Alongside the news of a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition for 2020’s smash-hit Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo has confirmed that the island builder game will be receiving a physical version on a cartridge when the update releases in January 2026. Retailing for $64.99, the cartridge will contain the game, its Switch 2 Edition upgrade, and likely the latest 3.0 update together. It will not contain the “Happy Home Paradise” DLC, which is offered as part of Switch Online’s expansion pack tier, or separately for $24.99.
While this physical edition will be great for people who haven’t purchased New Horizons yet (it works on both Switch 1 and 2, though obviously without upgrades on the older console), it’s a little redundant for people who already own the game. New Horizons has been so dependent on updates that you might as well buy the $5 upgrade versus shelling out for a new cartridge that costs more than the original. It would have been nice to include the paid DLC along with it, but Nintendo seemingly doesn’t like doing that.
As a big fan of Animal Crossing, I’ll just stick with the paid upgrade. That seems more than adequate for a game that I rarely ever swapped out of my OG Switch.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Switch 2 Edition trailer
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
