With over 550 hours in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I felt confident my time with the game was up, outside of a few visits to see my friends around holiday events. To my surprise and everyone else’s, a new version of the game for Nintendo Switch 2 is on the way with features that will certainly get me to jump back in. Players on the original Switch will also get a free content update, as well as Nintendo Switch 2 players, bringing great new items, villagers, and content to the game’s robust offerings. Here’s what you need to know!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the game of the early 2020 pandemic, and if you’ve not played it yet, or wanted a reason to jump back into island living, the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is coming with a slew of new features. The game will feature improved resolutions, including 4K in TV mode, as well as mouse controls with the Joy-Con 2 for decorating and writing bulletin-board messages. You will also be able to find residents of your island by calling their name into the microphone located at the top of the Switch 2, a device many forgot existed after it was announced in the initial Nintendo Switch 2 Direct.

You’ll also be able to play with up to 12 other players online if everyone is using the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game. This will utilize the new console’s CameraPlay feature, which enables you to see one another while playing. Nintendo Switch 2 players can purchase digital or physical versions of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game when it launches January 15, 2026, for $64.99 USD. If you simply want to upgrade from your Switch copy, you can do so for $4.99 MSRP.

That same day, a content update will come to the Nintendo Switch version of the game, as well as the Nintendo Switch 2 version, in a free patch. This will include the opening of a brand new resort hotel on the pier of your island, run by Kapp’n and his family. You’ll decorate guest rooms and unlock new furniture and outfits by setting up rooms to lure in folks to stay at the hotel. When it comes to the rest of the island, you’ll also be able to utilize a new Reset Service from Resetti to completely clean up and wipe out areas needing a refresh. The game will also expand storage to 9,000 items, and allow you to store trees, shrubs, and flowers there as well.

Slumber Island will also now allow you to go to sleep in a bed and decorate up to three islands outside of your own. This allows you to do major changes or complete rehauls of ideas you didn’t try on your main island while still maintaining its layout. You can collaborate with friends online, designing and decorating collaboratively, and invite residents of your home island to come stay in the dream island as well.

The update will also include new items from Nintendo. This includes things like Nintendo gaming consoles that can actually play classic games. LEGO is also collaborating with the game to include LEGO items that you can use to add some flair to your home and island. Lastly, The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon amiibo figures will now allow you to unlock various items and villagers inspired by the series.