No Animal Crossing For Nintendo Switch 2 Yet But There’s BIG Hints It’s Coming Soon — Here’s Why

3 weeks ago Justin 8 Comments

The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation has arrived with no word on the next Animal Crossing game — but some big hints were left in the details giving reason to suggest a new game in the foreseeable future.

Before we get into the details of why, it’s worth explaining that there are different types of support we’ll be seeing for games on Nintendo Switch 2. No surprise that there will be new exclusive games for the system like Mario Kart World or Donkey Kong Bananza.

However, there’s two more categories of treatment that many select past games from Nintendo Switch 1 will get, beyond the most basic backwards compatibility for all games: paid Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, and free enhancements updates.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Games

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games are significantly enhanced versions of original Nintendo Switch games with new features or significant visual enhancements. They’ll be resold as Nintendo Switch 2 games, but also available as a paid upgrade around $10-20 for owners of the original Switch version of a game.

Here’s the list of 6 games getting Nintendo Switch 2 Edition treatment we know of so far:

• Kirby and the Forgotten Land
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
• Pokémon Legends: Z-A
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Animal Crossing: New Horizons isn’t receiving an upgrade to Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, but that’s not a huge surprise or where this story ends.

Nintendo Switch 1 Free Update Games

There’s no fancy branding for these like Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, but another grander set of Nintendo Switch 1 games will earn themselves minor updates for free, instead of significant paid upgrades.

The official Nintendo website highlights this collection of games as receiving updates to “improve playability on the Nintendo Switch™ 2 system” that “may improve performance or add support for features such as GameShare in select games”. It’s noted that the special changes will vary by game.

The list of 12 Nintendo Switch games set to receive this free update includes:

• ARMS
• Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
• Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
• Game Builder Garage
• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
• Pokémon Scarlet
• Pokémon Violet
• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
• Super Mario Odyssey
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

It’s a mix of both major titles on the level of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, such as Super Mario Odyssey or The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but also obscure niche games like ARMS or Big Brain Academy — but Animal Crossing is conspicuously missing.

Why Animal Crossing: New Horizons Is An Odd Omission

It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to take a peek at the list of games getting either a free update or Nintendo Switch 2 Edition version and notice that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is certainly an odd omission. Sure, the game isn’t in desperate need of a visual improvement in the same way as something like Breath of the Wild, but titles on the list such as ARMS are in no greater need.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is in fact the second best selling game on Nintendo Switch after all, while the number one best selling game happens to be Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. That game isn’t receiving an Edition version or free update either, but happens to have a full on sequel releasing this year instead, making for an intriguing comparison to Animal Crossing.

It stands to reason that if a fresh new Animal Crossing game is in active development and planned for release in the foreseeable future, let’s say in the next 12-18 months, then it makes sense that Animal Crossing: New Horizons would get a pass on these free improvement updates having been deemed a waste of time.

We wouldn’t have expected a meaningful content update or anything of the sort — and none of the free updates for other games above are doing so either — but Animal Crossing: New Horizons could have certainly benefited from unlocking greater performance.

It’s been known since the early days of Animal Crossing: New Horizons that players can easily overwhelm the Nintendo Switch’s capabilities by placing a large amount of decorative items outdoors causing immense slowdown and laggy movement near them. I’m sure you’ve seen clips online of this, or experienced it on a dream island, if not of your own creation. This is an improvement the biggest and most dedicated fans still playing 5 years later would most benefit from as well.

However, it is possible that the Nintendo Switch 2 will still see improved performance in such Animal Crossing situations even without an update explicitly doing so, which could be an explanation for lack of an update. It can’t be ruled out with certainty until we can do testing at launch. Either way, an update to enhance the resolution would have been nice too as other games are getting!

When Could Animal Crossing For Switch 2 Be Announced?

We’re getting into the deep speculation territory here, but it’s telling that the line-up of Nintendo Switch 2 games announced today doesn’t lead into 2026 at all. Typically, we get a peek at a full 12 months ahead or longer of upcoming game releases on a new console reveal, but we’ve only seen 6 months of games so far.

During many years, we typically see a major Nintendo Direct in either June or September, so the games announced today could very well represent the first taste before 2026’s line-up begins to be revealed in either June or September after the Nintendo Switch 2 has launched.

A new Animal Crossing launched sometime in the Spring or early Summer next year, similarly to past games Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Animal Crossing: New Leaf, would fit in quite nicely for a reveal later this year! That’s where we’ll be placing our bets at least for the time being.

So, what did you think of the Nintendo Switch Direct and what are you thoughts on this speculation? Let us know in the comments below! For more Animal Crossing updates and Switch 2 pre-order alerts, check out our Twitter/X, Facebook, and now Bluesky channels.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons News Nintendo Switch 2 Speculation