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Islanders everywhere rejoice
Image: Nintendo
Animal Crossing: New Horizons hasn’t received a major content updates since November 2021, and many players resigned themselves to the fact that nothing else new would ever come to the game. The dry spell is finally over, with a brand-new update announced today by Nintendo of America, launching January 15, 2026.
The new addition is twofold: It’s partially a Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade, with better graphics and features that take advantage of the console’s mouse controls, better processing power, and Game Chat. The Nintendo Switch 2 version will cost $64.99, and players who already own the game will be able to purchase an upgrade pack for $4.99. This in itself is exciting, as issues like pop-in were rampant in the original New Horizons, but the update contains much more than a software upgrade.
A new 3.0 version of the game will become available to all players, which has a host of new features. There’s a new pier hotel that players can invite guests to and decorate in the style of the Happy Home Paradise DLC, and a host of new items connected to the hotel.
The update loops in characters for a bigger role in the game — Kapp’n family runs the aforementioned hotel, Resetti is back with a new service, and Luna is expanding players’ sleep with a new Dream World mechanic. The update also features collabs galore: Lego, Legend of Zelda, and Splatoon items are all coming to the game.
Though many players may have abandoned their islands long ago, this new update is more than enough reason to log back on, even if you have to pick a few weeds.
