Animal Crossing: New Horizons Is Coming to the Switch 2 and Gets a New Content Update

By Garrett Martin | October 30, 2025 | 3:00pm

Video Games News Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Is Coming to the Switch 2 and Gets a New Content Update

So how bad off is your island?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting a surprising content update, and it makes perfect sense for Nintendo to announce it the day before Halloween. What’s scarier than returning to the island that you no doubt abandoned for good three or four years ago? Those little critters’ words could hurt me more than any monster, and I don’t think I could survive the psychic damage they’ll unleash after years of being left alone.

If you haven’t already played New Horizons—which was a daily habit for me and countless others during the height of the pandemic shutdown—and thus don’t have to fear any awkward reconnections, January will be a great time to start. On January 15 Nintendo will release Animal Crossing: New Horizons—Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, as well as a free update for owners of the Switch original. The Switch 2 version will see the kind of technical upgrades you can expect from any Switch game on the Switch 2, with better graphics and (presumably) a more stable framerate, although it’s still capped at 30 FPS. It’ll also let you use the Switch 2’s mouse controls for writing and drawing in-game, and support multiplayer for up to 12, which is an increase from the eight player max on the Switch. You can also use the Switch 2 microphone with a new in-game megaphone item, which lets you call specific Villagers out by name. So no wandering around looking for Raymond, or whoever.

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If you’re sticking to the Switch version, the update will still add a lot to your game. There’ll be a new vacation spot in the mix, as Kapp’n, the sea shanty-singing turtle, and his family now run a new resort hotel. You can help them decorate their hotel in exchange for tickets that can then be exchanged at the hotel gift shop for unique items, and you’ll also be able to invite specific animals to stay at the hotel if you scan their Amiibo. Slumber Island, a temporary locale you visit while you sleep, and which you can decorate however you wish, will be added to the game. And Resetti, the angry mole who’s been a part of these games from the beginning but skipped out on New Horizons, returns, this time as a quick and easy way to “reset” areas of your island—effectively making it faster and easier to clean.

There are some other cool additions, like crossovers with Zelda and Splatoon. And, in a nod to the original Animal Crossing, which included a selection of classic NES games you could play in-game, you’ll now be able to play certain old Nintendo titles in New Horizons, if you have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. All these updates will be free if you already own New Horizons, although you’ll need an active NSO subscription to access some of them.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons—Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and the new update are out on January 15, 2026. The whole package will cost $64.99 for first-time buyers; if you already own New Horizons and want to upgrade to the Switch 2 version, it’ll cost $4.99. And if you want to learn more, or just want to see all of this in action, here’s a 12 minute video Nintendo released today digging into all the updates.