Overview
- Number of Players
- 4 (12 Player Online)
- Genre
- Physical Release
- Standard Game Card
- Release Date
Nintendo Switch 2
15th Jan 2026 — $64.99
15th Jan 2026 — £54.99
- Also Available On
- Series
- Feature Support
- Upgrade Path
- Via Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)
- $4.99 —
£4.19 — €4.99
- Official Site
- nintendo.com
Reviews
You could just save your bells
It’s tough to consider that Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out almost six years ago, and even tougher to get over just how good it looks on Nintendo’s first hybrid system. Switch 2 hasn’t been left behind, though - now it’s got its own version of the game, but if I’m being honest, it's not really bringing...
Screenshots 5
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Guides
Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons Guide - Walkthrough, Tips And Hints
Bugs! Fish! Tools! Bells! Blathers!
Animal Crossing: New Horizons slowly but surely took over many of our lives when it launched in 2020, but if you're at a loss for what to do next in the game, then you should check out the tips and hints we've outlined below - including guides for the big free update which arrived alongside a Nintendo Swit
Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons: DIY Recipes - How To Get More DIY Recipes And DIY Workbenches
Craft all the things!
Although not entirely new to Animal Crossing (let us not forget dear old Cyrus), crafting has certainly become an unprecedentedly huge part of the game in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Specifically, crafting DIY recipes is an entirely new concept for the series — one which we all agree has been an extremely addictive...
The first stumbling block?
If you've picked up Animal Crossing: New Horizons recently, before you get to rare fish and bugs or deciding where to put your tent (don't worry too much —
Nook and see
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and the accompanying Ver. 3.0 update arrived on 15th January 2026, and there's a lot packed into them. Below, we've listed everything included in the ACNH 3.0 update — which is available to the base Switch 1 game too — and outlined all of the Switch 2 Edition additions...
Guide Animal Crossing New Horizons: Full Patch Notes And Version History
A list of every Animal Crossing: New Horizons update ever
It's fair to say that Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Switch changed quite a bit since it released for Nintendo's console in March 2020. The life sim saw numerous updates in the months post-launch, with new seasonal events, new characters, new items and more added over time — not to...
Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Zelda & Splatoon Villagers - All Compatible amiibo
What is this? A crossover episode?
Ever wanted to make your island a little more Hylian? How about a little more Splatlandian? It sounds like you need specific Villagers that can fit the bill. Zelda and Splatoon Villagers are cropping up in Animal Crossing: New Horizons as of the launch of ver. 3.0 on 15th January. All you need to do is tap an...
Maybe I'll play F-Zero
Ever since the first entry in the series, Animal Crossing fans have been wishing playable retro Nintendo games would make a return. And now they have, after a fashion. With the release of update 3.0.0, a small selection of 8- and 16-bit games are playable in Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Switch 1 and 2. In this guide,...
Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Daily Tasks - 10 Reasons To Check In On Your Island Every Day
Your daily dose of island life
One of the most intriguing aspects of the Animal Crossing series is how it syncs up with the time and day of the real world. This single feature has made the series that much more immersive, but it’s also partly to blame for why we continue to come back day after day. There’s always something new to do, people to...
Suite Jesus
The Resort Hotel is one of the additions to New Horizons that came with the 3.0.0 Animal Crossing 2026 update. Run by Kapp'n's family, it lets you arrange and decorate suites for rewards and items that you can't find anywhere else in the game. In this guide, we'll take you through how to get the hotel on your island, what decorating the...
Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons: How To Use Resetti's Reset Service
He won't even tell you to SCRAM!
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 3.0 has added a number of new features including the welcome return of Mr. Resetti, everyone's favourite grumpy mole. Yes, he's technically been around since the beginning, but now you can get Resetti to reset your island — or various aspects of it. This guide will cover how to...
Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons: All Zelda Furniture & Items
Echoes of Horizons
If you're not the kind of person to use amiibo to get the perfect villager in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, then the 3.0 update may well perk your ears up — Zelda series-themed items are on the cards! Or figures. Yep, as of the 2026 update, you can buy yourself a whole set of Zelda furniture, clothes, accessories, and more...
Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Slumber Island - How To Create & Decorate Islands With Friends
It's slumber time
Luna the tapir has expanded her services as of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 2026 update! Now you're not limited to visiting other player's stunning islands — you can actually build a brand new one all from scratch. In this guide, we'll cover everything you can do on the brand new Slumber Island, including how to invite and...
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition News
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (17th January)
What's on the agenda, Brenda?
We are blowing through January faster than a big blowy fast thing that's been blowing faster than usual right now, and the delicious slices of gaming goodness continue to drop across Switch consoles. This week has seen the arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch 2, which the wonderfully handsome and...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition?
Redd Dead Redemption
Yes, the time is finally upon us. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is now available in its swanky new Nintendo Switch 2 Edition package! While the free ver. 3.0 update arrived a little earlier than expected for all users (Switch 1 and 2), yesterday marked the big release of Nintendo's latest paid Switch 2 upgrade. This one...
Video Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Side-By-Side Graphics Comparison (Switch 2 & Switch)
Including updates to resolution and load times
Nintendo launched Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Switch 2 this week, and some video comparisons have now popped up online. One of these has been shared by the YouTube channel 'ElAnalistaDeBits', which not only presents a side-by-side visual comparison of the Switch 2 Edition next to the existing...
Here are the full details
As you've likely seen by now, the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 Update has officially gone live. Alongside this new update, Nintendo has now shared the patch notes on its support page. This includes not only general updates (including "new content and features") for the Switch 2 and Switch versions, but also "Switch 2...
News Boom! The Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 Update Is Now Available
Get it downloaded!
Well, that's a nice surprise! In what is likely a move to align all regions with New Zealand (where it's now gone 1am on the 15th), Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 3.0 update is available for download. You might need to manually apply the update – in which case you simply press '+' on the game's icon and select 'Software Update'...
News Tetris 99's First Maximus Cup Of 2026 Celebrates Animal Crossing, Unlock A Special Theme
Return to island life
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition officially launches next week, and ahead of this, Nintendo's Switch Online battle royale game Tetris 99 has announced it will be hosting a Maximus Cup to celebrate. This is the 51st Maximus Cup (also known as a Grand Prix) and will take place between 8th January 2026...
ICYMI Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch Gets A Free Switch 2 Update Next Week
Expect updates to "visuals" alongside Version 3.0
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting a free 3.0 update alongside the paid Switch 2 Edition of the game next week. In case you missed it, there'll also be some additional free enhancements for Switch p
Video 8 Exciting New Games Coming To Switch 1 & 2 In January 2026
Crank up the AC
The new year is finally upon us, and with that comes a whole horde of new games to think about — yipee! 2026 is already looking pretty stacked, and while January is usually one of the quieter months in the release calendar, there are still a handful of big hitters coming our way over the next few weeks. Here to highlight the...
News Monolith Soft Releases Interview Celebrating Its Work On The Zelda Series
Expect more to come
Monolith Soft, the acclaimed developer behind the Xenoblade Chronicles series, is also known to have collaborated with Nintendo on a number of first-party games, including Mario Kart World, Splatoon 3, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It's also worked closely with Nintendo on the Zelda series, starting with Skyward Sword in...
Random Takaya Imamura's Animal Crossing Design Skills Put Our Best Efforts To Shame
Posterizer
We're no strangers to a good old Takaya Imamura social media post here at Nintendo Life. Whether it's his wishes for a Star Fox revitalisation or his dreams of future movie adaptations, the former Nintendo dev is always on hand to give us something to think about. But today, all that's on our minds is how inadequate our Ani
About The Game
The Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition game and a free update to the base game launch January 15, 2026. Only on the Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch systems. Pre-orders are coming soon!
With enhanced resolution, mouse controls using the Joy-Con 2 controller, expanded online play*, and more features exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2, players can get even more out of the island life in Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition!
Plus, a free update is coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons for players on both Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch to enjoy. The free update includes a new resort hotel, additional amiibo** functionality, collaboration items, updates to online play, and more.
We can't wait for you to see everything new on the island January 15, 2026!
Comments 1
Seriously?! No DLC on the cart for this either?!
I would happily double-dip on this (and triple-dip on BotW) if Nintendo bothered to do the right thing here...
Considering that the S2 upgrade is only AU$8, I'm more inclined to take that route in this case, but I'd have happily paid up for a proper, complete physical release with absolutely everything on the cart. 😢
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