Animal Crossing: New Horizons house upgrade guide

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How to upgrade your house, and what each upgrade stage will get you

animal crossing new horizons house upgrades
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons house upgrades work basically on the same basis as they have in previous games. You get a mortgage from Tom Nook, which you then pay off, to get an extension on your home, to get another mortgage from Tom Nook, to get a bigger home, to get... you get the idea. The game thankfully won't rush you to pay back any of your loans, so you can start repayments at your leisure. 

Upgrading your home does have its benefits though: more space for decorating, more storage slots for keeping hold of precious items and resources, and the ability to customise the exterior of your house in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Another good thing is that you'll get the Animal Crossing: New Horizons house upgrades before the mortgage kicks in, so you can enjoy the perks and then pay off your debts.

Here are the various levels of Animal Crossing: New Horizons house upgrades, how much they cost, and the benefits / perks of each:

1. Upgrade to house from tent

  • Cost: 5,000 Miles
  • Storage space: 80 slots

You'll want to do this as soon as humanly possible - and let's face it, you've already done it haven't you. This will unlock storage space, four solid walls and more gameplay options. 

2. One room size upgrade

Size is right, but the doors will come with more extensions.

Size is right, but the doors will come with more extensions. (Image credit: Nintendo)
  • Cost: 198,000 Bells
  • Storage space: 120 slots

This first Animal Crossing: New Horizons house upgrade will get you a bigger version of your one room abode. More storage space though, and a fairly light mortgage - the first one you'll pay back in Bells - to get you started. Ease you in gently and all that.

3. Rear room extension

(Image credit: Nintendo)
  • Cost: 348,000 Bells
  • Storage space: 240 slots

The first proper upgrade to your home, this expansion will get you a six-by-six grid room to the rear of your home, adding a door to your original room. 

Doing this though unlocks the house customisation option that you can discover by talking to Tom Nook at the Resident Services counter, and choosing > About my home... > Customisation.

4. Left room extension

(Image credit: Nintendo)
  • Cost: 548,000 Bells
  • Storage space: 360 slots
  • Customisation options: Mailbox, Roof Color, option to move mailbox

Another room added to your home, this time on the left of your main central room. Another six-by-six option too. Plus more customisation options, and storage slots unlocked. 

Now you can also move your mailbox around your home exterior too. Just go up to it and press Y to add it to your inventory and then you can move it wherever you want.

5. Right room extension

(Image credit: Nintendo)
  • Cost: 758,000 Bells
  • Storage space: 400 slots
  • Customisation options: Mailbox, Roof, Door, option to move mailbox

Another six-by-six grid room added, this time on the right of your central space. Again, more debt means more customisation options and storage space.

6. Upstairs extension

(Image credit: Nintendo)
  • Cost: 1,248,000
  • Storage space: 800 slots
  • Customisation options: Mailbox, Roof, Door, Exterior Walls, option to move mailbox

This one is a big upgrade, one that adds a huge ten-by-six grid second floor room to your house, accessible via a staircase leading up from where you enter your home. You'll now be able to customise the exterior walls of your home too, aka the siding.

7. Basement extension

(Image credit: Nintendo)
  • Cost: 2,498,000 Bells
  • Storage space: 1,600 slots
  • Customisation options: Mailbox, Roof, Door, Exterior Walls, option to move mailbox

Last ever upgrade adds a huge basement to your house. It's another ten-by-six grid room, again accessible via a staircase leading down from the entrance to your home.

House complete

After this, all that's left to do is pay off that 2.5million Bell loan. It won't unlock anything else, but it will allow you to change your home's exterior customisation once per day for absolutely nothing. 

Sam Loveridge
Sam Loveridge
Brand Director, GamesRadar+

Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.