Nintendo unveils free ACNH 3.0 update and Switch 2 edition for 2026

Nintendo announced on Thursday that Animal Crossing New Horizons will receive a major free update and a native Nintendo Switch 2 edition on January 15, 2026, expanding content for current players and offering enhanced features for owners of the new console. The company unveiled the plans in a roughly 12 minute trailer that outlined changes arriving for both versions of the island simulator.

The free Version 3.0 update, available to all Nintendo Switch players, adds a resort hotel on the island pier run by Kappn and his family, new craftable items, and a dream-based creative mode that lets players design additional islands. The update increases storage capacity, allows players to store trees and shrubs, and restores a Resetti feature to clear unwanted items. Select amiibo will unlock crossover items and guest characters from The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon. Nintendo said hotel guests will reward players with tickets that can be exchanged for decorations and other items.

Nintendo is also releasing Animal Crossing New Horizons Nintendo Switch 2 Edition as a standalone enhanced version priced at about $65. Owners of the original Switch version will be able to purchase an upgrade...