Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 Drops Early on Switch 2

• Free 3.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons available to download now (arrived Jan. 14).
• Switch 2 edition of New Horizons went live Jan. 15; upgrade costs $5, full Switch 2 purchase $65.
• 3.0 adds a resort hotel on the pier, new items, QoL improvements and the Slumber Island dream world for co-op island building.
• Switch 2 brings improved visuals, mouse controls, GameChat and multiplayer expanded from eight to 12 players.

What arrived and when

Nintendo has released the free Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 update a day earlier than planned — it went live on January 14. The separate Switch 2 edition of the game followed on January 15 and is now available to buy or upgrade to.

How to get the updates

To install the 3.0 update, select the New Horizons icon on your Switch home screen and download the software update. The 3.0 patch itself is free for existing owners.

Players who want the Switch 2 edition can purchase the new version for $65. Existing New Horizons owners can upgrade to the Switch 2 edition for $5.

Main features in 3.0

The headline addition in 3.0 is a resort hotel on the pier that players can help decorate, giving islanders a new shared space to customize together. Nintendo also added a suite of new furniture, clothing and decorative items.

On the systems side, quality-of-life improvements aim to smooth common tasks and make island management easier. A new Slumber Island dream world lets players build fresh islands cooperatively with friends and family — an expansion of the game’s social design focused on shared creation.

What Switch 2 adds

The Switch 2 edition brings visual upgrades and several control and online improvements. Notable additions include mouse support, GameChat functionality, and an increase in online multiplayer capacity from eight players to 12.

These changes are intended to modernize the experience for the new hardware and make larger sessions with friends more seamless.

Why this matters

New Horizons became a cultural touchstone when it launched in 2020, and Nintendo’s latest updates aim to bring lapsed players back while giving longtime fans new goals and social spaces. The low-cost upgrade path for current owners lowers the barrier to move to Switch 2 if you already own the game.

Quick tip

If you play across devices or with a group, confirm everyone has the same version before starting multiplayer sessions to avoid compatibility issues.