EVERYTHING New In Animal Crossing: New Horizons Version 3.0 Update! (Discoveries & Patch Notes)

1 month ago Justin 13 Comments

Our wait is over — the major Version 3.0 Update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is now available for download on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2!

The update first became available at 3AM Pacific Time on January 14th as a welcome surprise far earlier than what many were expecting, given the update was officially advertised for launch on January 15th.

Your copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons should update automatically, but if for some reason it doesn’t, you can manually trigger available updates by pressing the + button on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons home screen icon, selecting Software Update, and hitting Via the Internet.

Upon starting up Version 3.0 for the first time, you’ll be prompted with a save data conversion screen that will quickly update your save file for the new version, and then load the game with that shiny new Version 3.0 marker in the top right!

Be on the lookout for a new morning announcement from Isabelle sharing the latest news on the Resort Hotel’s opening — it seems that islands which are already developed prior to the update have instant access without any waiting period to build it. That’s a nice treat for those of us who have been anticipating the new features so much.

After walking over to the hotel on your island’s pier (left or right side, depending on your layout), just head inside for an introduction from Tom Nook, alongside Kapp’n and his wife Leilani on what you can do to help attract visitors!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Version 3.0 Patch Notes

Nintendo of America has now released the official patch notes for Version 3.0 of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which you can find below:

Latest update: Ver. 3.0.0 (Released January 14, 2026)

General updates (Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch)

• The previously announced new content and features have been added.
• It’s now possible to craft up to 10 items at once if you have enough materials.
• Items stored in your home storage can now be used as DIY materials.
• The DIY Recipes app now includes a page where you can check hotel DIY requests and items requested by Tom Nook as you progress through the game.
• Items obtained by linking with Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp can now always be ordered from Nook Shopping.
• Super Mario Bros. items can now be ordered from Nook Shopping without linking to a Nintendo Account.
• While outdoors on an island, holding down the L Button allows you to move while facing the same direction.
• When changing the island tune at Resident Services, Isabelle will now suggest recommended melodies, including the original island tune.
• When changing the island flag at Resident Services, you can now revert it to the original design from when the island was created.
• You can now purchase up to 50 Customization Kits at once from Nook’s Cranny.
• Several items, including Snowflakes, can now be sold at the drop-off box at Nook’s Cranny.
• You will receive a Pearl every time you give a scallop to Pascal.
• You can now ask Leif to remove weeds when there are 30 or more weeds on your island, either on Harv’s Island or during his visits
• The fee for asking Leif to remove weeds has been reduced.
• New tips have been added to the Island Life 101 app.
• Additional Nook Miles tasks have been added alongside the new features.
• The order of some collaboration items has been updated in the catalogs used for photo studios and hotel decorating.
• Other adjustments and corrections were made to improve the gameplay experience.

Nintendo Switch 2 Specific Updates

• Fixed an issue where the startup sound for Nook Shopping on the smartphone would not play correctly.

NookLink (Nintendo Switch App) Updates

• Added new articles to the Island Newspaper.
• The Catalog now supports new items added in Ver. 3.0.0.

Notable Version 3.0 Discoveries & Details

As we await the official patch notes, here’s an ongoing list of notable additions and details that we’ve discovered in Animal Crossing: New Horizons Version 3.0 so far that weren’t mentioned in the pre-release trailer:

Bulk Craft Up to 10 Items

We’ve known that multi crafting would finally come to Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the update, and now the details are here — you can craft any item in bulk up to 10 at a time.

While it’d be great if that went even higher, it should be enough to satisfy long-time fans who have been asking for years to speed up their Fish Bait crafting!

First Storage Upgrade

Version 3.0 brings in two new major house storage space upgrades. You can purchase these upgrades from Tom Nook at Resident Services after completing all previous ones, but it’s not cheap. The first of these two new expansions costs a whopping 1,500,000 Bells to upgrade!

