00:00Believe it or not, it's already been five years since Animal Crossing New Horizons
00:04launched on the original Nintendo Switch back in March of 2020.
00:07And while there has seemed to be a period of relative silence from Nintendo,
00:10there have been a ton of content updates since then.
00:13And with the announcement of the new Nintendo Switch 2 version,
00:15and the free content update releasing this upcoming January,
00:18we have even more on the...horizon.
00:20Sorry, I really couldn't think of a better word.
00:22Here's everything that's been added to Animal Crossing New Horizons since its launch.
00:30A quick note here, we won't be covering every seasonal event
00:34since they're recurring and only for a limited time,
00:37and there are constant new small additions like bugs, fish, and plants.
00:40If something was particularly big or noteworthy, or had an outsized importance during that time,
00:44we'll for sure make a mention of it.
00:48While the first month of release brought Bunny Day's eggpocalypse,
00:51cherry blossom trees, nature day events, and wedding season,
00:54the first non-seasonal permanent update to New Horizons came on April 23rd of 2020.
00:59Leaf's garden shop opened for business with his arrival on the island,
01:02and he brought his seeds and saplings with him.
01:04Jolly Red also made his first appearance with his treasure trawler,
01:07where he could exchange bells for both artwork and furniture.
01:10Aside from those two merchants, we also got a new museum expansion with the art gallery.
01:14Our next big update was in July, with the free Summer Update Wave 1.
01:18Swimming and diving remained available,
01:20which opened up brand new creatures that you could collect and donate to the museum.
01:23The Otter Paschal also made his appearance and could give you new DIY recipes,
01:27and you can now find Gulliver's pirate-themed counterpart, Gullivar, washed up on the shore.
01:32With Wave 2 of the Summer Update, Dream Islands made their first appearance,
01:35as well as the villager Luna to guide you through other players' islands.
01:38And finally, at the end of the month, they added the Island Backup and Restoration Service,
01:43which allowed you to back up your island and save data in the event that something were to happen to your Nintendo Switch.
01:47The late September update brought all the spooky season additions you would expect,
01:51like Halloween-themed events, props, and clothing.
01:54As a bonus, the update also included pumpkins as an item that players could now plant and harvest.
01:58But the Autumn update also brought a dreaming favorite list,
02:01so you could decide which islands to visit while napping,
02:03as well as an update to Nook Link,
02:05the Animal Crossing module inside the Nintendo Switch Online app that lets you perform in-game reactions.
02:10The Winter update in mid-November of course brought Turkey Day and Toy Day,
02:13but as far as permanent upgrades were concerned,
02:15we got the ability to transfer islands and residents to another Nintendo Switch system,
02:19as well as new hairstyle options and a home storage expansion.
02:22The next big update was at the end of January, and it brought no permanent upgrades,
02:27just Valentine's Day events and the Festival events with the flamboyant peacock pave.
02:31We also received access to Mario-themed items later in February for Mario's 35th anniversary.
02:36While most of the Mario-themed items consisted of costumes that allowed players to dress up as iconic Mario characters,
02:41players could also gain access to a warp pipe item that allowed them to instantly warp over to any other point of their islands.
02:47March of 2021 also received an update.
02:49Although it marked the official one-year anniversary since the game's release,
02:52this month's only update granted players the opportunity to scan the Sanrio collaboration
02:57amiibo cards and invite special Sanrio-inspired characters to their islands.
03:00Various Hello Kitty items were also added to the Nook Inc. terminal.
03:05Though a few smaller updates were available throughout the next few months,
03:08that merely added a few additional in-game items for purchase,
03:11the next major update was the big 2.0 edition that Nintendo released in November of 2021.
03:16Brewster had now moved into the museum and opened up his Roost Cafe,
03:20and players can invite other villagers and amiibo-scanned guests over for a fresh brew of coffee.
03:25Cap'n now provided daily tours for players to gain the opportunity to collect rare and valuable items on random islands.
03:30Players can now access Harv's Island, where they could pay to have familiar characters appear and offer their services.
03:36These services include additional options to customize furniture, fortune-telling, and expanded shopping opportunities.
03:41Plus, players now had plenty more access to new hairstyles, reactions, and quality of life improvements.
03:46And, players could also participate in a stretching activity with all of their residents on their islands.
03:51Additional customization features were added as well, such as giving players the option to collect and hang gyroids,
03:56the opportunity to add extra walls inside of homes, and the ability to hang ceiling fixtures.
