Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Second Summer Update Adds Save Data Backup, And It's Coming Earlier Than Planned

Tis the game that keeps on giving. Happy camper over here.

Great update, and so soon. I'm very happy. Also the Island backup sounds really good, and it's great that we'll be able to move users and data soon.

Also next update will be in the fall. Looks like Halloween.

It’s good how Nintendo realizes this game is popular and is coming out with more. It shows that they’re listening 😊

Well now, that's a very nice update. I can't complain, I'm glad they are offering backups and so easily now.

I hope they activate cloud backup for Splatoon as well

@Apportal I mean, this was all planned a long time ago. They didn’t just whip this up

Yay... Luna is back. 😀
I want that balloon from Firework Festival.

This is becoming Sims but with free expansions

"Dreaming: She will grant those who share their island a “Dream Address” which players can exchange and use to visit each other’s island in a dream. In dreams, nothing is permanent because nothing you do is saved, so explore to your heart’s content."

This is what Nook Miles tickets should get you, visits to islands that are worth making the trip for. The current rotation of 5 or 6 small little pointless islands is well, kind of pointless.

If this works as it sounds like - visit other peoples actual islands just to see what people have done - best update by far. BY FAR.

@RupeeClock - So this is something the previous games have had? So does it actually work like it sounds, we get to visit copies of peoples actual islands to see what they've done? I would spend way too much time doing this I think.

Custom fireworks? Oh god some people use this differently.

It's odd that it took so long, but I'm glad this exists. I need good news in my life right now.

I'm a little fatigued over Animal Crossing, I barely play it anymore recently and I don't think this is enough to really draw me back in properly. Fireworks is nice but kind of whatever, and don't really care much for the dream address stuff. The save data backup is nice but obviously that doesn't bring in anything actually new gameplay wise.

Good update, but not good enough for me personally.

It seems like the updates mostly bring stuff that already existed in New Leaf and should have been there to begin with.

@Yosher Had a great time with Animal Crossing but I am soooooo done.

Yes! Dreaming! I've been wanting that feature! Time to enter the Matrix! 😁

@rjejr Yep, that's how it worked in New Leaf. You enter a dream world copy of their town, and you can do whatever you want without it affecting their actual town.

I just reached 900 hours so LOL I'm so happy for the back up save and the fireworks festivial looks so cute! Be nice to have ppl over to show them off and play with the raffle goodies. Also I'm so into the idea of seeing other people's islands!! I'm pretty much done with my island for now but I might still get some idea and enjoy the little exploration.

NOW IF NINTENDO COULD JUST PLEASE ADD 2 MORE THINGS. 1.) BE ABLE TO START ANOTHER ISLAND and 2.) CRAFT MORE THAN ONE THING AT A TIME.

Content from old games disguised as new content! Yes!
I can’t wait until Nintendo can be bothered finishing this game, maybe a year from now itll be worth the retail price

Only Nintendo would get praised for adding something that should have been there from the beginning (save data backup). Also it's not free like the headline claims, you have to be an NSO subscriber.

@BenAV "A function specific to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to move users and save data to another system is planned for later this year. Details will be announced in the future."

I haven't played Animal Crossing in over a month now. My island data is stuck on my ACNH special edition console which I hardly use. If I could transfer my save data over to one of my Switch lites then I'd probably start playing it again. I thought the Island backup was part of save data cloud but that doesn't seem to be the case which is a bummer. Oh well mabey with the next update...

@Kirby_Girl But if you can craft more than one thing at a time, then the game would lose some of it's padding. These types of games are designed to waste the players time on purpose, with the intent of making the game feel like it's bigger than it is. I agree with you, I think you should be able to craft multiple stacks, other games do it!

All of this looks great. I though diving and/or a new building would be included though.

This is good news!

For reasons I nor Nintendo can explain every time I have played the game my save data has corrupted. Now I should be able to just contact Nintendo and get my data restored.

@TG16_IS_BAE I'm not sure how really questionable quality of life choices makes the game feel bigger than it does. In fact, tedious things like that can make a game feel just that: needlessly tedious. Especially when there's thousands of other features that aren't tedious that makes the scope of the game feel bigger anyways.

I just don't buy this idea that someone is gonna play the game a hundred hours less if they have the ability to craft multiple Natural Garden Tables at one time or if they had access to tools that don't break.

@Giygas_95 can you collect items like flowers, fruit, shells, dropped items/gifts from their dream islands and take them back into “the real world” on your Island?

Awesome, after putting in around 600 hours into my island this is very welcome.

