Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream launches on April 16th; full Nintendo Direct presentation and details

Lite_Agent 29 January 2026 Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream

During the latest Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced that the long-awaited new entry in the Tomodachi Life series, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, will launch on April 16th worldwide.

The game will only be available on Nintendo Switch, but of course, it will also be playable on Nintendo Switch 2. Unfortunately, Nintendo did not mention whether there would be any enhancements or extra features when playing on that console (like sharper graphics, mouse controls, etc.), but considering there’s still a little under 3 months until release, it’s possible the company is simply saving the announcement for a later date.

Missed the Nintendo Direct? Here’s the full recording of the presentation:

And here’s the press release with all the details and screenshots:

In the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream game, players can create Mii characters based on family, friends and anyone they can imagine, and have them inhabit a vibrant, eclectic island where almost anything can happen. Customize Mii characters right down to their personalities, little quirks and living spaces, then see what weird and wonderful things they’ll get up to. Give them an occasional nudge to divulge what’s on their minds, help them solve life’s problems, cultivate their friendships and more. In this game, time passes the same way as the real world, so try and drop in on your Mii characters daily as they continue to live their best island lives!

Mii Characters With Character – In Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, players can fully customize and envision Mii characters as family, friends and more. Your experience can differ based on the Miis you create as residents, so feel free to experiment and grow your island population!
Create Many Miis – There are two ways to create Mii characters: Choose “Get Help” to answer questions about their facial features, or “From Scratch” to select from various face types, hairstyles, eyes and more. There are many parts to choose from, some of which are new to this game, and you can create even more imaginative looking Miis with robust face paint options, too. After that, you can customize their name, height, body type, gender, voice and aspects of their personality, including how quirky they are, their energy levels and more.
Help Residents Connect – Once created, Miis will need some help getting on their feet. One way to do this is to bring various residents together. Drop Miis near each other and different situations might play out: They may discuss their favorite foods or bond over their love of monster trucks. Once acquainted, the Miis will be able to interact on their own. You can also have up to eight residents live together as roommates, and they’ll react differently when sharing a home. With multiple Miis under one roof, some unexpected dramas may unfold!
Visit Island Shops and Facilities – Help Miis discover their favorite eats and culinary curiosities at Fresh Kingdom food mart; pick up a range of everyday attire and out-there outfits at Where & Wear clothing; revamp rooms and living spaces at T&C Reno home supply (there are even rooms for Miis who dream of sleeping in a supermarket or a library!); shop for reasonably priced items that change depending on the time of day at the Marketplace; gather island decorations at Quik Build amenities; tune into the MNN news station to keep up with the Miis and everyday happenings on the island; and stage a fun photo op for Miis at Foto-Tomo photography and more.
Palette House Workshop – Create a wide range of elements at this artsy workshop to further enliven island life! Design pets for Mii characters, draft up custom drinks, sketch a resident’s favorite TV show, decorate a special item of clothing, draw the exterior of a house and ground tiles, and go wild by creating original items for your island, too.
Make Your Island Yours – Change up your island’s aesthetic with landscape items, such as trees, plants, benches, vending machines, bouncy playground rides and more. Move shops and houses around, expand areas of land, and more based on suggestions from residents or personal preference.
More Ways to Customize – And add some flourishes to Mii characters by gifting them little quirks that can give them even more individuality, like poses they may strike, how they enjoy their food or having them toss and turn while they sleep, for example. You can also gift them favorite phrases to spice up their sentences. Try finding little quirks that fit each Mii!

Finally, Nintendo has announced restrictions regarding image and video sharing. More precisely, the following features will not be available:

Image transfer to smartphones
Direct posting to social media
Automatic image upload (Nintendo Switch 2 only)

Here’s the message from Nintendo explaining those restrictions:

Nintendo aims to create experiences where players have the freedom to enjoy their Mii characters in their own way. In Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream this freedom can sometimes lead to humorous, surprising or unpredictable moments during gameplay.

While these moments are often fun for players, we recognise that out-of-context scenes may be misunderstood or may not reflect the spirit in which the game is intended to be enjoyed.

Nintendo is committed to creating experiences that are welcoming and enjoyable for everyone.

To support this commitment, and in consideration of the unique gameplay in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, we have decided to place restrictions on certain image sharing features. These limits help to make the worlds players create in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream remain fun and safe, and that the game can be enjoyed comfortably by all players.

We understand that some players may find these restrictions limiting. However, they reflect Nintendo’s ongoing philosophy of creating experiences that bring smiles to everyone who plays.

Do note that you will still be able to transfer screenshots and videos manually via a PC, and record footage directly using tools like Elgato.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (Switch) comes out on April 16th worldwide.

Source: Nintendo PR (29/01/2026) / Nintendo