Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition takes fans of the cute critter-filled series back to the island. It’s a welcome home to my little slice of paradise, which I thought I had left behind – but with the new glow-up of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, I might stay a while longer…or get completely addicted again to Nintendo’s iconic wholesome life sim. Oodles of new additions to the game to reignite the love for creating, crafting, and caving into the demands of a capitalist raccoon.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition comes as either a full paid edition for new players, or an upgrade pack for those returning on their shiny new Switch 2. With the paid upgrade, 4K visuals, 12-player online, and GameChat/Camera Play, mouse controls and a mega entertaining megaphone to beckon villagers are introduced. In great news, owners of the original version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons are also being gifted a long-awaited update with Version 3.0, including more items, more crafting perks, quality of life improvements, and Slumber Islands.

The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition feels more like a visual and performance overhaul at its core. The game looks noticeably sharper and, to me, brighter and more vibrant – but that might be the light returning to my eyes after such a long time away from my villagers. My island was absolutely jam-packed with thematic areas, and my waterfront carnival area, where an overdose of lights and moving pieces tended to cause slow load-in and what felt like frame drops on the Switch version, is gone.

I even tested out piling even more into the chaotic carnival and had absolutely no issues; likewise, going in and out of buildings or catching a flight with Dodo Airlines had a noticeable reduction in load time. Whether handheld or docked, the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition makes the most of the console’s enhanced capabilities – looking better than ever and running flawlessly. The game is locked at 30 fps when it should easily hit 60 fps, which was probably the only bizarre omission in an otherwise wonderful performance boost.

There is a caveat to the content in the paid Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. A significant portion of the content requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription for online features. For some, this might not be a big deal, but if it’s the only game you’re playing and you have to pay for the new version or upgrade as well, it ends up being a bit of an expensive return trip. Though if you want friends to visit your island, or you want to visit or create Slumber Islands, you’ll need to pay for membership and with a decent pull of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, being able to invite up to 12 friends to visit your islands, it seems like it’s kind of necessary to get the full benefit of the upgrade. What good is having an incredible island without a little tourism added in for good measure?

Though there is a way for guests to visit without a Nintendo Switch Online account, it is of the animal villager variety. The new Resort Hotel adds a building on the island for visiting animals to stay. As the chief interior designer, I enjoyed creating themed rooms with new items from the gift shop, adding a much-needed refresh to my island and home. While there are plenty of swanky new items, another issue is that Zelda and Splatoon outfits, villagers, and furnishings that require corresponding Amiibos add more costs to the “full package” experience.

For gamers not quite ready to let go of their original Nintendo Switch console or upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, there’s still much to look forward to with the Version 3.0 update. Coinciding with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 edition, it couldn’t have come at a better time. There are a few quality-of-life improvements like increased storage space, batch crafting, and access to the Resort Hotel, Slumber Islands and even the return of cranky mole, Resetti, ready to clear up parts of your island should you desire a reset.

The free update (available on both consoles) adds enough that the upgrade to Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a personal choice. For Nintendo Switch 2, returning players should consider investing a few real-world Bells into the Upgrade Pack. At only $8.00 AUD / $4.99 USD / £4.1,9 it’s a reasonable value for better performance. The base Nintendo Switch 2 edition retails for $87.95 AUD / $64.99 USD / £54.99 GBP, but you’ll only need this if you don’t already own the original version.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 edition is worth it for the graphical and performance changes if you own a Nintendo Switch 2, and is an essential addition to the Switch catalogue of cosy games. While the new edition doesn’t necessarily bring massive core changes, the game looks and runs better and considering how much looking and running around I do on my island, it’s very much needed. At the same time, we await a much-anticipated announcement of the next instalment of the Animal Crossing series. 

Written by: Yasmin Noble