Today, Nintendo announced that its second-best-selling Nintendo Switch game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, is getting a Nintendo Switch 2 version, with graphical updates and features that take advantage of the Switch 2 and its improved hardware. Today's Animal Crossing news isn't just for Nintendo Switch 2 players; a new 3.0 title update is also on its way, which will be available to players on both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.
The new Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons leans on the updated hardware for several updates, each shown off in a new trailer, which also goes over the features coming in the 3.0 title update.
Both the Switch 2 version of New Horizons and the 3.0 title update will be available on January 15, 2026, and if you already have New Horizons, you'll be able to upgrade to the Switch 2 edition of the game by purchasing an upgrade pack. The 3.0 title update is free for all players.
When it comes to the graphical updates included in the Switch 2 edition of New Horizons, Nintendo doesn't exactly go into details, but does showcase that the Switch 2 version will look much sharper compared to what you get on Nintendo Switch.
The more significant updates seem to be how New Horizons takes advantage of features like mouse controls on the Joy-Con 2 controllers and the microphone on Switch 2, which now lets you call out to your island guests to more easily find where they are. Also, rather than having eight players come and visit your island, you and eleven of your friends who were all wealthy enough to buy a Switch 2 can all play together with up to twelve players capable of visiting one island on the Switch 2 edition.
The free 3.0 title update meanwhile adds new amiibo functionality with compatible Legend of Zelda and Splatoon amiibos allowing players to add up to four new characters to their island, along with new items and furniture styles with which to decorate their island. There's also a new LEGO collaboration on the way which has a slew of LEGO items for players to decorate and use.
New Horizons also gets a new hotel with the 3.0 update, where players can run and unlock new items and outfits from, as you'll decorate the various rooms in the hotel to suit a guest's specific needs.
New Horizons launched in March 2020, and has since become one of the best-selling first-party games from Nintendo on the Nintendo Switch.
When we reviewed it at launch, we gave it a 9.4/10, and what we wrote back then still stands: "When I saw that I had played 40 hours of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I was shocked because it didn't feel like that long at all. And that's because it still has that Animal Crossing magic. I played for what felt like five minutes a day, but in reality was multiple hours of fishing, bug catching, material collecting, crafting, and more. I feel like a complete newbie still, like I have so much to do, so much more to learn, and I can't wait to see more. I have to. I'm going to continue playing, and build my perfect island. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has its hooks in me, and while I still don't know if it's my favorite Animal Crossing game, it's undoubtedly one of the best."
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