- Primary Subject: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2
- Key Update: Review of the Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its latest updates.
- Status: completed
- Last Verified: 2026-04-02
- Quick Answer: This article reviews the Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch 2 version and its new features, evaluating whether the upgrade is worthwhile compared to the free update.
Like many, I found Animal Crossing: New Horizons a source of solace during the lockdown era we faced as a society in 2020. It became more than a game; it was a slice of normality served up like a fresh high tea during the darkest days of modern society.
You could find a break from the soul-draining political circus on display, making up the rules as they went along (while breaking the majority of them themselves). It was a true means of escape, exactly what a video game is designed to do.
From selling turnips at the best possible price to paying off Tom Nook's predatory loans for every move you make, Animal Crossing kept many worldwide sane during a dark, depressing era.
Then the lockdowns ended, governments decided after disrupting our lives for so long that we had to just get back on with it - workplaces opened their doors again, restrictions were lifted, and life went back to normal. Several walked away from their island, never to return, as the realities of the real world set back in, including me.
I had spent hundreds of hours designing my house, taking QR codes for designs from popular brands to display in my own island paradise. But, it lost some of its right place at the right time aura it had, and I stopped playing. Not because the game was becoming stale, but because, like everyone else, I had to snap back to reality (look, there goes gravity).
From time to time, I would hover over the icon and consider revisiting my island abode and chat with my fellow islanders, but it was almost like a time capsule of a time when most of us were living in uncertainty of how the world was going to pan out once things were all over. So I left the game unattended, weeds likely growing, Tom Nook probably figuring out a taxation system, and my museum left abandoned. It was all over.
This became further cemented as my children grew up and started eyeing up my Switch. They had become old enough to game, and as I had picked up an OLED along the way and Switch 2 had dropped, I decided last year to give them my old consoles - not considering my Animal Crossing save.
You see, I hadn’t loaded the game since any of the updates, and my island was tied to my old Switch that had since been fully wiped. When Nintendo announced the brand new Switch 2 version of the game with a bunch of updates and asked me to take a look, I turned chalk white - I would have to start from scratch.
So with bated breath, I began anew. A fresh start on a brand new island, coupled with my knowledge of how to speed through some things, would mean this was going to be no problem - a breeze. How wrong I was.
I forgot about the time-gated building, the limited amount of activities that you are allowed to do each day, I forgot the game was serenity - but carefully curated serenity. And before any of you say it, I know there are “time travel mechanics” if you mess with the system time and date, but I am never one to cheat like that. I had to do it from the start.
Now, don’t take this as a derogatory statement towards the game; this is not my intent. The limited number of things to do each day in the game is good; it sets a routine and rhythm to your sessions. It’s just not ideal when you need to progress in the game in order to get to the new stuff, but I digress. Let’s check out what’s new in Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch 2.
First off, you can now use the GameChat feature on Switch 2 to talk to your friends when you visit their islands. During launch, if you didn’t want to fight with the Nintendo app to chat, you just used Discord. This is a most welcome, if not late, feature that would have come in clutch as a way to simplify multiplayer in the game.
You can also have up to 12 players in the game online playing together (and up to 8 locally) and while I couldn’t find 12 people to test this out with - it’s another bonus for fans of the game that do have a bunch of people willing to jump in.
Also enhanced are the visuals. While this was not an issue whatsoever for me, either handheld or docked, on the original, it does make island life look a bit smoother. Everything is now in 4K, and I can’t say I see much of a difference, but it's still nice to have.
The megaphone item you can buy at the shop is meant to be used to shout to your friends on the island so that you can locate them quickly. Great idea in concept - but when you have a Scottish accent, not so good in practice! This is a user issue and happens to us for all voice-controlled devices, not just here.
Alongside the Switch 2 version, they also dropped update 3.0 for everyone. This adds some nice QOL features, such as the ability to access your stash anywhere and a hotel that attracts 8 more villagers to your island. You can even go in and decorate each room in the hotel to your liking.
However, there is a new hotel currency used exclusively at the resort to purchase items, rather than bells. Thankfully, Nintendo isn’t 2K Games, so this isn’t available to purchase with real-life money.
Outside of adding the hotel, being able to bulk-craft things now is honestly a godsend when you are kitting out an area and need multiples of items. Combined with the ability to access your stash anywhere, it makes designing your island a breeze. I just wish I were more creative!
So with all that said, is this new Switch 2 upgrade worth the £4.19/$5 dollar price point when 3.0 is free for everyone? I would have to say - only if you are finding the 1080p offensive and have a bunch of friends who still play. The new system update that lets you play Switch 1 titles in docked mode while handheld on Switch 2 gives the original game a huge boost graphically, so unless you love to play in multiplayer with a huge group, trying out the 3.0 patch may be enough.
In a year where Cozy competition has risen in the form of the god-tier Pokemon Pokopia, it may be time we stop the New Horizon updates and get a brand new Animal Crossing for the Switch 2 that takes every lesson learned and doubles down on them.
While the game may still be a charming island life sim, newer games have come out and played a far more extensive hand when it comes to crowning the King of Cozy.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons will always have a place in my heart and is still a must-play if you have never tried it, but there are more exciting offerings out there that do things better.