Features Coming With the Animal Crossing New Horizons Update

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I remember when Animal Crossing: New Horizons first came out in March 2020 – it was instantly huge! So many of us were totally hooked, playing it constantly for months. Nintendo kept it fresh with updates and new stuff to do until around November 2021, but after that, they pretty much stopped adding any major content or patches. It felt like the game just… stopped evolving after a while.

Nintendo surprised players by announcing a large, free update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons coming in early 2026. Version 3.0 will launch on January 15, 2026, alongside the release of the new Nintendo Switch 2, and this guide details all the confirmed features coming in the update for both Switch and Switch 2.

Crafting in Bulk

The Most Highly Requested QOL Feature

When Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched in 2020, players quickly noticed the game lacked a way to craft multiple items at once. Many requested a bulk crafting feature, but it wasn’t added, and it’s been five years since the game’s release.

Gamers who enjoy designing their islands and homes in Animal Crossing would have really benefited from this feature earlier. Luckily, it’s coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the January update, which fans will be excited about!

Storage Improvements

No Need to Dispose of Any More Rare Flowers

While 5,000 storage spaces seems like plenty when you start playing, you’ll quickly realize it fills up after a few hundred hours in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game has so many different resources, clothes, and furniture options that it’s easy to max out your home’s storage without even realizing it.

The next update will significantly increase home storage, letting players store up to 9,000 items – almost double the current limit. This is great news, especially since the update also adds a lot of new items to collect.

We’re making storage even better! Soon, you’ll be able to store trees, bushes, and flowers, so you won’t have to get rid of them when rearranging your island.

Resetti’s Reset Service

Swiftly Clean Up the Island

Resetti first appeared in a previous update to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, offering help when players got stuck. Now, starting in January, he’s adding a new service: helping players tidy up their islands when they want to redesign them.

If you talk to Resetti, he can help you clear things up on your island. He can reset specific areas, the beaches, or the whole island, which removes all furniture and puts it into storage. You can also ask him to delete any custom designs and flowers – flowers can either be stored or thrown away.

Zelda and Splatoon Villagers

Get Your Favorite Crossover Characters to Visit

Nintendo is bringing a lot of fun crossover items to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Plus, characters from other popular Nintendo games are now appearing as villagers in Animal Crossing, and you might even find them visiting your campsite!

The latest trailer revealed four new villagers coming to the game! Tulin and Mineru, characters from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, will join as bird and deer villagers. Plus, Cece and Viché are inspired by the popular duo Callie and Marie from Splatoon.

Cece and Viché were both characters in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but they had unique designs. Players could also unlock Inkwell by scanning the Inkling amiibo. Nintendo might add even more crossover villagers to Animal Crossing in future updates, potentially including characters like Ganon, Wolf Link, Epona, and Medli.

Slumber Islands

Effortlessly Make the Island of Your Dreams

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, when you choose to go to bed, you’ll now see a “It’s slumber time” option. Selecting this will take you to Slumber Island, which is essentially a creative mode where you can build and design freely.

On Slumber Island, players have complete creative control! You can place any item you’ve collected, add natural elements like trees and bushes, reshape the land, and even build structures like bridges and stairs. Plus, you can choose the weather and time of day to create the perfect atmosphere. It’s a great way to switch things up, tidy up a messy island, or simply explore new design ideas. Each player can create up to three Slumber Islands, in any size they prefer.

Kapp’n’s Family Hotel

Help Run a Family Business

Okay, so the new update is awesome! Kapp’n’s family is opening a resort on my island, and tourists are gonna start showing up! I need to help decorate the hotel rooms to get them ready, and in return, I’ll get hotel tickets. These tickets let me buy exclusive souvenirs from a shop in the hotel – stuff you can’t find at Nook’s Cranny or when I visit other islands with Paradise Planning. It sounds like a lot of work, but totally worth it for the unique items!

Visitors will either show up at your hotel, or you can invite them using an Amiibo. Once they arrive, they can relax in your room, try on a hotel uniform, and wander around the island.

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2025-10-31 02:41