Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch 2 Announcement Has Gamers Losing Their Minds

Animal Crossing: New Horizons players finally have a reason to jump back into their islands with a brand-new update, bringing new content to the game.

We’ve been hoping a new Animal Crossing game would be announced for the Nintendo Switch 2 for a while now, and thankfully one has, sort of…

It’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons- Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, an updated and upgraded port of the Nintendo Switch game that surprisingly does much more than give it a fresh coat of paint and smoother framerates.

As you’ll hear when you watch the overview trailer the new version of the game actually packs in loads of additional content, some of which fans have been asking for since the game first launched back in 2020. Better late than never right?

Starting off with the Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade, the game itself has also had a bit of a touch-up visually with enhanced resolution courtesy of the Nintendo Switch 2’s greater power output, and the game will also support new play modes like the Nintendo Switch 2’s mouse mode. This is best used for drawing new designs to decorate your island with.

Also included are some new items like a megaphone, but the biggest change made to the game is greater multiplayer support. Instead of eight players visiting an island it’s now 12 players, and if you own the Nintendo Switch 2 camera you’ll be able to see each other in-game.

Animal Crossing New Horizons

A Free Major Expansion

As for the additional free update coming to the game, a new area is being added, a resort hotel that works with your amiibo allowing you to summon villagers to stay for some rest and relaxation.

Plenty of new items have also been added, including some Nintendo collaboration products that’ll let you play Nintendo Switch Online games through Animal Crossing: New Horizons if you have the right subscription.

Now there’s a slight catch to all of this, and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of complaints about it once the news hits all Nintendo Switch 2 owners…

If you own the game on Nintendo Switch and want to play the Nintendo Switch 2 version with its enhanced features you will need to purchase an upgrade pack, it’s not a freebie unfortunately.

The update itself is free though, so you’ll be able to explore the new hotel and its surrounding area free of charge, just with less pretty visuals if you don’t want to upgrade.

All of the above, and more, is coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons on 15 January 2026.