Animal Crossing New Horizons will release version 3.0 on January 15, 2025

Nintendo announced on October 30th that it will release a Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, scheduled for release on January 15th next year. A free update, Ver. 3.0, the simulation game will also be released on the same day.

Optimized for Switch 2, classic gameplay is even more immersive

The Switch 2 version is customized and optimized for the new console’s hardware features, improving the graphics and gameplay experience while making the original fun gameplay more interactive, fulfilling players’ expectations for a “refined island life”.

4K resolution + Joy-Con 2 mouse, customizable to your liking

 This Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing supports 4K resolution in TV mode, allowing players to enjoy clearer and more detailed visuals. Furthermore, the game enhances player creativity in the classic “island customization” gameplay. Furniture details that previously required proximity to the screen for adjustment can now be precisely aligned in 4K.

Using the Joy-Con 2’s mouse control mode in the game makes drawing lines much easier.

This includes designing unique island symbols, custom-patterned floor tiles, and even creating exclusive outfits for villagers.

The addition of a megaphone and a USB camera further enhances the game’s fun and interactive experience

This game introduces a new “megaphone” item, a fun and ingenious tool for finding villagers.

In previous versions, finding villagers to participate in activities on the island required searching extensively, wasting considerable time.

With this tool, you simply shout a villager’s name into the Switch 2’s built-in microphone, and even if the “villagers” are fishing in a remote bamboo grove or by the sea, they will immediately wave and come towards you.

Besides this fun tool, you can also connect a USB camera to scan your photo into the game and create a unique avatar.

They can even wear real-world hats and glasses, allowing “themselves” to take photos with villagers on the island and fish together, blurring the lines between virtual and reality and making “island life” even more immersive.

The number of online players has been expanded to accommodate up to 12 people for a “Little Island Party” 

The original version supported up to 8 players online, while the Switch 2 version increases this to 12, making the “multiplayer co-op gameplay” even more exciting.

Players can invite up to 11 friends to host an “Island Festival”:

• Some people were responsible for setting up the venue, such as hanging ribbons and arranging tables and chairs. Others brought fishing gear to the beach.
• Some will take their fishing gear to the beach;

• Some will go to the forest to catch insects.

• Some will team up with villagers to play “hide-and-seek,” and can even collaborate to build large-scale landscapes (such as a “cherry blossom-themed plaza” or “ocean park”).

During multiplayer interactions, unique dialogues will be triggered. For example, when a friend helps you water your plants, a villager will jokingly say, “You two are such a perfect team!” filling the social gameplay with laughter.

 3.0 Free Update: Massive New Gameplay Features Launched

Version 3.0, a free update, brings a wealth of new content to all players, from brand-new facilities to retro gameplay, each item brimming with “healing and fun” qualities, making island life anything but monotonous.

The new facility, the “Resort Hotel,” offers many delightful surprises during gameplay

Version 3.0 adds a “Resort Hotel,” operated by the Hangping family. In the game, players can take on the role of a “hotel assistant” and participate in hotel management. Specific gameplay is as follows:

Customize rooms according to customer needs

Guests will make personalized requests, such as “I want a sea view room” or “I need a cozy family-style room.” Players will then need to decorate using the hotel’s furniture or their own items.

Interact with guests

Guests staying at the hotel may occasionally encounter small problems, such as “I can’t find my doll” or “I want to try the island’s specialty fruits.” Players will need to help guests solve these problems. Each time a customer’s problem is solved, a corresponding exclusive reward will be given, such as a limited-edition accessory.

Unexpected rewards upon redemption

Players can redeem “hotel coupons” accumulated in the game for unique items such as “ocean-themed furniture” and “hotel uniforms” in the in-game gift shop.

Players can “reset the organization center” to easily organize and deal with the ever-increasing pile of items

Addressing the player’s pain point of “item overload,” version 3.0 introduces a new “Reset Organization Center,” a practical and fun feature.

Players can summon the Organization Center and choose “Island-wide Organization” or “Specific Area Organization” (such as organizing only the yard or warehouse). The system will automatically categorize and store scattered items in the player’s storage space.

For example, it can tidy up flowers, shrubs, and saplings in the courtyard, neatly arrange ores and branches along the roadside, and even separately sort items accidentally dropped by villagers.

Meanwhile, the storage limit has been increased from 5000 to 9000, and storage functions for flowers, shrubs, and trees have been added.

Players no longer need to worry about “having nowhere to put extra rare flowers,” and can even filter items in the storage by “category” and “acquisition time,” making it as satisfying as “organizing a small warehouse.”

Retro consoles are making a comeback; playing classic games on a small island brings an even stronger sense of nostalgia

Version 3.0 is a free update that brings back the “retro console” gameplay from the original Animal Crossing, with even more features.

Players can directly purchase three consoles: NES (FC), Game Boy, and Super Nintendo.

Each console comes pre-installed with a classic game, and different consoles offer different games. Purchasing an NES grants access to Ice Breaker. Purchasing a Game Boy grants access to Dr. Mario, where players must eliminate viruses to progress. The Super Nintendo comes pre-installed with Super Mario World, offering 96 levels for players to experience.

However, there’s a small “rule”: players must have an NSO membership to play these games; otherwise, the console is merely decorative.

Imagine having a retro console in a meticulously designed island living room, with villagers “watching” you play Dr. Mario, occasionally commenting, “I think I’ve seen this level before!”

Rare toys and cross-IP collaborations have dual value in terms of collectability and personalization

Version 3.0 also adds some toys from before the NES era. For example, the “Super Hand” extendable grabber toy from the 1960s.

This toy can extend its arm to grab objects at a distance, similar to the “Super Hand” ability in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. You can use it to grab fruit high up or seashells far away on an island.

The update also brings Zelda, Splatoon, and LEGO collaboration content: scanning the corresponding amiibo will unlock outfits for Minerlu and Chollow from Zelda, and squirrel villagers modeled after Sasha and Manman from Splatoon 3 (they even hum the Splatoon theme song).

LEGO-style furniture (such as brick sofas and LEGO trees) can be purchased without amiibo and placed in your home to create a “Brick-themed room,” satisfying players’ personalized collection and decoration needs.

Version upgrades and updates allow veteran players to migrate seamlessly, and make it easier for new players to experience the fun 

The Switch 2 version allows players to upgrade for a low price of 550 yen (less than $4) and save their data. This includes seamless transfer of island layout, villager relationships, and furniture, without having to start the game again.

Version 3.0 is free for all players. Whether managing a resort hotel, developing your dream island, playing retro consoles, or collecting collaboration items, new and returning players can find their own fun on the island.

On January 15, 2026, this “New Island Life” will begin. Whether you want to experience a beautifully crafted island with next-gen graphics or unlock more fun gameplay, this healing and surprising new “Animal Crossing” journey is worth looking forward to.