The update for version 3.0 for Animal Crossing: New Horizons has dropped early and will be released on January 14th, 2026, instead of the planned release date of January 15th. Nintendo's best-selling life simulation game originally came out on March 20, 2020, and fans are still making all sorts of creative islands with their animal villagers nearly six years later. As the second best selling Nintendo Switch game of all time, just behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons continues to give the few Switch owners who haven't played it a reason to pick it up.
Version 3.0 is the first large-scale update for New horizons for over four years. Although there have been a few patches to the game to improve stability since then, version 2.0 of the expansion was released Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise DLC on November 5, 2021. This isn't the first game in the series to get a surprise update years after fans thought it was done, either — Animal Crossing: New Leaf was released outside of Japan in 2013, but had its Welcome amiibo expansion coming out in 2016. The series may take its time with updates, but it always delivers on them.
Best items to sell for profit in Animal Crossing New Horizons
Players can get easy money in Animal Crossing: New Horizons by selling these items.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons version 3.0 is released early
The new update includes a number of quality of life features along with new activities for players to enjoy on their own and with friends. According to the official Animal Crossing website and the official trailer, the new version adds several activities and features to get players old and new excited.
What's new in Animal Crossing: New Horizons version 3.0?
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A new resort hotel to decorate for the guests
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A new game currency to earn: hotel tickets
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New DIY crafting request system
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Slumber Island, a new shared “dream world island” to share and decorate with other players
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Resetti's recovery service to help clean up the island
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Ability to store 9,000 items
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New Nintendo items – including playable retro consoles and crossovers with LEGO, The Legend of Zeldaand Splatoon
Although 3.0 has been released early, the Nintendo Switch 2 edition upgrade has not been made available yet. It will probably be released on January 15th as planned. Fortunately, 3.0 is robust enough to keep Switch 2 owners entertained during the day-long wait. The ability to store plants and clean up chunks of land at once has been requested for years, and Slumber Island will be a great tool for planning island layouts. And although the website or trailer didn't mention it, Animal Crossing: New Horizons finally have bulk crafts.
For a free update, this is impressive. Animal Crossing: New Horizons' the new hotel system stands out in particular, because it works very similarly Happy Home Paradise DLC with its gimmick of decorating rooms for guests. It's a smart move to promote the DLC as well – for those who can afford it Happy Home Paradise but haven't bought it yet, the hotel will give them a taste of what the DLC is like. For those who cannot afford it, the hotel can serve as a free alternative.
The latest in Nintendo's beloved life sim getting another major update nearly six years into its life is a nice surprise, but it makes a lot of sense from a business standpoint. On September 30, 2025, Nintendo's official sales records say so Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold 48.62 million units. It's the second best-selling Nintendo Switch game, just beaten Mario Kart 8 Deluxewho still had a three-year head start.
To capitalize on the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, it's no shock that Nintendo would put one of its most successful games ever back in the spotlight. What's more surprising is the fact that the update isn't exclusive to the Switch 2. Nintendo could have gotten away with keeping it on the new console as a way to boost sales, but it didn't. It offered the real meaty part of the update for everyone, whether they've already upgraded or not.
- Released
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March 20, 2020
- ESRB
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All / Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, User Interact, In-Game Purchasing
- Developer
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Nintendo EPD
- Publisher
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Nintendo
