The most notable change is the bump in resolution. It was pretty before, but now everything is rendered at a resolution much more befitting the Nintendo Switch 2, although some jagged pixel edges are still present. They’re oddly softer, though, which to my eye (which is admittedly only made of meat) suggests that one of the primary sources of the bumped-up res is Nintendo’s own flavour of DLSS upscaling. As I said, though, meat eyes.
Whatever the tech, the result is noticeable, especially when you get up close to your TV in docked mode. Realistically, the original still looked excellent, so it’s not a glow-up of epic proportions or anything. If you didn’t see a stark difference when you booted it up, I’d forgive you wholeheartedly.
Second Opinion
Having spent several hours with the substantial 3.0.0 update on Switch 2 before the console's bespoke 'Edition' went live, my appetite was suitably whetted. I closed the game, downloaded the Upgrade Pack, fired it up immediately, and...
Honestly, in handheld mode, I couldn't tell the difference. On a 4K TV it does look marginally better, but it looked pretty great beforehand. Really, I was hoping for more.
And the megaphone? A total waste of time, for me at least. Sitting in a silent room, I have a very low hit rate with the game recognising the name I'm calling. It registers the two-syllable 'Dora' maybe 30% of the time, but it outright doesn't like 'Olivia' or 'Audie'. When it does detect a name, half the time I get some random replying. "Dora!... DORA!" "Yar?" shouts Kapp'n from the pier (a location he never leaves unless you're with him). Useless.
For the upgrade price, it's nothing to get upset about. It is slightly improved on Switch 2, but as Alex says, you'd be forgiven for not noticing.
Gavin Lane
Editor, Nintendo Life
But that’s with HDR off. If you turn it on, you’ll see a bigger difference than I was expecting. Colours are that much more vibrant, and colour banding on things like environmental shadows in water is almost entirely diminished. ACNH has always been a game with colours worth popping, and the Switch 2 Edition makes said popping even poppier.
Oh, and if you’d missed the previous reveal, it’s still 30fps, unfortunately. Probably something to do with one of the game’s mechanics being tied to the frame rate, but a shame nonetheless.
And that’s not all! Although there isn’t an awful lot more left to discuss. Mouse controls allow you to decorate and arrange furniture within your home, the hotel, or the Happy Home Paradise with a bit more ease, although it’s hardly a ‘power tool’. Bringing up any menu requires you to navigate with the standard controls again, which is a crying shame as we feel the ability to quickly whip through lists and drag and drop items into position would’ve been an easy win.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked) You can also use the mouse controls in custom designs, and those posts you can stick up outside Resident Services if you want. It’s nice that it’s been included, and if mouse controls were omitted, it definitely would’ve felt like a missed opportunity. But truthfully, Nintendo hasn’t realised the potential that mouse controls could have brought either.
You can have 12 people on your island in multiplayer now instead of the original’s eight, which is certainly an improvement - and now with GameChat and CameraPlay support. But personally I don’t think I could sit through that bloody plane landing sequence 11 times in a row for a single session.
That being said, loading times are certainly improved over the Switch 1. I’m not sure I’ve seen a single loading screen that hasn’t been shorter, though — for me — they felt just as they were when playing the Switch 1 version on Switch 2 before this 'Edition' dropped. I wasn’t able to see any significant difference between either on Switch 2, which makes sense at the end of the day, but if that’s all you care about, then you might not need to drop the cash for the upgrade any time soon.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked) Testing among Team NL, we found minor improvements, but also significant variations between our S2 load times (almost certainly down to how much each person has on their island), so your mileage may vary.
The final inclusion is the megaphone, making its somewhat triumphant return from New Leaf on the 3DS, and it’s fine . You hold the 'A' Button, yell the name of a resident at your console, and if it understands you correctly, they’ll yell out in response, giving you an idea of where on your island they are, assuming they’re not indoors somewhere. It works fairly well, but it has to be said, it’s not exactly an exciting inclusion. Functional, yes, but do your neighbours really need to hear you scream "ANCHOVY!" at all hours?
Conclusion
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is perfectly fine. It makes things a bit prettier, has a few more options to take advantage of the console’s new features, but all in all, it’s not an especially exciting upgrade.
If it were free, I don’t think anyone could reasonably complain, but even at the relatively low price, it’s only just scraping by to be worthwhile. It’s far from an essential purchase, but if you’ve got credit on your account and you’re a fan of the game, you could do worse.
Visuals are sharper, brighter, and overall prettier Mouse controls are somewhat useful Stuck at 30fps Loading times, while improved, still feel similar to the original played on Switch 2 Mouse mode potential not fully realised A bit cheeky to charge for such a short list of S2-specific features
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What score would you give Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)? (32 ratings)
10 - Outstanding 28 %9 - Excellent 6 %8 - Great 13 %7 - Good 9 %6 - Not Bad 22 %5 - Average 6 %4 - Poor 6 %3 - Bad 3 %2 - Terrible 3 %1 - Abysmal 3 % 