04:00The cooking mechanic was also introduced at this point,
04:03and so Nintendo included more crops and foods in this update to allow players to truly utilize their harvested goods to their full cooking potential.
04:09Most notably, the 2.0 update also included paid DLC in the form of Happy Home Paradise,
04:15which lets players team up with Lottie, Nico, and Wardle in an effort to create dream homes for a large variety of Animal Crossing characters.
04:21Players are also able to create homes and other establishments in order to rank up and access other customization features,
04:26including new reactions, lighting features, and expanded options for home decorations on the main island.
04:31Players could even earn currency, exclusive to this extra content, and purchase items that were unavailable on the main island.
04:36Following this big version 2.0 update, Nintendo released a few gradual updates throughout 2022
04:41that mainly fixed bugs or added a few small items to the shopping catalog.
04:44Though Animal Crossing New Horizons went on to become one of the all-time best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch system,
04:50activity within the game began to fizzle out in favor of other Nintendo games with continued online support.
04:57Keeping in line with several other Nintendo Switch titles that made the leap to upgraded Switch 2 editions,
05:01Animal Crossing New Horizons is slated to have a Switch 2 release on January 15th,
05:052026 alongside a free version 3.0 update.
05:08The Switch 2 edition is a $5 upgrade for users that already own the original version of the game,
05:13and the upcoming version can also be purchased as a standalone title both physically and digitally.
05:17The Switch 2 edition primarily features enhanced visuals and improved graphics, allowing the game to be played in 4K quality.
05:22The game will also become compatible with mouse controls via the Switch 2 Joy-Con controller,
05:26allowing players to more easily access and customize their islands and homes.
05:30Switch 2 users will also be able to connect their webcams during gameplay,
05:33and host up to 12 player lobbies with fellow Switch 2 users.
05:36The version 3.0 update will be available as a free update for both versions of the game,
05:40and includes many quality of life improvements, including the option to craft multiple items at once,
05:45and to now store plants within storage, which has been upgraded to hold 9,000 items.
05:49The biggest feature of the version 3.0 update is the resort hotel, which is now added to the pier of the island.
05:54Players will be able to decorate rooms with specific themes, and after successfully completing each task,
05:59they'll be awarded hotel tickets, which can be redeemed at the souvenir shop.
06:02The lobby of the hotel will also contain mannequins that will allow for custom shirt designs to be put on display,
06:07and guests will be able to freely switch into these outfits with ease.
06:10Players will also be able to fully collaborate with other players on slumber islands,
06:14which are islands that can be fully terraformed and decorated with any items in a player's catalog.
06:18The seasons, weather, and time of day can all be modified, and up to three slumber islands can be saved.
06:24Speaking of collaborating, Nintendo has an abundance of collaborations coming to Animal Crossing.
06:29Starting with their own franchises, players can purchase different game consoles from
06:32throughout Nintendo's legacy to display in their homes, with some of them even able to access
06:36Nintendo Switch Online and play classic titles, similar to that of Animal Crossing back on the GameCube.
06:41Items and characters based on the Legend of Zelda series and Splatoon series will also be making appearances.
06:46Minoru and Tulin from Legend of Zelda series The Kingdom will be making their Animal Crossing debut,
06:50while returning Splatoon-themed villagers CeCe and Biche will also appear,
06:54but this time they'll be based on Splatoon 3's Shiver and Fry.
06:57Lego items are also set to appear in the game's catalog, including clothing, wallpaper, and furniture.
07:02Lastly, version 3.0 marks the return of Resetti, who now runs a cleanup service.
07:07The player can ask him to clean up the entire beach, the entire island, or a designated area.
07:11Resetti can then either dispose of removed items, or place them into storage.
07:17Animal Crossing New Horizons has come a long way since its initial release on the Nintendo Switch
07:21back in 2020. With numerous updates, various quality of life improvements, paid DLC,
07:26and the upcoming free version 3.0 update, there's a lot to explore in this friendly island building
07:31title, and the Switch 2 version of the game should now allow players to have a truly definitive experience.
07:36Though the enhanced version and the version 3.0 update don't release until January of next year,
07:40there's still a fair amount of content to enjoy in the meantime.
07:43Until then, let us know which feature you're most eager to experience,
07:46be sure to check out our wiki for more tips and tricks on how to optimize and present your own island,
07:50and for all things Animal Crossing, check out more of our coverage and content here at IGN.
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