Island Life 2.0! Animal Crossing Hits Switch 2!
Mouse controls, 12-player parties, and a literal hotel? Your island is about to become the hottest destination of 2026.
Dust off your NookPhone, because Animal Crossing just got a massive "Pro" upgrade! To celebrate the Nintendo Switch 2 launch, Nintendo dropped a dual-threat update that makes the original game look like a rough draft.
The Switch 2 Edition is a visual feast in 4K, but the real game-changer is Mouse Mode. Using the new Joy-Con 2, you can drag and drop furniture like you're playing a professional design suite. Plus, you can now use the Switch 2’s built-in mic to shout into a megaphone and call your villagers by name—perfect for when Raymond is hiding behind a tree again.
This update has me excited to, finally, use CameraPlay with my Nintendo camera and the GameChat functionality. You can play along with up to four players with this function! See your friends in real time as you explore each other’s island making Nintendo’s push for us to ‘Play Together, Apart’ even more appealing!
If you already have Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Switch and you’re looking to upgrade to the Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack, it will cost £4.19 (GPB) / $4.99 (USD) / $6.99 (CAD). But you can also buy the full game for £54.99 (GBP) / $64.99 (USD) / $84.99 (CAD)And don’t worry, if you haven’t upgraded to Switch 2 yet, you can still take advantage of the free updates that dropped yesterday!
The Free 3.0 Update highlights:
The Resort Hotel: Kapp’n is finally putting his family to work! You can now manage a hotel on your pier, decorating rooms for tourists and earning "Hotel Tickets" for exclusive swag.
Slumber Islands: Need more space? You can now save up to three separate "Slumber Islands" to terraform and build with friends collaboratively.
LEGO & Zelda Collabs: Link and Splatoon characters are officially moving in via Amiibo support, and yes, you can finally build your island with actual LEGO items.
Are you excited about the new updates? Have you downloaded it already? Or have you moved on from your island to never return? Let us know in the comments below!