I haven't played Animal Crossing: New Horizons since 2020 – here's why its new 3.0 update has lured me back in

Picture this. It's 2020. The world is in a full pandemic lockdown and I'm trying not to spiral about humanity. Oh, and I've also got a newborn baby. But, amongst all the chaos, a glorious game has just been released on the Nintendo Switch – enter Animal Crossing: New Horizons. And while I didn't quite realize it at the time, it was about to truly save me.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a core lockdown and postpartum memory for me. Visiting friends on their islands to socialize (and take advantage of their turnip prices), because visiting them in real-life wasn’t allowed. Talking to my villagers for just an extra desperate ounce of social interaction. Life in the real world was incredibly hard, but the serenity of my island offered an escape I so desperately needed.

Jumping back in

While Animal Crossing: New Horizons quickly became one of my favorite games of all time, whiling away delicious hours hustling for bells and designing my home, suddenly we were allowed outside again. My little island that I’d poured so much love into was forgotten about for the great outdoors and hugging my family. If anything, playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons became a reminder of a time that I was now actively trying to forget.

Fast forward. It’s six years later and I’ve struggled to log into my island since. But when Nintendo announced the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 update, my little ears perked up. I’d tried my best to forget about my poor old villagers rattling around inside my Switch wondering why, oh why I’d left them, but after the announcement, I found myself whispering into the little microphone, "I’m coming home".

Now, I’m not saying we all had babies in 2020, but I think it’s a fairly broadly shared experience that Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the pandemic game for a lot of Switch players and something some of us have also not played much since. So, if you’re like me and you’ve found yourself asking, is it time to jump back in? Well, hear my battle cry… or my Nook impression as I say this, “Yes, yes!”

A new beginning

Sure, the 2.0 update came out in November 2021, but it still felt like a time where mentioning the pandemic still felt terrible. But, my daughter is almost six and at this point, we’re playing Mario Party on a semi-regular basis, so I decided to put on my big girl boots and see what the 3.0 update had to offer, and it has reignited my love of the game.

Firstly, Kapp’n’s opened up a whole resort hotel that needs renovating and there's nothing that'll dazzle the completionist in me than a new daily goal. It turns out every day, you can decorate two rooms for visitors to come and stay on your island, earning hotel tickets to spend in Grams' shop.

Ever the perfectionist, this also prompted me to grab the Happy Home Paradise DLC that I missed out on having abandoned my poor island for so long. And now, I've got access to even more design features to make sure my hotel is as premium as they come.

Another great feature of the 3.0 update, especially for returning players like me, is Resetti's Reset Service. Once a grumpy staple of Animal Crossing game's, Mr. Resetti's had a new lease of life and developed a raging passion for clearing out areas of your island. Or the whole thing, if you need it. Great news considering 2026 me does not like what 2020 me did to the island, at all. Plus, he's also gotten rid of the cockroaches that moved into my house while I was gone.

Take me to Slumber-town

Where I really get to stretch my Joy-Con skills, though, is in the dreamy abyss of Slumber Islands. While you can upload your island for people to visit (which I didn't, because it needs some serious redecoration), I've instead been taking advantage of visit others for inspiration. And then, I've been building a totally new island that doesn't affect the one I already have, a fantasy escape, if you will.

This has been a seriously excellent opportunity to practice decorating and trying out new ideas for my island without, well, ruining the island I've already created. With Slumber Islands, it feels like I'm getting a chance to try again and hopefully, do it better.

Overall, the 3.0 update is giving me just enough to make it feel like I have some new things to learn without getting bored, which is a big task these days with so many other distractions post-pandemic. Yes, Animal Crossing: New Horizons came at a time when I didn't have much else to do, but the 3.0 update is teaching me that the chill nature of the game is the escape I need now that life has gotten so busy.

Why not check out our guide on all the upcoming Switch 2 games? Or for Tom Nook alternatives, we also have a selection of the best games like Animal Crossing for you to go through next.