Animal Crossing: New Horizons was supposed to be feature complete, with no major updates coming our way since 2021, but it turns out it's hard to keep a game that's sold nearly 50 million units down. A couple months back, Nintendo made the surprise announcement that Animal Crossing: New Horizons would be receiving a paid Nintendo Switch 2 update, as well as a free 3.0 update adding new content and long-requested quality-of-life features.
Do these updates justify returning to your (perhaps-long-neglected) island? Or is it not worth the trouble to even squash the cockroaches in your house? Sail on for my impressions...
Note: This is an opinion piece and, thus, not as detailed as a full-scored review would be.
Let's begin with the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Switch 2 Edition as it’s the update with an actual price tag, albeit a reasonable $5 one. The game, which suffered from fairly obvious jaggies on the OG Switch, now looks much crisper as it runs at 4K while docked (likely 1440p boosted to 4K using DLSS like most Switch 2 upgrades). Everything just has nice sharp edges now, which really benefits a lot of the intricately-detailed small objects and props in the game, but, of course, there is a limit to how transformed a game with Animal Crossing's visual style is going to be by a resolution bump (I would have perhaps liked to see HDR support too).
The Switch 2 upgrade also comes with a few other assorted additions, like mouse controls for drawing patterns and the ability to call out villager's names using the built in mic. There are also some improvements that simply come with the more modern hardware, like faster load times (a boon considering how much of a pain they were previously). That said, you're mainly paying for the visual fidelity boost, which I do think most people will find worthwhile at the price of a Big Mac, but that's up to you.
Arguably more interesting, at least from a new content perspective, is the 3.0 update, which, again, is available for free for both Switch 1 and 2 players. The big addition is the Hotel, which pops up on the pier and is run by Kapp'n and his reptilian pirate crew. Players are asked to design hotel rooms based on certain themes, with the game providing some items to fit those themes, and are rewarded with tickets that can be traded at the Hotel's shop for exclusive items. If this sounds very much like a stripped-down version of the not-that-keenly-remembered Happy Home Paradise DLC, well, that's because that’s basically what it is.
The Hotel is a fine addition for those who just can't get enough decorating, but there's no real challenge to it -- you can craft the perfect themed hotel rooms if you want, but you can also just slap more-or-less whatever together and still earn your tickets. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the hotel is that it attracts a steady stream of new animals to your island, which may be a good or bad thing depending on your temperament. On the one hand, some fresh blood! On the other hand, some folks who have very specifically curated their island's vibes and population may not enjoy all these new weirdos wandering around (I’m a YIMBY island manager myself).
The other big content addition are "Slumber Islands" -- essentially spare islands you can tinker with to your heart's desire, which, again, is great for the designers out there who just want more, more, more space for their designing, but they likely won’t be a game-changer for those who come to Animal Crossing for other things.
Most of the other 3.0 changes fall under the umbrella of QoL improvements, such as the ability to further expand your storage and craft directly using items in said storage, greatly reducing the amount of inventory juggling required. You can also now craft items in batches, activate a grid for designing outdoors, and get Mr. Resetti to clean up the junk on your island. All these changes are straightforward positives, with Mr. Resetti being particularly helpful for me, as my son has turned parts of my island into a bit of a hoarder’s paradise. Honestly, some may lightly curse Nintendo for not adding some of these features earlier.
Oh, and another thing! After being missing in action since the Gamecube days, you can again collect classic Nintendo consoles that actually allow you to play real retro games within New Horizons. Unfortunately, the implementation leaves a bit to be desired, as the selection of games is thin, light on bangers, and requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to work. Come on Nintendo, you couldn't have just given loyal Animal Crossing fans Clu Clu Land and Ice Climbers as freebies?
A Final Form on the Horizon
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition and the 3.0 update don't alter the vibes or scope of this well-worn game in any serious way, but their addition results in a more complete-feeling total package. Long-requested quality-of-life improvements are here, gameplay from the oft-ignored Happy Home Paradise DLC has essentially been folded into the main game, and everything looks sharp as a tack. Personally, I'm more interested in seeing where the Animal Crossing series sails off to next, but these updates ought to make your remaining days in this particular paradise more playable and pleasant than previous.
The Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 update is available to download now on Switch 1 and 2. The Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade can be purchased for $5.
About the author: Professional writer of trivial things. Nathan has been covering games, entertainment, and online culture for over a decade with bylines at IGN, GameSpy, Cracked, Uproxx, ComicBook, and more. Joined Wccftech gaming team in 2017, and has written hundreds of game reviews and thousands of news stories since.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
