Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ New Edition Adds Exclusive Switch 2 Features This Week
Back on island time.
In March 2020, it seemed like everyone was playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The latest iteration of the long-running life sim series landed on Nintendo’s massively popular console during the lockdowns, giving it a huge audience hungry for some low-stakes fun. Almost six years later, New Horizons is getting a Switch 2 Edition, adding some brand-new features that take advantage of the new Switch’s unique hardware.
It may be a long time since you last visited your island, but the time is almost here to head back for another visit. Here’s when you can start playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition, and what changes to expect.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition launches alongside a free update.
What’s being added in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition?
The paid upgrade for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition includes improved graphics like most Switch 2 Editions, plus a few additions that use the console in some interesting ways. The big one is mouse mode, which only a few games have really taken advantage of so far. On Switch 2, you can decorate your home using the mouse, much as you would in similar games on PC. Moving items with the mouse should be easier than with the Switch’s joysticks, but the most exciting difference is that you can selected multiple pieces of furniture to move them all at once, which should speed things up considerably.
You can also use mouse mode to make your own custom designs using New Horizons’ pixel interface, so making your own clothing could get much easier. The mouse can also be used to write messages on your island’s bulletin board, letting you show off your artistic skills to visitors.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition makes decorating easier with mouse mode.
One of the coolest new features coming to the Switch 2 Edition is the megaphone. With it equipped, you can call out the name of a villager using the Switch’s microphone and the villager will respond, pointing you to their location with an onscreen indicator. The player limit for multiplayer sessions is increased to 12 for anyone who owns the Switch 2 Edition, and the voice and video chat features added in Switch 2’s GameChat are also available.
Plenty more features are coming to New Horizons at the same time in the 3.0 update, but they’ll be available to everyone for free. As Nintendo shared late last year, the New Horizons 3.0 update adds a new hotel to run, a separate dream island to customize, and collaborations with games including The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon.
When Is the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition Release Date and Time?
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition is set to release on January 15, but Nintendo hasn’t announced exactly when it will unlock, and in this case, it’s a bit hard to predict. Typically, games that get a physical release unlock at midnight EST on release day, but that’s expected to be a bit different this time, since the game’s launch coincides with New Horizon’s 3.0 update.
Switch 2’s GameChat features come to New Horizons in the new edition.
Historically, New Horizons updates have been pinned to 10 am in Japan, and it’s possible that the game’s Switch 2 Edition could unlock simultaneously. If that’s the case, the new edition could be available at the following times around the world:
- North America West Coast: 5 pm PST on January 14
- North America East Coast: 8 pm EST on January 14
- U.K.: 1 am GMT on January 15
- Central Europe: 2 am CET on January 15
- Japan: 10 am JST on January 15
- Australia: 12 pm AEDT on January 15
It’s also possible that the Switch 2 Edition launch and the 3.0 update will come at different times, in which case, the new Switch 2 features would unlock four hours after the update hits.
What is the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition file size and can you preload?
As with the game’s unlock time, preloading is a little more complicated than usual for Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition. The Nintendo eShop lists the file size for the Switch 2 Edition as 10.8, with the upgrade pack for people who already own the game on Switch at 3 MB. If you just need the upgrade pack, you can preorder it now, which includes a preload option. However, for anyone who doesn’t own the base game and is starting with the Switch 2 Edition, there’s currently no option to preload it from the eShop.
