Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched in March 2020, and it was a hit on release. Many players in the gaming community were playing Animal Crossing on a regular basis for months after it became available. The game received updates and additional content until November 2021; after this, there were no significant patches or major changes made to New Horizons.
Rarest Items in Animal Crossing New Horizons
These items are seen so rarely in Animal Crossing: New Horizons that it's quite incredible when players get their hands on them.
Fans were taken by surprise when Nintendo announced a major free update for early 2026. Animal Crossing: New Horizons v3.0 is set to release alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the game on January 15, 2026. This guide lists the various features that have been confirmed for the upcoming Switch & Switch 2 update.
Crafting in Bulk
The Most Highly Requested QOL Feature
The ability to craft items in bulk seemed to be completely overlooked during the creation of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. As soon as players got their hands on the game back in 2020, they immediately pointed this out and asked for it to be added. It should've happened five years ago, but unfortunately, it ended up not being part of New Horizons.
This feature would've been extremely useful for gamers designing their islands and homes in Animal Crossing. However, it's better late than never, so fans will be happy to know that it is one of the features being introduced to Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the January update.
Storage Improvements
No Need to Dispose of Any More Rare Flowers
Even though 5,000 storage size might sound like a lot at first, players will soon find out that it's not enough after sinking a couple of hundred hours into the game. There are so many resources, diverse clothes, and beautiful furniture items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons that it's easy to fill up a home's storage without even trying.
Thankfully, the upcoming update will make it possible for players to upgrade their home's storage two additional times, allowing them to store up to 9,000 items - nearly double its current maximum size. This is a must, especially with all the new items that will become available once the update launches.
Storage will also receive another improvement; players will finally be able to store trees, shrubs, and flowers in storage, which means they won't have to dispose of them if they want to temporarily move them.
Resetti's Reset Service
Swiftly Clean Up the Island
Resetti was added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons in a previous update, and he helped players get out of tight situations with his rescue services. Starting in January, Resetti will provide a clean-up service that will be extremely useful for players who want to redecorate their island.
When players speak to Resetti, they will be able to ask him to "reset" a certain area, the island's beaches, or the entire island. This will remove any placed furniture and move it into storage. Additionally, players can ask him to get rid of custom designs and flowers - the latter can be placed in storage or in the trash.
Zelda and Splatoon Villagers
Get Your Favorite Crossover Characters to Visit
Nintendo is adding tons of crossover items to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but that's not all. Characters from other Nintendo franchises are coming to Animal Crossing as villagers, and they may appear in the player's campsite at any time.
In the announcement trailer, four new villagers were revealed. Tulin and Mineru from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are joining the roster of Animal Crossing villagers as bird and deer villagers, respectively. Cece and Viché are based on Callie and Marie from the Splatoon series.
Both Cece and Viché were part of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. However, their design was different. Alongside these two villagers, players could also scan the Inkling amiibo in order to get Inkwell to appear. It is possible that Nintendo hasn't revealed all the crossover villagers coming to Animal Crossing and that more themed villagers will be added with the update, such as Ganon, Wolf Link, Epona, and Medli.
Slumber Islands
Effortlessly Make the Island of Your Dreams
When players lie down in a bed in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, they will see a new prompt that says, "It's slumber time." If they choose this option, they will be taken to Slumber Island, which is Animal Crossing's take on creative mode.
In a Slumber Island, gamers will be able to freely place any item in their catalog, add trees and shrubbery, terraform, place bridges and stairs, and even select the current weather and time of day. This can be a nice change of scenery from the current season, an escape from a cluttered island, or just a fun way to come up with more designs after finishing an island. In total, players can create up to three Slumber Islands, whether they're small, medium, or large.
Kapp'n's Family Hotel
Help Run a Family Business
With the free update, Kapp'n's family will be opening a resort on the island pier. Guests from all over will appear and visit the player's island, so they have to help out by decorating several rooms in the hotel. In exchange, the player will receive hotel tickets, which can be used to purchase souvenirs in the shop. The hotel shop has exclusive items that cannot be found at Nook's Cranny or Paradise Planning.
Guests will appear at the hotel, or players can invite them with an Amiibo. They can hang out in their room, borrow a hotel outfit, and explore the island.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- March 20, 2020
- ESRB
- Everyone / Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Expansions
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Happy Home Paradise
- Franchise
- Animal Crossing
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 100 Hours
