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Animal Crossing patch notes: What's new in update 2.0 in New Horizons

How to get the substantial free update.

Reading Animal Crossing patch notes gives you a heads up in the tweaks and changes made in the latest New Horizons update.

The official patch notes for the Animal Crossing 2.0 update are now available and, since it's the most significant patch since the game's launch in March 2020, it's a good idea to read them to ensure you don't miss anything.

Arriving over 18 months after the game first arrived, it introduced a large number of requested features - including the return of Brewster, Kapp'n, expanded home exterior and decorating options, the addition of cooking, Gyroids - all coming for free.

This page explains the how to download the Animal Crossing 2.0 update and what you can expect from the final free update.

On this page:

Cover image for YouTube videoAnimal Crossing: New Horizons - Ver. 2.0 Free Update - Nintendo Switch

How to download Animal Crossing's 2.0 update

Originally scheduled for Friday, November 5th, it was released one day early on Thursday, November 4th. In our experience, the update doesn't update automatically - instead, you must force it by performing the following steps:

  1. On the Switch's main game screen, highlight Animal Crossing and press the + button
  2. Select Software Update, then Via the Internet

From there, the update should download. You can see your current version on that screen in the upper left corner. When it says Ver. 2.0.0, you are good to go.

Animal Crossing patch notes: What's new in update 2.0.0 in New Horizons

Below you can find the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Ver.2.0, released on Thursday, 4th November and Friday, 5th November, with credit to Nintendo and copied verbatim from the official Nintendo site:

General updates

  • Brewster can now open a café in the museum.
  • Kapp'n can now offer boat tours.
  • Gyroids can be unearthed.
  • Harv's Island can now be upgraded with an open-air market.
  • Cooking has been added to the game.
  • Group-stretching can be started in the plaza.
  • The Resident Representative can now establish ordinances to further customise the island.
  • Seasonal events can now occur every year.
    • The limited-time seasonal items from Nook Shopping will continue to be available every year as well.
  • The software now supports Animal Crossing amiibo cards Series 5.
  • It's now possible to use all of the Animal Crossing series amiibo to invite characters to Photopia.
  • The maximum number of designs that can be uploaded to the Custom Designs Portal has been increased to 200.
  • When dreaming, it's now possible to search for a destination by island name.
  • It's now possible to store recipe cards in your home storage.
  • When using the catalogue at Photopia, it's now possible to select different variations of an item by using the X Button if you have obtained different variations of the same item.
  • A new feature has been added to make it easier to search for stored items when using "Sort: Type" in Decorating Mode while in your home or other locations.
    • As part of this change, adjustments have also been made to the order in which items are sorted.
  • The following content has also been added:
    • Additional items are available for purchase from various retailers like Nook's Cranny and the Able Sisters.
    • Additional redemption items are available as part of the Nook Mileage program.
    • Additional limited-time seasonal items will be available from Nook Shopping.
    • K.K. Slider had more music tracks to share.
    • New hairstyles and Reactions have been added.
    • New message-cards options have been added.
    • New activities have been added to the Nook Mileage / Nook Miles + program.
    • Home storage can be expanded.

Support for downloadable content (DLC)

This update adds support for the paid downloadable content Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise.

  • Please note the following conditions must be met in order to play content from Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise.
    • The building for Resident Services must be built.
    • You must have your own house.
    • You must have finished the DIY workshop.

Adjustments and fixed issues

  • Some item names have been changed.
  • An issue where only trash or stones could be obtained from created water features with a certain shape has been fixed.
  • Other adjustments and corrections were made to improve the gameplay experience.

The Animal Crossing 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise is here! We can help you with the new additions - including where to find Brewster, Gyroids, new villagers, ordinances, new fences, storage shed, new hairstyles, Froggy Chair, group stretching and Kapp'n boat tours. Cooking is now unlockable, so you need to know how to make both flour and sugar, as well as how to grow carrots, potatoes and tomatoes. Meanwhile, if you're new to Animal Crossing, our New Horizons tips can help with the basics. From the off, there's fish and bugs to catch, flowers and fruit to grow with. One long term goal is building your Happy Home Academy score. Finally, you need tools such as the new ladder and vaulting pole to fully explore.


What were the previous Animal Crossing patch notes?

Here's what was changed in previous patch notes for the game:

Update 1.11.1 (August 9th 2021):

Fixed issues:

  • The following issues occurring in Ver. 1.11.0 have been fixed:
    • Fixed an issue in the DIY Recipes app where sorting by order obtained would not display recipes in the correct order.
    • Fixed an issue where colour variations of certain items would not appear in the Photopia item catalogue.
    • Fixed an issue where the closing time music in Nook's Cranny would not lay as intended.
    • Fixed an issue where certain seasonal clouds would not appear as intended.

Update 1.11.0 (July 28th 2021):

General updates:

  • Seasonal events have been updated.
  • The following content has also been added:
    • Additional limited-time seasonal items from Nook Shopping.

