I’m not crying; you’re crying. Nintendo just announced that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting a surprise 3.0 update alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition on January 15th, 2026. And, to put it simply, it’s big.
The 12-minute announcement trailer details everything from the upgrades coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, the Ver.3.0 update coming to both the Switch and Switch 2 versions, and a slew of collaborations that fans have been yearning for since 2020.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition brings all of the best parts of the Switch 2 to your island
Starting off the announcement video, Nintendo went into detail on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and all of the enhancements coming exclusively to that version.
According to the official press release:
- Improved resolution (4K in TV mode).
- Mouse controls with the right Joy-Con 2 controller to decorate indoors, create Custom Designs and even compose hand-written bulletin-board messages.
- Locate residents by calling their names using the in-game megaphone item and the built-in Nintendo Switch 2 microphone.
- Join 12-player sessions for online sessions if everyone is playing the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
- Play with friends via CameraPlay. Connect a compatible USB camera (sold separately) and see their reactions in-game while exploring your island together.
The 4k resolution will obviously require a 4k display or TV, capping the frame rate at 30 fps in that mode. CameraPlay will require a compatible USB camera, as well as a Nintendo Switch Online membership. And, of course, if you want to use GameChat, you need a microphone and a Nintendo Switch Online membership as well.
The Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition will be available on January 15th, 2026, for $64.99. If you’re like me and already own the original Switch version, the paid upgrade pack is only $4.99.
The Animal Crossing Free Update Ver.3.0 has a Resort Hotel, Resetti, Slumber Island, tons of new items and clothing, and the ability to store trees
After the news about the Switch 2 Edition, they went into a surprise announcement for the Free Update Ver.3.0 for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on both Switch and Switch 2! The 3.0 update is a full load of new content, new characters, new locations, and, of course, new items and clothing.
The Resort Hotel is opening up on your island’s pier. Run by Kapp’n’s family, the hotel will allow you to decorate themed rooms, have tourists on your island, and earn a special currency that can get you items from the souvenir shop. Dress up mannequins in the lobby of the hotel that guests and visitors can wear, if you want a certain theme for your island paradise.
In addition, there are multiple ways to earn the new Resort Hotel currency tickets, including building requested items from your own resources and giving them to Kapp’n to take to the buyer for you.
Additionally, our old grumpy friend, Resetti, is finally back as an NPC in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Since the game automatically saves for you at tons of places, he’s less focused on getting mad at you for not saving this time around. Instead, he’s here to help clean up your island when you need it. He can also pick your flowers and put them in storage for you.
Speaking of which, your home storage is going to allow for storing trees, shrubs, and flowers in this update. And, if you’re like me, you’ve been maxed out at 5,000 slots in home storage for years. The good news is that you’ll be able to upgrade that up to 9,000 now in Animal Crossing: New Horizons!
Slumber Island is a new way to utilize deep sleep and the character Luna. If you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership, you can design and save up to three Slumber Islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This also allows you to invite other players or your own villagers to create and collab from small, medium, or large options.
The Free Update Ver.3.0 will be available on the same day as the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition release, January 15th, 2026.
We’re finally getting collaborations with Nintendo hardware, Zelda, and Splatoon – plus LEGO!
But, wait! There’s more! In addition to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 update, the trailer announced that a ton of exciting collaborations are coming to the game. This is everything from Nintendo products to Zelda and Splatoon, with a special collab from LEGO!
By increasing your branding with the Hotel Resort, you can also use the currency tickets in the souvenir shop to buy historical items from Nintendo’s past, like the Ultra Hand or Love Tester in the Special tab.
But, the consoles that you can purchase are extra interesting. In much older Animal Crossing titles, if you go to a video game console and use it, you’d be able to play snippets of games that were part of that console’s library. That’s come back! If you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership and click on, let’s say, the NES, you can play games like Ice Climbers. It’s such a neat touch that honors the history of the Animal Crossing games.
By heading to Nook Shopping, you’ll be able to see that the Promotion tab has also been updated with LEGO-branded items. The items come in a ton of color options and range from wallpapers, beds, and sofas, to LEGO DIY workbenches and LEGO plum blossoms. There’s a ton to work with just from this one collab and you can use bells for it!
The other two collaborations require compatible Amiibo, but are also massive. The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon collabs, for instance, both offer a ton of clothing and items from across the history of both franchises. But, both of them will have special villagers that can join your island!
For the Zelda collab, Tulin (the Rito) and Mineru (the Zorai) can become villagers on your island, being an Animal Crossing-style villager version of each character right out of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The Splatoon villagers, Cece and Viché, are both squirrels, but take heavy influence from Shiver and Frye of Deep Cut fame.
Both the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and the Free Update Ver.3.0 are set to release on January 15th, 2026. What new feature are you most excited for? Tell us below in the comments!
While you’re here, check out the news about the Animal Crossing-like Pokémon game called Pokémon Pokopia, also coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.
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