the TV remote, and another group debating fashion icons around the table. Nintendo promises that with this new roommate dynamic, some unexpected drama will unfold!

Shops

Most of the shops from the last game are returning, although many of them have received new names and designs. Additionally, the Direct introduced several new shops as well. The following shops have been confirmed ahead of release:

• Fresh Kingdom – Food
• Where & Wear – Clothing
• T&C Reno – Room interiors
• Marketplace – Mystery bags, where players can acquire a range of items depending on the time of day
• Palette House – Custom designs
• Quik Build – Island decoration/design

Island Facilities

Alongside the Island’s shops, there are some other facilities that were discussed in the direct. The MNN news station lets players keep up with the everyday happenings on the island, broadcasting daily reports that, if the previous game is anything to go by, are sure to add even more silliness.

There is also Foto-Tomo, where you can access the game’s photo mode. You can choose a Mii or group of Miis, a background and placement to create memories of the game.

Real-Time Progression

Another gameplay mechanic returning from the 3DS game is the use of real-time game progression. In Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, time will move as it does in real life. This progression means that, even when you’re not actively playing, things will still happen as the Miis live their lives.

Online Communication

Whereas the last game used the 3DS’ StreetPass to share travellers and items between players and for Miis to be shared via QR codes, Nintendo has confirmed that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream will not allow online communication. Instead, local communication can be used to share Miis with friends.

This decision was informed by the new customisation options. Nintendo stated that they placed restrictions on certain sharing features to ensure the game remains ‘fun and safe’ for all players.

Features Yet To Be Confirmed

One fan favourite facility noticeably absent from the Direct was the Concert Hall, leading some fans to speculate on whether it will appear in the final game. Similarly, The Pawn Shop where players could get money by selling the treasures their Miis gifted them was not mentioned.

Marriage and babies, while seen briefly, were also not explored in much depth, and so it is still unknown if any changes or improvements have been made to these aspects of the game.

The Nintendo Direct has given us a great first taste of the game and its gameplay. Given that the game is still over a month away, some details are likely still being kept under wraps, but it’s clear that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream players can expect a great mix of new and familiar features upon the games release.

Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream is set to release on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on 16^th April 2026.

What new features are you most excited for? Is there anything else you want to see? Let us know in the comments!