Fixed issues:

  • Adjustments and corrections were made to improve the game play experience.

Update 1.10.0 (April 27th 2021):

General updates:

  • The May Day, International Museum Day and "wedding season" seasonal events have been updated.
  • It's now possible to wake up from a dream by using the - Button.
  • The following content has also been added:
    • Additional limited-time seasonal items from Nook Shopping.

Fixed issues:

  • Fixed an issue where the player could build a fence on the pier when standing on top of a custom design placed on the ground.
  • Other adjustments and correction were made to improve the game play experience.

Update 1.9.0 (March 18th 2021):

General updates:

  • The Bunny Day seasonal event has been updated.
  • Addition support for the Sanrio Collaboration amiibo cards has been added.
  • New miles redemption options have been added to the Nook Stop.
    • Custom Design Pro Editor +
      • Adds additional custom design slots and new pattern options.
    • Custom Designs Portal
      • Adds access to the Custom Designs Portal from the Custom Designs app.
  • The following content has also been added:
    • Additional limited-time seasonal items from Nook Shopping.
    • Nintendo Switch Online membership item.

A Nintendo Switch Online membership (a paid service) is required to use the Custom Designs Portal and obtain the Nintendo Switch Online membership item.

Fixed issues:

  • Fixed an issue from Ver. 1.4.0 where if a player used a wand to transform, then swapped their wand for another item while their pockets are full, the player would no longer be able to remove the transformation outfit.
  • Fixed an issue from Ver. 1.7.0 involving kits where a player could dig where they normally shouldn't be able to if they change their mind after using the "Let ne imagine it..." option.
  • Other adjustments and corrections were made to improve the game play experience.

Update 1.8.0 (February 25th 2021):

General updates:

  • Collaboration items have been added as part of the Super Mario Bros. 35th anniversary. These items can be ordered from Nook Shopping starting March 1st, 2021.
  • The following content has also been added:
    • Additional limited-time seasonal items from Nook Shopping.

Fixed issues:

  • Fixed an issue from Ver. 1.7.0 where if a User selected their own User icon from the HOME Menu followed by "Search for Users You Played With" in the "Added Friend" Menu after an online or local wireless multiplayer session, the Nintendo Switch User Nickname of the other player would be displayed under "In-Game Name" when that player was selected from "Users You Have Played With".
  • Other adjustments and corrections were made to improve the game play experience.

Update 1.7.0 (January 28th 2021):

General updates:

  • A seasonal event, Festivale, has been added.
  • The following content has been added:
    • Added limited-time seasonal item from Nook Shopping.

Fixed issues:

  • Fixed an issue preventing players from receiving the mermaid fence recipe from Pascal.
  • Other adjustments and corrections were made to improve the game play experience.

Update 1.6.0 (November 19th 2020):

General updates:

  • Two seasonal events, Turkey Day and Toy Day, has added.
  • Residents can visit Resident Services to put in a request to increase the capacity of their home storage.
  • Luna can now offer random dream destinations by selecting the "Surprise me" option.
  • A new feature for transferring save data between different systems has been added.
    • This feature only transfers save data for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. When necessary, please use the Nintendo Switch "Transfer Your User Data" feature as well.
  • The following content has also been added:
    • Additional Nook Miles redemption items.
    • Additional limited-time seasonal items from Nook Shopping.
    • Additional DIY recipes that use seasonal materials.
    • Additional Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp collaboration item.

Fixed issues

  • Other adjustments and corrections were made to improve the game play experience.

Update 1.5.1 (October 9th 2020):

General updates

  • Fixed an issue where some title keywords obtained via Nook Miles would not appear within the Passport.
  • Fixed an issue where certain messages would display in English for users playing in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch or Russian.
  • Fixed an issue where animal residents would talk about pumpkins when given a bamboo shoot.
  • Fixed an issue where it was no longer possible to jump over a river based on the location of certain furniture.

Update 1.5.0 (September 30th 2020):

General updates

  • A new seasonal event, Halloween, has been added.
  • Pumpkins (produce item) and DIY projects that use pumpkins have been added.
  • Added new features for visiting dream islands with Luna: the ability to choose your destination from a list of previously visited dream islands and the ability to favorite previously visited dream islands.
  • It is now possible to hide items that are not for sale by pressing the Y Button when viewing the catalog via Nook Shopping.

Fixed issues

  • Other adjustments were made to improve the gameplay experience.

Update 1.4.2 (August 21st 2020):

General updates

From Ver. 1.4.1:

  • Fixed issue where the "sumo ring" would not display properly.

From Ver. 1.4.0:

  • Fixed issue where the game would shut down under certain conditions when dreaming.
  • Fixed issue where shining soil would improperly appear behind buildings and other places.
  • Fixed issue where specific message cards sent from animal residents the player is close friends with would not arrive in the player's mailbox as intended.

From Ver. 1.3.0:

  • Changed the MTU when playing with others from 1364 to 1240 in order to investigate an issue where players cannot play with others in certain network environments.

