Animal Crossing New Horizons: What’s New on Nintendo Switch 2?

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Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch 2 Edition: Enhanced Gameplay & Multiplayer

Nintendo is enhancing the Animal Crossing: New Horizons experience with a dedicated edition for the Nintendo Switch 2, launched on January 15 alongside a free update for all players. While retaining the core gameplay that made the original successful—island management, daily activities, and a relaxing atmosphere—this edition improves the resolution and includes practical additions. The Switch 2 Edition boasts enhanced resolution and mouse control for easier decorating. It also features a megaphone function, utilizing the console’s built-in microphone to call out to animal residents. Multiplayer sessions on the Switch 2 Edition can now accommodate up to 12 players online, with added CameraPlay and GameChat features for real-time interaction. Owners of the original game can access the Switch 2-specific enhancements—enhanced resolution, mouse control, improved multiplayer, CameraPlay, and GameChat—by purchasing an upgrade pack. Nintendo has also updated the NookLink within the Nintendo Switch App. Nintendo’s support page details the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 Update, which includes enhancements specific to the Switch 2 and general updates for both the Switch and Switch 2 versions.

New Horizons Version 3.0 Update: Enhanced DIY & Multiplayer Features on Nintendo Switch 2

These updates introduce mouse controls via the Joy-Con 2 for easier interior decoration and pattern creation. The megaphone allows players to call island residents directly. Online sessions can host up to 12 players simultaneously on the Nintendo Switch 2, with GameChat compatibility. The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Version 3.0 Update went live on January 14, ahead of schedule, at 3:00 a.m. Pacific Time. To install it, press the “+” button on the game icon and select “Software Update.” Upon launching Version 3.0, a save data conversion screen will update the file. Players with developed islands can immediately access the new Resort Hotel. Wireless local play supports up to 8 players, and CameraPlay displays participants’ reactions using a compatible USB camera. The update also includes the following new features and enhancements: Crafting and DIY: 1. Craft up to 10 items at once, if you have enough materials. 2. Use items stored in your home storage as DIY materials. 3. Check hotel DIY requests and items requested by Tom Nook on the new page in the DIY Recipes app. Nook Shopping and Items: 4. Order items obtained from Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp from Nook Shopping.

Island Life & Customization Enhancements in Animal Crossing New Horizons on Nintendo Switch 2

5. Order Super Mario Bros. items from Nook Shopping without linking to a Nintendo Account. 6. Purchase up to 50 Customization Kits at once from Nook’s Cranny. 7. Sell items, including Snowflakes, at the drop-off box at Nook’s Cranny. 8. Receive a Pearl every time you give a scallop to Pascal. Island Life and Customization: 9. Hold down the L Button to move while facing the same direction. 10. Isabelle suggests recommended melodies, including the original island tune, when changing the island tune at Resident Services. 11. Revert the island flag to the original design when changing it at Resident Services. 12. Ask Leif to remove weeds when there are 30 or more weeds on your island (either on Harv’s Island or during his visits). The fee for weed removal has been reduced. 13. New tips added to the Island Life 101 app. 14. Additional Nook Miles tasks added. 15. The order of some collaboration items updated in the catalogs used for photo studios and hotel decorating. Nintendo Switch 2 and NookLink Specific Updates: 16. (Nintendo Switch 2 specific) Fixed an issue where the startup sound for Nook Shopping on the smartphone would not play correctly.

Enhanced Island Life & Dream Island Customization in Animal Crossing New Horizons on Nintendo Switch 2

17. (NookLink updates, requires a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership and a compatible smart device with the Nintendo Switch App installed) Added new articles to the Island Newspaper, and The Catalog now supports new items added in Ver. 3.0.0. For original Nintendo Switch players, a paid upgrade pack grants access to the Switch 2-specific enhancements. Concurrently, a free update introduces a new hotel, managed by the Amiral family, where players can create theme rooms, host visitors, and unlock exclusive items. Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can invite friends to fully customizable dream islands, and Deblayage Express Resetti will simplify island tidying.

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