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Animal Crossing fans looking to return to the cozy island life can do so earlier than expected. While New Horizons’ next major update, which brings the life sim game to version 3.0, was originally slated to launch on January 15th, it’s now available to download.
To be clear, this is not the paid Switch 2 upgrade for the game, which adds features like 4K visuals, 12 player online sessions, and mouse controls using the Switch 2’s new Joy-Con controllers. That update is still expected to launch on the 15th.
Instead, what launched early is the more robust — and free — 3.0 update that adds a host of gameplay features across all versions of the game, many of which fans have been clamoring for since New Horizons launched back in 2020. That includes quality-of-life tweaks like increased storage, the ability to craft multiple items at once, and an automated service for cleaning up parts of your island. You’ll also find a new hotel on your island, and there are added features for Switch Online subscribers as well, like the ability to play certain NES games.
Whether or not the update results in a long-term boost for New Horizons remains to be seen, but it does have more than a few players excited to get back into the game.