@Apportal Eeer.... these files were in the game from the beginning. They just implement them over time. They’re very clearly on a schedule lol

@Grandiajet Diving is already in the game and has been for the past month. A two new buildings should be coming in the fall update, though. They’re in the games files.

@Crono1973 The headline didn’t claim that it was free. They specify in the video that you need Nintendo Online. It’s a shame, but I doubt it was anything that they could control considering how the Switch works.

@LilMuku They never said the content was new. They’ve always marketed them as free updates, which shouldn’t even be subject to complaints because they’re FREE. imagine if they made us paid for these. Then you’d really be upset.

Also, ?? Without most of these features, you could still get hundreds of hours of playtime out of decorating and terraforming your island alone. Way more play time than games you spend $60 dollars on but only have like 2 days or less worth of content. It’s already worth the retail price.

@polarbear Ehhh, most of the features from New Leaf existed in the games before it. Diving and the dream suite feature are the only features that I remember were exclusive to New Leaf unless you’re also counting NPC’s they brought back, but the NPC’s were used for New Horizons exclusive features/events. There was no wedding season event in the previous game, for example. And Harvey’s role in New Leaf was way different than his New Horizons one.

Anyway, according to the game files these were already in the game from the beginning. The player just didn’t have access to them because they’re releasing them on a schedule.

Can't believe they listened to the feedback and added cloud saves. Splatoon 2 needs it next!

@JSDude1 Not in New Leaf you couldn't, and I imagine it'll be the same way here. It's a dream, so you can't take stuff out of it with you just like in the real world.

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

@RupeeClock I expected NSO to be required to use it, apparently not or they forgot to say it...?

@KarmaGoona Headline says: Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Second Summer Update Adds Save Data Backup, And It's Coming Earlier Than Planned And it's free!

This is great and all, but what we REALLY need is: faster load times (boost mode), instantly pick up items versus the same animation over and over again, better item organization, etc. Quality of life things that would make the game a whole lot less tedious than it is.

@KarmaGoona I thought it was just swimming that was in last months update?

I meant more deep sea stuff. I should have explained it better.

This is pretty much the update I've been waiting for ... is what I'd say if I didn't give up this game months ago.

Too late for me, IDK if I can see myself getting back into it now. Still, credit where it's due, the lack of a dream suite equivalent was my biggest complaint. All this island to decorate and nobody to share it with, without annoying my friends to do the tedious online connection process.

@UmbreonsPapa Ah, I was talking from a design standpoint. It’s not that crafting stacks will make you play less, but designers of games utilize certain strategies to pad the game out to force you to have to spend more time on things. It’s common in crafting games where the “grind” is a big part of the gameplay.

I have never understood criticizing this game for a lack of content, especially when the rollout method keeps New Horizons consistently fresh with new things to do.

@Giygas_95 thanks for the info. I don’t really get the point of this then? I mean you can already tour others islands.

yay balloons are back ! still want phineas to have something to do.

@JSDude1 It allows you to check out other peoples' islands at your own pace and on your own time. It doesn't require somebody to open up their gate and then supervise you while you're there. You can just come go whenever you want, and, if it's like New Leaf, you'll be able to search for towns so you don't have to set something up with somebody before hand.

the Save Data back up feature is really good for me and everyone that spent 305h and more in the game and dont want to lose all the progress in the game, i expect for the fall update, Brewster and the Roost vastly expanded acting like a real Cafeteria/Restaurant,Gyriods, the Cooking/ Farming mechanic, Vegetables and the third and final expansion to Nook Cranny/Museum.

I would like Nintendo to leave FEET, HANDS and POUNDS to the gamers of the USA. I want in my European copy of the game the International Metric System used by almost all people on Earth except the USA (METERS, KILOGRAMS etc.) so I can understand what Blathers is telling me.

@BenAV I think the backup function is linked to the dreamworld (since it requires you to upload your Island). The transfer function should be local.

And when the servers go down all that stuff WILL BE GONE ! They shouldn't rush these games and make sure everything is on the physical copies first

Cool update. I've truly enjoyed how new(or returning) features have been added to the game. The game was sold as having regular updates, so the package includes these. Just because Nintendo actually created a game promising regular updates and is delivering on them, unlike many companies, doesn't mean it sold an incomplete package. Over 350 hours on my Island, and still playing every day.

Nice update overall, I'm still playing it. Glad to see we can back up our islands now.

Now give us Nintendo-themed furniture!

@Crono1973 Also you have to contact Nintendo Support to access your data? Like what??

As someone who has never played the earlier AC's these features are welcomed indeed. The fireworks look really good. Love the lighting in ACNH, my house's living room has soft floor and table lights that give it ambience. Hoping the dream mode makes it easier to find island hosts.

