Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the second best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch (right behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe), and so it's really no surprise that Nintendo has decided to go ahead with a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game. Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition brings the beloved cozy game to Nintendo's latest console, although the upgrade isn't free. Anyone interested in upgrading to Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition will have to shell out $4.99.
For most, $4.99 won't break the bank, but some may still be curious if the upgrade is worth the asking price. After all, Switch 2 Edition of Animal Crossing: New Horizons coincided with the release of the big 3.0 update, which has really got fans buzzing. Animal Crossing: New Horizons' free 3.0 update adds a hotel on the island that players can decorate, various quality of life improvements, secret new features, Slumber Islands and crossover content with LEGO, Zeldaand more. It's the meat and the potatoes New horizons revival, and since it's all free, it's understandable that some Switch 2 owners might be scratching their heads about what they're paying for.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Update 3.0 is officially live a day ahead of schedule
Update 3.0 for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is being released for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 today instead of the planned release date of January 15th.
As it turns out, not much of anything. The Switch 2 version of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons contains a higher resolution, but I played the two versions of the game back to back and didn't notice to much difference. The Switch 2 version has slightly faster load times and seems to work better in general, so if that's important to you, $4.99 may well be worth it. Otherwise, you can skip the upgrade and not lose sleep at night.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has Switch 2 exclusive features, but they aren't that big
In addition to the expected graphics and performance boost, the Switch 2 version of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons has some exclusive features, but they're nothing to write home about. The Joy-Con 2 mouse controllers can be used when making patterns and decorating your house. People who are really interested in creating designs will probably appreciate this new functionality, but for those who aren't, the mouse controls won't be a selling point.
There is also a new megaphone item exclusive to the Switch 2 version of the New horizons. After buying it for 3500 bells from Nook's Cranny, you can use it to call out the villagers' names and find them on the island more easily. You literally have to call out their name with the Switch 2 mic, and it was surprisingly accurate in my experience, except a villager. For some reason the game wouldn't recognize me saying “Pecan”, and yes, I tried every pronunciation I could think of. Otherwise, the megaphone function works as advertised.
The last major difference between New horizons on the Switch 2 and Switch 1 version of the game are multiplayer sessions for 12 players. I don't even know 12 people in real life who own a Switch 2, so I couldn't test this feature. It's great for people who like to come in large groups to play Animal Crossingbut otherwise probably won't get much use.
Switch 2 Upgrade is nice, but not necessary
Still, extra functionality is extra functionality, and I think there are some Switch 2-exclusive things that are neat, like the megaphone. $4.99 is a relatively low asking price, but since all the best new stuff is free, you can skip the upgrade and still have a perfect time returning to your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island.
- Released
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15 January 2026
- 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
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op
