The game was originally developed for the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive, and would've utilized the console's internal clock to track real-world time, making the game seem truly alive. However, because of the Disk Drive's commercial failure, Dōbutsu no Morí, like many others, was moved to a standard Nintendo 64 cartridge, with the internal clock being built into the cartridge itself.

Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Forest) was the starting point for the Animal Crossing series. The game was the last first-party title to be released for the Nintendo 64 in Japan.