Any FREE update is good in my book! Doesn't matter if "it should have been there from the beginning." if it's FREE.

Good update, nice to see the Dream Suite return.

I really, really hope Wendell is like a tour guide when you're dreaming.

I thought the reaction to the save news would have generated some more positivity given this site's watershed of articles on the topic and hundreds and hundreds of subsequent comments expressing outrage and disbelief.

Guess the reactions aren't quite as passionate when people are done with a game than during the fun pre-release tear-down period.

@Shstrick Also you have to contact Nintendo Support to access your data? Like what??

Nintendo is so far behind that we're lucky you don't have to order digital downloads from a physical catalog and a 1-800 number.

I hope the dream feature doesn't require an online account. That was one of the coolest things in New Leaf.

WOW the second Summer update for the game is coming early that i expected, i expected the second Summer update for the game to come until 10 of August, and for the Fall update for Animal Crossing New Horizons, i hope and expect, Brewster and the Roost vastly expanded acting like a real cafeteria/Restaurant, Cooking/Farming mechanics, Gyriods, the third and final expansion to Nook Cranny/Museum.

is my eyes be fuzzy or i see a Gyriods next to Luna in the trailer for second summer update for Animal Crossing New Horizons?Gyriods are back?hint that Gyriods will problaby return in the Fall update?

@Kirby_Girl 900 hours wow! I’d love to come visit your island! It must be awesome.

For me, contacting them to get my save game back is not something I am excited about since I don't really care if they are gone, I like terraforming, resetting is no problem at all. For others maybe it's a good update.
I don't care about the dream either.
I am waiting ( that is if I still want to get back to playing ) for them to take the restriction of 8 incline/bridge off.
Allowing us to use the bridge for hills too rather than just river.
And Tortimer island so we can play some mini games.
invite villager to play with us like they sometime ask us to play with them. And/or invite them to visit our house for tea or something.

Do appreciate them rolling out update often.

@Apportal you are overly positive. It was their plan all along, to provide seasonal updates and open more events as time progressed. It's not something they decided a few weeks ago, it doesnt show they are listening. However, it does show the amount of work they are putting in this game, they set clear expectations to fans from the beginning, and they are delivering.

If they listened to fans in OTHER things, well, you know what we would have by now (a direct, a good, not divisive paper mario game, A NEW GAME from Nintendo announced at the very least, etc).

The whole dream thing is giving me some 'Inception' vibes.

Slightly disappointed because after watching the video first, aside from the fireworks, I took the updates to mean different things than they actually do.

1. I figured with the dream island thing that maybe if you opted in to it, you could visit other player's islands entirely at random - as in total strangers. It would have been so fun to see someone's island that you never would have seen otherwise - and that other people could likewise see yours. All safely, without worrying about people damaging your stuff.

2. I thought the "Island Backup Restoration Service" was something that you could do where - before doing massive terraforming changes to you island, you could kind of create a save state that would let you undo it if it ended up being a total mistake - time would still pass in game, it would just revert your island back to where it was at the restore point.

I still really like the updates, but my assumption if what they would do was just off the mark a bit - which is totally on me!

Quick question regarding the Fireworks Show:

Does anyone know if you can invite a friend over so that they can watch them with you?

(Let's just say there's a particular girl that I'd like to have over and that I'd like to surprise her with a special message - the sort of message would be even more special if she was to see it lighting up the starry sky. 😅 I dunno, I guess I would be kinda sad if it doesn't actually work that way!)

Isabelle finally does something that isn’t her sock or a crossword puzzle

@Andy_Witmyer
1. That's exactly how it works. You also can share your island with others.

2. Nintendo announced this feature before the games release. They said back then that it would be to restore your game if something happened to your Switch.

@Mountain_Man Dream feature works by downloading someone else's Island. So yeah, you will need Nintendo Switch Online.

@Andy_Witmyer Of course you can invite friends over for firework shows. Back in New Leaf (3DS), a visitor could even put up one of their own guest design. Dunno about this game.
Also back in New Leaf, you can either dream about a random island, or enter a Dream Code for a specific island. They already mentioned Dream Codes are available in this game, so you can share yours and visit someone specific indeed.

Looking forward to the Dream Suite stuff. I'll finally be able to check out others' islands for inspiration/to blatantly copy. It's like multiplayer but without having to interact with other people! So it's perfect for me.

@cowntsikin this would be great! I don't care what they say about cheating, but virtually every other service Xbox, PSN, Stadia, etc allow cloud saves & backups and you don't see the world burning from that. Wish they'd allow cloud saves for all 1st party games

”And it’s free!”

No it isn’t! It requires the paid for Nintendo Switch Online service!