What is the original Japanese title of the first Animal Crossing game?

The original Japanese title of the first Animal Crossing game was Dōbutsu no Mori.

Written as どうぶつの森, the title literally means “Animal Forest.” The game was released exclusively in Japan for the Nintendo 64 on April 14, 2001. It introduced the series’ real-time village life, animal neighbors, seasonal events, and a clock that continued to shape the world when the player was not actively playing.

The name is often mixed up with Dōbutsu no Mori+, the enhanced GameCube version released in Japan later in 2001. Nintendo used that version as the foundation for the international GameCube release titled Animal Crossing. Dōbutsu no Mori e+ was another, later Japanese update with additional content.

“Animal Forest” is a translation of the Japanese title, not the name generally used for the original Japanese release in Romanized form. “Animal Crossing” is the international title that emerged through localization, after Nintendo adapted the game’s text, holidays, items, and cultural references for Western audiences.