Animal Crossing: New Horizons Preview - New Amenities, But Not Renovations - Game Informer

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Preview — New Amenities, Not Full Renovations

Nintendo is keeping Animal Crossing: New Horizons lively on Switch and Switch 2 with a free 3.0 update for all players and an optional $4.99 Switch 2 feature pack, both arriving January 15, 2026. After a hands-off demo, the verdict is clear: there’s a lot for dedicated island creators to dig into, even if it’s not a sweeping reinvention meant to bring everyone back.

Switch 2-only upgrades

• Mouse support streamlines decorating and creation: quickly arrange furniture, tweak custom designs, and draw on the bulletin board.
• Megaphone item uses the console mic to call villagers over, but only outdoors and only if they’re nearby—clever concept with limited practicality, and it costs an inventory slot.
• GameChat support and expanded island visits for up to 12 players. However, each join triggers roughly a 30-second load, and all visitors must be on the Switch 2 version.

Free 3.0 update for all players
Slumber Islands are the standout addition:

• Build up to three separate dream islands (large, medium, or small) so you can experiment without reshaping your main island.
• Decorate with any furniture you’ve collected, plus trees and plants.
• Populate with your island’s residents; visitors can bring their own residents into your dream spaces.
• Owner-hosted sessions only: the dream island is accessible only while the host is present; when the host leaves, everyone is removed.

A new hotel connected to Kapp’n’s pier:

• Unlock a hotel where potential residents stay in rooms you design.
• Choose from roughly 20 preset themes (like a pastel-forward Dreamy set with snacks and a giant teddy) or craft fully custom themes.
• Earn tickets by designing rooms and by selling a rotating selection of craftables to Kapp’n outside the hotel; spend tickets on exclusive lobby furniture.
• Dress mannequins in the lobby so visiting villagers will wear those outfits around town—think tourist tees, island-style.

Crossover decor and amiibo support

• New sets inspired by Splatoon, The Legend of Zelda, and Lego.
• Scan any single amiibo from a given series to unlock that entire series’ set. Daily scan limits still apply, but items aren’t tied to specific figures.

Bottom line

• Smart tools and creative sandboxes for the community’s builders—not a massive overhaul for lapsed players.
• Value is strong: Update 3.0 is free, and the Switch 2 feature pack is just $4.99 on January 15.

Key details

• Platforms: Switch, Switch 2
• Publisher/Developer: Nintendo
• Original release: March 20, 2020
• Switch 2 upgrade + Update 3.0: January 15, 2026
• Rating: Everyone

Source: https://gameinformer.com/preview/2025/12/16/new-amenities-but-not-renovations