Animal Crossing: New Horizons is my most-played game on the Nintendo Switch. I have over 1000 hours recorded on it, and am so stinking rich that even Tom Nook's regular extortion feels like nothing to my loaded pockets of Bells. However, when you have everything, life can get pretty boring. For over a year now, I've felt both overwhelmed by the concept of redesigning my very cute island and restless by the lack of goals to work towards. However, I've never managed to stop being a cozy virtual hoarder and just reset everything –- that is, until Nintendo's recent announcement of the Switch 2 Edition and free update heading our way on January 15, 2026.
On October 30, 2025, Nintendo gave Animal Crossing fans a collective heart attack, with the surprise news of a free update as well as a Switch 2 upgrade for New Horizons. For years, many of us believed Nintendo was done with the latest addition to the Animal Crossing franchise, since the last update (and paid DLC, Happy Home Paradise) was in 2021. So, learning that the Switch 2 Edition has a bunch of new features, enhanced graphics, and that the free update also comes with a ton of new gameplay, thanks to a new Resort building that sits on our pier, was frankly mind-blowing.
