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

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is, somehow, almost six years old. Releasing in 2020, the constant passage of time has only benefited from giving me a little island village second home I can escape to throughout the years. But, with both Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition's upgrades, and Update 3.0 bringing new features, modes, and activities across both old and new hardware, there's never been a better time to play. For games like Animal Crossing, that staying power is incredibly important.

Additions are too numerous to go over in exacting detail, but even after just a couple of days exploring the new features for myself, it's clear that we're already so back. The new hotel and slumber islands feel like such earth-shattering new modes that I'm surprised Nintendo aren't charging for them, to be honest. Meanwhile, the Switch 2 upgrades make one of the best Nintendo Switch games even better. Join me as I run down the five biggest Animal Crossing: New Horizons additions and changes that have me hooked already.

5. Happy hotel helper

The only thing better than a room you've spent hours decorating and perfecting in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a completely empty one – as that's a canvas for you to let your creativity run rampant all over again. The biggest new mode to drop in Update 3.0, at least for me, is the Resort Hotel owned and operated by the kappa-inspired Kapp'n family.

Taking cues from the (underrated) Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer on Nintendo 3DS, and the (pricey) Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise DLC, working at this hotel distils the essence of being asked to decorate to specific themes into a new expansion to your own island paradise. Each room is unique, so you'll need to balance the right types of furniture to please visiting villagers, and doing well can earn you unique rewards. So far, it's been a great way to direct my creativity into something new, keeping me interested each time.

4. A gorgeous paradise

This one is pretty self-evident and exclusive to Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, which costs a small upgrade fee. But, boy, do I love seeing this already gorgeous game blown up with even crisper visuals – the technical improvements make this shockingly beautiful to take in.

It's really noticeable when it comes to jaggies if you look closely at the many screenshots you can't help but take. In this new version, it's super smooth. The improved load times are greatly appreciated as well. Though it would have been nice to have seen improved framerates, it currently strikes a balance that I can't really complain about. On Nintendo Switch 2, Animal Crossing looks better than ever.

3. More players means more fun (as long as you follow my one simple rule)

This point combines two features. Firstly, the Slumber Islands, available on both consoles, allow Luna to take you into new dream islands within which you can customize more freely than you can on your main island (from setting the weather to just plopping down bridges), and to do so together with friends, which can be as cathartic as it can be chaotic. It's pretty much a sandbox mode, without taking away the more rules-oriented approach of the main game, which is a great compromise for me.

On Nintendo Switch 2, though, you can have 12 players in total across any multiplayer mode. My one gripe? The webcams. I get that video call features are a big part of Nintendo Switch 2's greater multiplayer focus, and all my friends have lovely faces – but when in the world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons I am my avatar. Do not break the fantasy. Soon, there's a chance that all GamesRadar+ meetings will be taking place within Animal Crossing: New Horizons. If I don't show up for a video call – assume I'm here. And, yes, I'm considering this single paragraph in this one feature as my official notice, so you can't report me this time.

2. (Some of the) crossovers

We've had brand crossovers in series before, but the Animal Crossing: New Horizons version 3.0 update brings some of the best, and in a load of different forms. For starters, you can now play retro games on your console furniture – these may be on Nintendo Switch Online anyway, but it's neat to see the feature return. New furniture and costumes are also great, with some rad The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom outfits and gear, and some really chic Lego additions to your home.

Crossover villagers remain the most sought after (unlocked via Amiibo). Cece and Viché, inspired by Shiver and Frye from Splatoon 3, are really nice additions. However, I'm a little disconcerted that the Zelda ones literally just add Mineru and Tulin. I love those Zelda characters, but directly putting them in the game rather than new villagers inspired by them feels a bit off to me, clever though the adaptation may be. Animal Crossing is best when it's its own world, and this feels like a step towards turning it into a kind of life-sim Fortnite, where a Peter Griffin villager is a possibility. I'm chasing shadows, maybe, but – like the Sanrio villagers – I much prefer the brand-inspired villagers to actual cameos.

1. Mousing over

If you've read my Drag x Drive review or my Metroid Prime 4 review, you know I have some complicated feelings about the Nintendo Switch 2's mouse controls that are now possible with the Joy-con 2 controllers. Often I find the feature a fun gimmick at their best, or clunky and redundant at their worst. Yet, now it makes sense. It's so much easier to get custom designs looking just right when you can actually grab it with a click and interact directly with the picture.

Which isn't to take away from the already impressive pixel-by-pixel style work the community has already made in the original version of the game. But, with this new level of control, I'm ready to be really blown away by the results. If the entire mouse control feature for the console was implemented solely to allow finer control in creating patterns or refining room decorations in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, then that's good enough for me. It's especially useful here, given the Resort Hotel is all about decorating, and the Slumber Islands are all about customizing new spaces. It all clicks into place!

Need to chill more? Take a look at our best relaxing games ranking! Or, our list of the best farming games for a touch more busy work.