Update 1.4.1 (August 6th 2020)

General updates

  • Fixed an issue where trees could mature and contain things other than the normal fruit, etc.
  • Fixed an issue where shining soil disappears after returning to your own island after a dream and buried Bells appear in that location instead.
  • Fixed an issue where the player swings their shovel through the air when attempting to hit a rock placed at a certain location.

Update 1.4.0 (July 30th 2020)

General updates

  • A new seasonal event, Firework shows, has been added.
  • New limited-time seasonal items have been added to Nook Shopping.
  • A new feature was added to the NookPhone Camera app, allowing you to turn off the guide information by pressing in the R Stick.
  • The "funny glasses" item now matches up with player skin color variations.

Online connectivity features

  • A new feature allows you to sleep in a bed and meet Luna. You can upload a dream of your island via the Internet or visit other uploaded dream islands.
  • New features have been added to the Custom Designs Portal. You can search by design name or type. You can now create a list of favourite creators.
  • A new feature has been added for backing up save data to Nintendo's servers via the Internet. You can use backed up save data with the island backup restoration services if your Nintendo Switch system is lost or broken.
    • You must be a member of Nintendo Switch Online and enable backups within Animal Crossing: New Horizons to use this new feature.
    • Save data cannot be restored at a customer's discretionary timing. If your system is broken, you must contact Nintendo Support to start a repair request. If you have lost your system, you must contact Nintendo Support.
    • This feature does not allow save data (island data) to be transferred to a different system. we currently plan on adding a sava data transfer feature within 2020. Information on the feature and timing will be announced at a future time.

Fixed the following issues

  • Other adjustments were made to improve the game play experience.

Update 1.3 (July 3rd 2020)

  • Players can now wear a wet suit and go diving in the ocean.
  • Players can now catch sea creatures while diving, which they can then donate to the museum.
  • Players can now encounter new visiting characters - Pascal - somewhere on the island.
  • Nook Miles can now be traded for new items.
  • New seasonal items have been added to the Nook Shopping catalogue, available for limited time only.
  • The following issues were fixed:
    • The names of several fish have been fixed in Korean and Simplified Chinese.
    • Addressed issues to further ensure an enjoyable gaming experience.

Update 1.2.1 (May 21st 2020)

  • Addressed issues to further ensure an enjoyable gaming experience.

Update 1.2.0 (April 2nd 2020)

  • The following visiting merchants can now visit the island.
    • Leif (gardening shop)
    • Redd (Jolly Redd's Treasure Trawler)
  • Added seasonal events.
  • Addressed issues to further ensure an enjoyable gaming experience.

Update 1.1.4 (April 6th 2020)

According to Google translate - and confirmed by OatmealDome on Twitter - it provides a reduction of Eggs for Bunny Day:

Bug fixes

  • Fixed a bug that caused Rex Kurushima to receive "Platinum Kogane" and pass different items to different models.
    • After the update, pass the "Platinum Kogane" to Rex again, and you will receive the correct model.

Balance adjustment

  • During the Easter event, the appearance rate of some eggs has been adjusted until April 11, 2020.
    • Eggs are easier to collect on the day of Easter (April 12, 2020).

Update 1.1.3 (April 3rd 2020)

  • Fixed a bug where balloons would not fly under certain conditions.

Hope that helps you get all the recipes and Eggs you need for Bunny Day...

Update 1.1.2 (April 2nd 2020)

  • Fixed an issue where an animal you've invited to move from another island doesn't actually move, leaving the plot of land allocated for them to move to sold and unoccupied.
    • How this issue will be resolved in affected save data: After the software is updated to Ver. 1.1.2, the sold plot of land will revert to being available, and a new animal will become able to move there again.
    • Note: Unfortunately, the animal that was originally invited to move to your island when the issue occurred will not return to their original island, nor will their plan to move to your island be carried out.
Cover image for YouTube videoAnimal Crossing: New Horizons: 17 Advanced Tips and Tricks for Your Island
  • Fixed an issue where a request from Tom Nook for the Resident Representative to find a plot of land for new residents disappears.
    • How this issue will be resolved in affected save data: After the software is updated to Ver. 1.1.2, if the island is developed to a certain point (Nook's Cranny is either under construction or completed), the next time the Resident Representative plays the game, a special event will trigger during the island-wide broadcast and the story will move forward.
  • Fixed an issue where, after deleting a resident, it becomes impossible to move their house and/or other structures.
    • How this issue will be resolved in affected save data: After the software is updated to Ver. 1.1.2, it will once more become possible to request that these structures be moved.
  • Fixed an issue where both Nook Miles and Bells are subtracted when you use Nook Miles Tickets to go on a Mystery Tour and purchase an item from Wilbur.
  • Other adjustments were made to improve the game play experience.

Update 1.1.1 (March 26th 2020)

  • Fixed a serious bug affecting game balance.