Animal Crossing reveals its next big free update

Holiday update coming this week, features Thanksgiving and Christmas

Nintendo has revealed the next big update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, dealing with the upcoming Holiday season. If you’re a fan of Thanksgiving, Turkey Day will bring Chef Franklin, alongside meals and Autumn recipes. Meanwhile, Jingle the Reindeer arrives in time for Toy Day, with presents in tow. New Years Eve, on December 31st, will feature a countdown.

New environmental and weather adjustments will include snow and Christmas decor, mistletoe, holiday wreaths and more. Hairstyles, presents, friend gatherings and mini-events like gift-giving will also make the season that much more interactive.

Nintendo also revealed the Data Transfer method to move Animal Crossing islands to different Switch consoles via a free app from the eShop starting on November 18th. The update will let players move entire islands, or just individual residents. Info can be found here: Data Transfer.

The update launches on November 19th (this week!). Here are the full notes, via Nintendo:

• Turkey Day – On Turkey Day, which will take place this year on Nov. 26, the first-class chef Franklin will arrive and host a gathering in the plaza.**** You can help Franklin collect ingredients to go in the dishes that will be on display in the plaza. You can even receive a gift from Franklin as a thank you for helping him cook.
• Toy Day – It’s the time of the year when island residents rejoice … The month of Toy Day is nearly at hand! You might notice your island and plaza gradually becoming more festive with holiday-themed decorations over the coming weeks.*** Keep an eye out for decorated trees, too. Shaking these may drop ornaments which will allow you to craft holiday furniture recipes. From Dec. 1 to Dec. 25, you’ll be able to purchase toys from Nook’s Cranny and find holiday-themed clothing at the Able Sisters shop. When it’s officially Toy Day on Dec. 24, Jingle will pay a special visit to your island to spread holiday cheer. If you help him deliver presents, you’ll also receive a gift!
• Reactions and Hairstyles – Nine new Reactions will be available with this update, which can be obtained by redeeming Nook Miles at the Nook Stop terminal located in Resident Services. Six new hairstyle options can also be acquired by redeeming Nook Miles, so get ready to express yourself and let your personality shine!
• Home Storage Upgrade – If you’ve expanded your in-game home to its largest size and paid off your debt, you’ll now be able to apply for a home storage expansion by speaking to Tom Nook at Resident Services. Congrats on achieving the next level of home ownership. This will expand your home storage to 2400 slots. Think of all the items you can now store and access from the comfort of your island home!
• Visit Random Islands in Dreams – Have you enjoyed dozing off and visiting other islands within dreams? Now you’ll be able to choose to visit random islands while dreaming, opening up new vistas of inspiration for your own island customizations.**
• Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Collaboration – To commemorate Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’sthird anniversary, a Pocket Camp smartphone model will become available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. To receive this smartphone model, you’ll need to link both the Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp app and Animal Crossing: New Horizons to your Nintendo account. For more information, please visit https://ac-pocketcamp.com/en-US/horizons.
• Island and Resident Data Transfers – Two new features are arriving to offer expanded flexibility for your island and resident data. The whole island transfer feature will enable you to move your user save data, along with the island itself and all the residents, to another system. This service will be facilitated by the free Island Transfer Tool app in Nintendo eShop. For players who are not the island’s Resident Representative, a single-player transfer feature allows you to transfer resident data to another system. This includes your resident’s name, appearance and equipment, along with your inventory, home and storage. Additional details about the benefits and limitations of these new data transfer services can be found at https://animal-crossing.com/new-horizons/#transfer.
• Seasonal Items to Celebrate New Year’s Eve – New seasonal items will be available starting Dec. 1 at Nook Stop. Between Dec. 26 and Dec. 31, there will also be several festive items to commemorate New Year’s Eve. In addition to the update content, you can look forward to a countdown event starting at 7 p.m. on Dec. 31. With Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can meet in-game to ring in the new year with friends, family and your island residents!