Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has been out since January 15, 2026, and Nintendo’s US store lists it at $64.99. If you already own the Switch version, you do not need to buy it again: the Upgrade Pack is $4.99 and unlocks the Switch 2 features on the game you have. The big free 3.0 update (hotel, Slumber Islands, more storage) is not part of the upgrade, so Switch owners get it too.
Table of Contents
Quick answer
- Switch 2 Edition price (US): $64.99, according to Nintendo’s store page (checked 19:10 UTC on Nov 9, 2026).
- Upgrade Pack price (US): $4.99 if you already have the full Switch game.
- What you get on Switch 2 only: higher resolution, mouse controls with the right Joy-Con 2, a megaphone that uses the console microphone, and 12-player online sessions.
- What every owner gets: the free 3.0 update, including Kapp’n’s hotel, up to three Slumber Islands (Nintendo Switch Online required), bigger home storage and the LEGO and retro Nintendo items.
- Your old Switch game still works on Nintendo Switch after you upgrade; the new features only run on Switch 2.
Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch 2 Edition: price and release date
Nintendo’s own announcement post, published on release day, split the news in two: a free update for everyone who owns the game, and a paid Switch 2 Edition for people on the new console. It listed three prices side by side, and they still match the live store page.
| Version | Console | US price |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | Switch 2 | $64.99 |
| Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack | Switch 2 (needs the full Switch game) | $4.99 |
| Animal Crossing: New Horizons (original) | Switch | $59.99 |
Prices are US list prices from Nintendo’s store, checked 19:10 UTC on Nov 9, 2026. Other regions price it differently, and sales change the numbers, so look at your own eShop before you buy. The Switch 2 Edition download is listed at roughly 11.6 GB, so leave some room on the console.
How the Upgrade Pack works
Nintendo describes a Switch 2 Edition as a bundle of the original game plus its upgrade pack. That is why the maths works out: $59.99 for the base game plus $4.99 for the pack is exactly the $64.99 the Switch 2 Edition costs. If you already own the game, only the pack is worth buying.
- You need the full Animal Crossing: New Horizons game, physical or digital. Nintendo’s upgrade-pack support page says the pack is sold on the eShop, the Nintendo Store and at retailers (as a download code).
- Buy the pack on your Switch 2 (or redeem the retail code in the eShop) and download it.
- Launch the game on Switch 2 and the Switch 2 Edition features are available.
One more thing from the same Nintendo page: members of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack can download certain upgrade packs at no extra cost, from the Nintendo Switch Online menu in the eShop. The page does not say which games, and Nintendo’s Animal Crossing pages only show the $4.99 price, so check that menu on your console before paying.
What is different on Switch 2
Everything below is from Nintendo’s store page and release announcement. We have not played it, so this is what Nintendo says the Switch 2 Edition adds, not a performance review.
| Switch 2 feature | What Nintendo says |
|---|---|
| Resolution | Enhanced resolution |
| Mouse controls | Right Joy-Con 2 as a mouse for moving furniture indoors, Custom Designs and handwritten bulletin-board messages |
| Megaphone | Call animal residents by name using the built-in microphone |
| Online play | Up to 12 players online if everyone has the Switch 2 Edition (up to 8 otherwise) |
| CameraPlay | See friends’ reactions through GameChat with a compatible USB camera (sold separately) |
Decorating a room in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Nintendo says Switch 2 mouse controls make furniture placement faster. Image: Nintendo
Mouse controls for decorating and Custom Designs
Nintendo says the mouse mode is meant to make furniture placement and design work faster and easier. It names three uses: rearranging furniture indoors, drawing Custom Designs and writing messages by hand on the bulletin board. It works with the right Joy-Con 2 controller. If you spend most of your time on room layouts, this is the upgrade that matters.
The Custom Designs editor, one of the places Nintendo says Switch 2 mouse controls work. Image: Nintendo
The megaphone
The megaphone is a small quality-of-life feature. You call an animal resident by name into the console’s microphone and they answer, so you can find them without crossing the island. In Nintendo’s screenshot a resident answers the call with “Yes! I’m over here!”.
The megaphone calls residents by name; here Lolly replies "Yes! I'm over here!". Image: Nintendo
12-player online sessions and CameraPlay
On Switch, up to eight people can live on one island, and up to eight can play together on it. If every player has the Switch 2 Edition, Nintendo says up to 12 can play together online. With GameChat and a compatible USB camera you can also see friends’ reactions. Nintendo’s release post noted that GameChat was free until March 31, 2026 and requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership after that date, which has now passed.
