Next Animal Crossing Update Around The Corner: A Major Crossroads For New Horizons?
3 years ago
After months of waiting, the next update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is just around the corner with an expected announcement sometime this week!
In this article, we’ll recap why you should expect an update announcement imminently, look back on just how long it’s been since the last update, and discuss how this upcoming update is a major crossroads for the future of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Update Announcement Coming Any Day Now
As we’ve previously covered in other articles, we can expect that the next major Animal Crossing: New Horizons update will be released by the end of July, just mere days from now.
That’s because the next expected in-game event is the Fireworks Show held on Sundays during August, but it hasn’t yet been implemented into the game for 2021. Assuming the first event date will be on August 1st, Nintendo will almost certainly release an update prior to then.
Furthermore, the company has never released an update on a weekend, so an update should arrive by July 30th at the latest. All that means we’re surely going to see an Animal Crossing update announcement or trailer shared by Nintendo any day now — likely on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday this week!
If you’re curious for more details on the release timing and why, we go into a deeper explanation in our Animal Crossing: New Horizons Summer 2021 Update article here.
The Longest Update Drought So Far
If it feels like it’s been a long time since the last Animal Crossing: New Horizons Update, don’t worry — you’re not just imagining it. Animal Crossing World ran an analysis of every major update released so far and the current update drought is the worst since release.
As of publishing time, it’s been 87 days and counting since the most recent update released on April 28th bringing minor event updates to May Day, International Museum Day, and Wedding Season. It’s likely that number will have hit 90 when the next update releases too.
Previous records were set by two past updates at 71 days and 70 days, but both had some widely different circumstances from the current update gap — one taking place after an understandable holiday break, and the other reasonably close to the game’s launch when fans were still digging through the initial content.
| Update | Time |
|---|---|
| Spring Update (Version 1.2.0) | 34 Days After Launch |
| Summer Update Wave 1 (Version 1.3.0) | 71 Days |
| Summer Update Wave 2 (Version 1.4.0) | 27 Days |
| Fall Update (Version 1.5.0) | 62 Days |
| Winter Update (Version 1.6.0) | 50 Days |
| January Update (Version 1.7.0) | 70 Days |
| Mario Update (Version 1.8.0) | 28 Days |
| Sanrio Update (Version 1.9.0) | 21 Days |
| Spring Update (Version 1.10.0) | 41 Days |
| Summer Update (Version ???) | 87 Days And Counting! |
Contrast that to today’s scenario and you have a very different picture, especially after the previous update 87 days and counting ago was already considered highly lackluster when launched! Find our full table of analysis above.
This Is A Major Crossroads For New Horizons
It’s safe to say that for most Animal Crossing: New Horizons players, this next imminent update is a major crossroads point for the game’s future.
If the Summer Update offers a lackluster set of event and seasonal item refreshes, just as the last update in April did, then many Animal Crossing fans will take that as a final sign that New Horizons might just be past its expiration date.
https://twitter.com/ACWorldBlog/status/1386671294880563213
It’s a thought we put out there on Twitter after the April Update was announced, with many fans not too happy with us in the replies, but the community’s opinion and mood has evolved a lot in the months since as the days tick on by with no further news.
On the other hand though, if we see a major feature (like the long requested Brewster) make a debut in the Summer Update, it would send a strong sign of life that Nintendo is continuing to invest in Animal Crossing: New Horizons for a while longer.
Honestly, the bar has been set so low lately that the developers wouldn’t have to deliver a particularly massive update. Even just one single major and notable addition, like Tortimer Island with mini-games for example, would be enough to satisfy many players for a while.
In a way, this upcoming update is essentially the second part to E3 2021’s anticipation and disappointment. After coming up short for news at that event, we’ll find out exactly what Doug Bowser meant when he said Nintendo has ‘plans’ for ‘new and fun activities to engage with’!
Regardless of what happens, check back in to Animal Crossing World throughout next week as we cover everything about the next Animal Crossing: New Horizons update when it’s announced and released!
Stay tuned to Animal Crossing World for everything on Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including our extensive Guides section here. Our most popular pages include New In July 2021, New July Creatures, Upcoming Seasonal Items, Animal Crossing Monopoly, Bug-Off Event, Sanrio Villagers & Items, Sanrio Amiibo Cards, Redd Art, and Sea Creatures.
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