New Horizons expansion has arrived earlier than expected

For a number of very obvious reasons, we do not want to move backwards into 2020. No thanks. But if there’s one heartwarming lockdown story, it’s the perfectly timed arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizonswhich allowed friends who could no longer meet up IRL to do so virtually on their carefully carved islands.

The game will certainly never be as popular as it was back then, but Nintendo is hoping that a good number of idle islanders will return for its latest DLC, which arrived a day earlier than expected. As spotted by the free Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 The update is available to download now and, as previously announced, brings a host of new features to the cozy living sim, including a brand new pier resort hotel that you can help decorate.

There are also new items and quality of life improvements, as well as the ability to build new islands with your friends and family in the dreamlike world of “Slumber Island”. All you need to do is go to New horizons game icon on your Switch’s home screen and download the software update.

Nintendo also announced last year that New horizons would come to Switch 2 on January 15, improving the visuals, unlocking mouse controls and GameChat functionality, and increasing online multiplayer capability from eight to 12 players. For now, the Switch 2 edition of the game remains locked, so you’ll be stuck with the standard Switch version until tomorrow. The upgrade costs $5, while new players can purchase the Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for $65.