For local play, Nintendo’s save data and multiplayer FAQ says up to four people can share one system and one game at the same time (extra controllers may be needed).
What you get for free on Switch and Switch 2: update 3.0
This is the part people confuse most. Nintendo’s January 15 post called it “the free update for everyone who has the game”, so none of the following requires the Upgrade Pack.
- Kapp’n’s family hotel. You design themed rooms for guests. Decorating a room, or helping Tom Nook with certain DIY requests, earns hotel tickets you spend in the souvenir shop.
- More home storage. Two more storage upgrades, for a maximum of 9,000 slots. You can also store trees, shrubs and flowers.
- Resetti’s cleanup service. He can tidy parts of your island or all of it, and send flowers or custom designs straight to storage.
- Slumber Islands. Up to three extra islands for terraforming, building and decorating with items you already have, separate from your main island. They require a Nintendo Switch Online membership, and you can host friends or visit theirs.
- Collaborations. LEGO items, retro Nintendo items and goodies from scanning certain amiibo accessories. Nintendo points to Splatoon and Legend of Zelda amiibo as ones to try.
There is also NookLink, a service for paid Nintendo Switch Online members that connects the game to the Nintendo Switch App on your phone. Nintendo lists an Island Newspaper, tips from Tom Nook and Isabelle, a daily Nook Points collection you can trade for in-game items, and chat messages to Best Friends.
Does my save carry over?
Nintendo’s Animal Crossing FAQ answers most of this, and the key rule is that the island lives on the console, not in the game version. You can only have one island per Nintendo Switch 2 or Switch system, even across different games, so buying the Switch 2 Edition does not create a second island on the same console.
- Same console, upgrade pack: Nintendo describes the pack as enhancing the game you already own, and says the island save sits on the console, so there is no separate Switch 2 island to start.
- New console: after updating to the latest version, Nintendo says you can transfer your island, or a single resident, to another Switch 2 or Switch system. A full island transfer moves the island data, progress, animal neighbors, residents, their inventories and homes, and Slumber Islands. No Animal Crossing save remains on the old system afterwards.
- Single resident move: only that resident’s data and items come along. Island facilities, museum contributions and furniture placed outside are not part of it.
- No Save Data Cloud. The game does not support it. Instead, Nintendo offers an island backup (needs game version 1.4.0 or later and an active Nintendo Switch Online membership). It is off by default and has to be turned on in the in-game settings.
Follow Nintendo’s own transfer guide for the exact steps, because transferring to a console that already has an island means deleting that save first.
Who should buy the Switch 2 Edition?
- Already own it on Switch and have a Switch 2: the $4.99 pack is the easy call if you decorate a lot, play with friends online, or want the cleaner picture.
- Own it on Switch and are happy there: skip it. The hotel, Slumber Islands and storage upgrade are free in update 3.0.
- Never bought it and own a Switch 2: the $64.99 Switch 2 Edition is the one to get, since it already includes the pack.
- Never bought it and own a Switch: the $59.99 original gets all the 3.0 content, and you can add the pack later if you move to Switch 2.
If a slow, decorate-at-your-own-pace game is what you are after, our best cozy games on Switch 2 list and the Switch 2 games coming in 2027 page are good next stops. Other Nintendo upgrades follow a similar pattern, as in our look at the Ocarina of Time Switch 2 Editions and the Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition update. Farming-sim fans waiting on more cozy news can also read about the Stardew Valley 1.7 update.
FAQ
Is Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch 2 Edition free?
No. It is $64.99 in the US, or $4.99 for the Upgrade Pack if you own the Switch game. Nintendo says certain upgrade packs are free for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members, but its Animal Crossing pages list only the $4.99 price, so check your eShop’s Nintendo Switch Online menu.
Can I still play the Switch version after I upgrade?
Yes. Nintendo’s support page says the original game can still be played on Switch, while the Switch 2 Edition features can only be played on Switch 2.
Do I need Nintendo Switch Online?
Nintendo’s pages say a membership is required for online play, Slumber Islands, NookLink, GameChat and island backup.
Sources: Nintendo Store product page (checked 19:10 UTC, Nov 9, 2026); Nintendo’s update 3.0 and Switch 2 Edition announcement; Nintendo Support: How to Upgrade Nintendo Switch Software to Nintendo Switch 2 Edition; Nintendo Support: Save Data and Multiplayer Support FAQ (Animal Crossing: New Horizons); Nintendo: Enrich your island life with NookLink.
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Featured image: Nintendo