You Got Mail! From Luna

As part of the new Slumber Islands feature, check your mailbox after updating for some mail from Luna promoting her new abilities! Remember, you’ll need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to use this addition. (thanks Lisatheshorty)

Resetti’s Got A Price

Resetti is back with more capabilities than ever before with the new Reset Service, but we weren’t expecting it to come at a price! To use his clean-up feature on your entire island, it’ll cost you 60,000 Bells for each day you’d like to use it. Within a single day though, you won’t have to pay up again. (thanks Seth)

Jumping & Sliding Construction Controls

The Island Designer app on your NookPhone in Version 3.0 has some new tricks up its sleeve! Moving around when in designer mode is easier than ever with new controls that let you quickly scoot, slide, and hop around or even just turn directions quicker. There’s no Nook Miles fee to unlock these.

https://twitter.com/ACWorldBlog/status/2011450632603853254

Check it out yourself in-game or watch our clip above.

The Entire Resort Hotel Pier Is Fully Decoratable

Some fans have expressed worry prior to this update that they might lose access to fully decorating their island’s Pier with the new additions, but we’re pleased to share that there are no restrictions at all.

In fact, there’s actually extra space now over what was previously available to decorate as you are even able to fill up the space directly in front of the Resort Hotel’s entryway with items, as seen in our absurd example above! This is a win for everyone.

New DIY Requests Tab in NookPhone

There’s a new tab within DIY Recipes+ on your NookPhone called DIY Requests! This section lists all of the items currently requested by Kapp’n and Tom Nook at the DIY Goods drop box to help you efficiently earn Hotel Tickets.

New Nook Miles Achievements

As with previous Animal Crossing: New Horizons updates, there are a few new categories of Nook Miles achievements you can earn by completing relevant tasks introduced in Version 3.0:

Unlimited DIY Tasks For Hotel Tickets, At Half Rate

Good news — there doesn’t appear to be a hard limit on how many Hotel Tickets you can earn each day through the DIY Goods drop box! When this feature was first shown off, we weren’t clear on whether you’d have to wait until the next day before unlocking more requests to fulfill.

When you submit DIY Goods into the drop box, a new request simply appears to replace the previous one. But it does seem that only your first initial four requests each day will earn a 2x bonus on Hotel Tickets! That means you’ll be working at half rate when completing requests beyond those four.

Resort Hotel Items On Display Are Discounted

The Souvenir Shop run by Grams inside the Resort Hotel has both a couple select items on display, as well as an extensive catalog that includes items you haven’t yet purchased before.

It turns out the primary difference between these options at the Souvenir Shop is that the two items on display each day are sold at a 30% discount in Hotel Tickets compared to purchases from the catalog. Note that the displayed item will ‘sell out’ after a purchase.

Read our How To Get Kapp’n Hotel Tickets & Unlock New Souvenir Items guide here for more on earning Hotel Tickets and seeing all of the items you can buy with them!

Improved Bulk Buying at Nook’s Cranny

When purchasing Customization Kits from the shelf at Nook’s Cranny, there is a new option in Version 3.0 to buy a set of 50 kits in bulk for 30,000 Bells. Previously, the bulk buy only went up to 5.

Version 3.0 Datamine Item Spoilers

Our initial catalog of images for every new item in the Version 3.0 from datamining is live now! There may be a few errors to sort out, but it’s the best quick glance at new content if you enjoy spoilers. Don’t click if you prefer to discover content on your own!

What About Nintendo Switch 2 Edition & Upgrade Pack?

Since the Version 3.0 update is available for both the original Nintendo Switch and the new Nintendo Switch 2, it’s being treated as a completely separate ‘piece’ from the new Upgrade Pack. All indications point to that digital downloads from the Nintendo eShop will unlock at the typical launch time near midnight for your region.

For example, if you purchased your copy from the North America eShop, we expect that the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition version will likely unlock on your system around 9PM Pacific Time or 12AM Eastern Time later tonight as we approach the official launch date of January 15th.

So while you can enjoy all of the new content in Version 3.0, you may just need to wait a little longer to get your hands on the increased 4K resolution graphics, Joy-Con 2 mouse controls and more that come in Nintendo Switch 2 Edition!

Help Us Out In The Comments!

With such a major update, there’s only so much we can cover on our own, so please do feel free to leave us helpful comments with any information you’d like to share about what you discover in Version 3.0!

Stay tuned to Animal Crossing World for everything on the upcoming Version 3.0 Update of Animal Crossing: New Horizons! Follow us on X, Facebook, Bluesky, and our mailing list below for updates. Or check out our most popular guides like Redd Art, Bush Types & Colors, Villager Houses, Sea Creatures, and K.K. Slider Songs.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons News Update Version 3.0 Update