On the Radar with Animal Crossing: New Horizons – relaxing with the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Update 3.0, and soaking in the vibes

I haven't played Animal Crossing: New Horizons since 2020 – here's why its new 3.0 update has lured me back in: Dropped off playing daily for a while? No problem. In fact, now's the best time return to the island! Update 3.0 brings loads new to the game, stacked on top of heaps of smaller additions across the years.

I spent hours working on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons resort hotel and it was worth every minute: From decorating rooms with unique theming to meeting tourist villagers who drop by your island paradise, the hotel is proving to be a fantastic new addition.

I love Animal Crossing: New Horizons Slumber Islands, but it could’ve been so much better: Sort of a sandbox mode, in these new dreams islands you link up with friends to make the island of your, well, dreams. But sometimes the limitations are there for a reason.

Deleting my Animal Crossing: New Horizons island has changed the way I play, and it feels like returning to 2005's Wild World: Sometimes you just need a fresh start, and for some, Update 3.0 is the perfect time to do just that. But, make sure you remember how to get your paws back on those tools from Tom Nook.

Time ticks on in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and I'm both reassured and sometimes overwhelmed that this series never sits still whether I'm obsessed with playing or taking a break: Deleting might not always be the way. Animal Crossing is a space that persists even when you're not playing it yourself, across New Horizons and even the earlier games.

Six years later, the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 and Update 3.0 have hooked me back into this cozy world thanks to these five fresh features: There's loads new in the cozy life-sim at the moment whether you're playing the new hardware's special upgrade or simply Update 3.0. We count down the best of the bunch.

The best Animal Crossing: New Horizons villagers are highly personal, so we put our cartoon heads together to show our besties some love: How to rank the best villagers when who you even have on your island is so personal? Getting the team together, of course. The Animal Crossing inhabitants across GamesRadar+ spotlight their faves.

Full Animal Crossing: New Horizons guide for island life: For a game as open as this one, sometimes a little bit of extra direction can be helpful, from suggestions on how to build the island of your dreams to how the many, limited, somewhat random events actually work.