"The original game, the first time I played it was on Nintendo's GameCube and it was just so important to me and my sister," Brie Larson tells PEOPLE

Brie Larson on How Nintendo Switch's Animal Crossing Bonds Her and Her Sister: 'It's Sweet'

With all that’s going on in the world, Brie Larson is enjoying life on her peaceful island — in the just-released Nintendo Switch game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

“I’ve been playing the game I think since Monday by myself and I’ve had nobody to be able to talk to about it,” the Oscar winner and longtime Nintendo fan, 30, tells PEOPLE. “It’s been really sweet to have this special time with it to figure it out on my own.”

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In the latest iteration of the popular Nintendo Switch game, users create their own paradise by crafting hand-made tools, contributing to the economy, creating a community and hunting down insects and fish. Access to Online Play allows you to visit your friends’ islands and invite people over to your own.

For Larson, the connection to Animal Crossing is a personal one.

“The original game, the first time I played it was on Nintendo’s GameCube and it was just so important to me and my sister,” she tells PEOPLE. “My mom set up a rule: whoever finished their homework got to play first. It was an amazing tool to get us to finish our homework.”

The Captain Marvel actress says what appeals to her most about Animal Crossing, “besides the fact that it’s just so cute and sweet,” is that “it actually connects with real-time.”

“It’s daytime when it’s day, it’s nighttime when it’s night,” she explains. “And the game was constantly surprising you. If it was Halloween then it was Halloween in the game and you could go trick-or-treat at your neighbor’s houses. It just really blew our minds.”

Image zoom Animal Crossing: New Horizons Courtesy Nintendo

Larson says the latest version of the game “hits like a deep childhood memory” with her. “I’m so excited to make new memories with my sister [Milaine Desaulniers] again,” she says. “We’re adults now and yet we still just have such a deep love for this game and it’s been really fun to talk with her about it.”

Especially in light of the current state of the world, Larson says she cherishes this special way to connect with her sister.

“Given the circumstances, we can connect via the Internet and go to each other’s islands while we’re FaceTiming and communicate about this,” she shares. “It’s just sweet.”

Image zoom Animal Crossing: New Horizons