Andrea Nicole Regacho
New game feature Megaphone, screengrabbed from Animal Crossing: New Horizons announcement trailer.
Nintendo has finally announced the highly anticipated Animal Crossing: New Horizons Version 3.0 update, set to release on January 15, 2026.
The update will also be experienced by the players who upgraded to Switch, as ACNH Switch 2 Edition will be released on the same day, offering next-generation visual updates, smoother gameplay, and exclusive features.
Aside from the hardware update, the announcement also introduced a Resort Hotel, where players can decorate a guest room, manage visitors, and gain new in-game rewards through the hotel.
Another major update is Slumber Island, a dream-themed feature where players can visit and customize islands in dreamscape features—with customizable weather, time of the day, and terrain.
The fans requested their favorite Mr. Resetti to make a comeback and Nintendo gave in, returning to show a new reset service where players can clean up their islands and manage home storage.
The update expands storage capacity to 9,000 items, including trees, shrubs, and flowers, addressing one of the community’s biggest requests.
Nintendo will also add cross-over content featuring LEGO-inspired furniture, and exclusive items from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Splatoon 3 through amiibo.
For the Switch 2 users, the game will now support 4k resolution on TV mode at 30 frames per second, bringing sharper, smoother and more vibrant gaming experience.
The Switch 2 Edition will also include mouse-style controls through the right Joy-Con 2, allowing easier decorating, and designing.
All existing Switch players will receive the free content update, while next-gen features remain exclusive to the Switch 2 hardware.
After the long wait, the fans look forward to the update for new memories, decorations, friendship and adventure.
The island adventure is far from over. Catch the biggest update of Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons next year!

