Animal CrossingExplainer
New Animal Crossing game: Nintendo hasn't announced one, and Switch 2 got New Horizons instead
Nintendo hasn't announced a new Animal Crossing game, so there's no release date or platform. The latest game in the series is still Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which came out on March 20, 2020, and has sold more than 50 million copies. Instead of a sequel, Switch 2 got Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, on Jan. 15, 2026, for $64.99, along with a free update that added a resort hotel for both versions.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is more than six years old, and Nintendo still hasn’t announced the next one. Here’s what’s official about a new Animal Crossing game, and what Switch 2 owners can play now.
Is there a new Animal Crossing game?
Not yet. Nintendo hasn’t announced a new Animal Crossing game, a release date or a platform, and titles and dates shared online aren’t official.
The latest game in the series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, came out on Switch on March 20, 2020. By simple arithmetic, that’s six and a half years as of October 2026. It has sold 50.29 million copies as of June 30, 2026, which makes it the second best-selling Switch game after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
What Switch 2 got instead
Nintendo released Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition on Jan. 15, 2026. It’s $64.99, and if you already own New Horizons on Switch, a paid upgrade pack is $4.99. The Switch 2 Edition adds 4K resolution in TV mode, mouse controls with the right Joy-Con 2 for decorating and Custom Designs, a megaphone that uses the Switch 2 microphone to call your residents, online play for up to 12 players if everyone has the Switch 2 Edition, and CameraPlay.
The free 3.0 update
The same day, Nintendo released a free update for both the Switch and Switch 2 versions. It opens a resort hotel on the pier run by Kapp’n’s family, where you decorate guest rooms to bring in visitors, and adds a Reset Service from Resetti and home storage for up to 9,000 items. Nintendo Switch Online members get Slumber Island, where you can design up to three extra islands with friends. The update also brought Nintendo and LEGO items and characters you can invite with Zelda and Splatoon amiibo.
For more on what’s coming to Nintendo’s console, see our upcoming Switch 2 games page.
This page is updated as soon as Nintendo announces a new Animal Crossing game or a new New Horizons update.
FAQ
Is there a new Animal Crossing game coming out?
Nintendo hasn’t announced one. The newest version is Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, which came out on Jan. 15, 2026.
Will there be a new Animal Crossing for Switch 2?
Not announced. Switch 2 has New Horizons, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, with 4K resolution in TV mode, mouse controls and online play for up to 12 players.
How much is Animal Crossing on Switch 2?
The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is $64.99. If you already own New Horizons on Switch, the upgrade pack is $4.99. The original Switch game is $59.99.
What's in the Animal Crossing 3.0 update?
A resort hotel on the pier run by Kapp’n’s family, a Reset Service from Resetti, home storage for up to 9,000 items, Slumber Island for Nintendo Switch Online members, Nintendo and LEGO items, and new Zelda and Splatoon amiibo characters. It’s free on Switch and Switch 2.
How many copies has Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold?
50.29 million as of June 30, 2026, Nintendo says. It’s the second best-selling Switch game, behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Is Animal Crossing: New Horizons still getting updates?
Version 3.0 arrived in January 2026 with the Switch 2 Edition, and Nintendo followed it with fixes up to version 3.0.3 on April 29, 2026. Nintendo hasn’t announced another content update.
Pop quiz
1 questions from this story.
Who runs the new resort hotel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
The hotel on the pier, added in the free 3.0 update, is run by Kapp’n’s family. You decorate guest rooms to bring in visitors.
Your call
What do you want from the next Animal Crossing?
