For the Animal Crossing fans looking for new dialogue or major overhauls to what exists in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you may not want to hold your breath for the 3.0 Update or the Nintendo Switch 2 version. The announcement for anything new for the five-year-old game was already a delightful surprise (especially after Nintendo previously said they were done with major updates years ago), but there don’t seem to be many secrets or surprises beyond what was shown in the reveal trailer. IGN was invited by Nintendo to get a hands-off look at what’s coming to ACNH on January 15, 2026, and the roughly 25-minute demo confirmed certain ACNH fan factions’ excitement and disappointment: namely, this one is for the decorators. That being said, as someone who does love decorating in Animal Crossing, this update is an exciting reason for me to play more regularly again.
The Switch 2 version’s three main features aren’t all that interesting, though the speed and graphical updates are pleasing. In the demo, I saw and had it confirmed that the Switch 2 exclusive Megaphone tool is limited to calling residents who can actually hear. So, it won’t impact anyone inside a building, which makes it less useful for tracking down a particular character. Then, the final major benefit to playing on Switch 2 is being able to play with up to 12 people total in multiplayer, though that hinges on everyone in the session playing on a Switch 2. I feel lucky I know even three people still playing, leaving this update as the least impactful.
The hotel is by far the biggest change out of everything. It was explained that, like other facilities in ACNH, the hotel is something you’ll unlock. Since it’s tied to the pier, it cannot be moved and getting it is not optional. I didn’t see what’s involved in building the hotel, but once it’s there, it’ll receive season-appropriate decor like other facilities. Inside is the welcoming site of Kapp’n’s family. The main activity you’ll do in the hotel is decorating rooms similar to the Happy Home Paradise DLC, with the key difference being that you have a list of room themes to choose from (such as Ranch Room, Skyscraper Room, and plenty more) and are free to do what you will with it… or skip using a theme entirely and freestyle the design.
If you use a theme, you’re provided a selection of items that match. Though unlike HHP, you’re not required to use any specific items even if you do opt to use a theme. Then, when you’re done, you’ll receive a reward of the new hotel currency, tickets, once per day. You can keep decorating the eight guest rooms, but you won’t receive any extra currency. Tickets can then be spent at the hotel gift shop that has hotel-related items along with new furniture, most of which I did not get to see. The other way to earn tickets is by crafting requested items for Kapp’n. The new bulk crafting feature wasn’t shown in my demo either.
Tourists who stay in the hotel can roam your island in the customizable outfits displayed in the hotel, which helps to clearly identify them. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much interaction with tourists in my demo. The one conversation with a tourist didn’t make it clear whether or not they can be invited to stay on the island, though it was mentioned in the demo that if the visitor is convinced, they could potentially become a resident.
The four new characters coming to ACNH with 3.0 (two from Splatoon, two from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) weren’t present in the demo, though the items that get added to ACNH after scanning one of their respective series amiibo were. It was clarified that to get one of the new Splatoon or Legends of Zelda characters and the associated special items, all you need to do is scan any one amiibo from their respective franchise, rather than any specific amiibo. The items looked great peppered around the item, and it seems most of the items are interactive.
For those looking for even more decorating, Slumber Islands await. We unfortunately again didn’t see much of the special Slumber Island space beyond what was shown in the reveal trailer. This feature requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. With that, you’ll get access to three island save spots and can create a small, medium, or large island, with the large size being close to being the size of the normal island. The Animal Crossing community has come up with some amazing island designs over the years, and the Slumber Islands feature is primed to encourage even more of that. Whatever you’ve collected will be available on the Slumber Islands, and anything you do or use in the dreams won’t impact your main island. It was confirmed during the demo that there won’t be any new additional custom design save slots, though, so players will need to get creative with what’s already available if custom designs are a key part of their island design process.
Our demo didn’t show Resetti’s new suite of cleanup services, all the new items coming with the hotel, or how much it costs to upgrade storage. There wasn’t a chance to ask the developers questions either, so it’s still unclear whether we should expect any other ACNH updates beyond this. I’m eager to see the patch notes whenever Nintendo releases them to see if there are any secret small quality of life updates or item updates for holidays (will we get a 2026 balloon arch for the New Year’s event?), but, as I mentioned earlier, I’m skeptical we’ll see any major changes other than what’s been announced. Even still, I’m enjoying having a reason to return to my island and get it cleaned up for future tourists.
Miranda Sanchez is the executive editor of guides at IGN and a member of Unlocked. She’s a big fan of stationery, reading, and bouncing between forever games. You can sometimes find her on Bluesky.
