Animal Crossing Drops Awesome Retro Freebies Following Surprise Update

Animal Crossing: New Horizons players can now grab a bunch of free official content from Nintendo.

Last month, Nintendo launched the 3.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, introducing a native Switch 2 upgrade and new content like the Resort Hotel.

Following this update, fans have been excitedly revisiting the game to try out the new content, as well as taking it as an opportunity to redesign some aspects of their island. Well, I certainly have.

Nintendo has sweetened the deal by releasing a few official new custom designs for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which you can now download for free and add to your island.

There are six new custom designs in total, each one themed after a classic Nintendo system. For example, there’s a Game Boy standee available to grab, as well as Famicom t-shirt designs.

Altogether, it should be a good one for players who are also retro gaming nerds like myself. That Game Boy standee will fit in very well in my games room.

How To Download Custom Designs In Animal Crossing: New Horizons

To get these designs, you need to have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Then, make sure you have the Able Sisters clothing shop on your island.

If you don’t have Able Sisters unlocked yet, you can get it by building the museum and Nook's Cranny, as well as upgrading Resident Services and buying from Mabel twice during her visits to your island.

In Able Sisters, head to the Custom Designs portal at the back of the room. From here, you can input a Creator ID or a Design ID, at which point you’ll have to input a code.

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Six new custom designs themed after classic Nintendo systems have arrived in #AnimalCrossingNewHorizons, including the Game Boy standee and Famicom tee designs! #NintendoSwitchOnline members can download them in-game from the Custom Designs Portal. pic.twitter.com/9x7S8FM7Fs

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 9, 2026

This code can be found on the images shared by Nintendo, which have both Creator ID and Design ID listed for your convenience.

In addition to the Resort Hotel, the 3.0 update also added Resetti’s Reset Service, which allows you to clear up huge chunks of your island, as well as new Slumber Islands which you can decorate together with your family and friends.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the series, and so fans are hopeful that it could mean more announcements and celebrations are on the way.

With New Horizons now being six years old, many are wishing for a new game announcement to come in a near future Nintendo Direct.