Remember when Animal Crossing: New Horizons triggered a global scramble for Nintendo Switch bundles back in 2020? Well, the island life is getting a massive injection of free content, timed perfectly with the release of the Switch 2 edition. From managing a new island resort to brand-new collaborations with Lego and The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo is clearly hoping to lure back those of you who hung up your shovels years ago.

Nintendo Korea broke the news via their official YouTube channel on the 30th, detailing both the Switch 2 edition and the 3.0 free update. Let’s talk hardware first: the standout feature for the Switch 2 edition is undoubtedly the support for Joy-Con 2 mouse-like controls. It makes decorating your room significantly more intuitive, allowing you to drag and drop multiple items at once—a quality-of-life upgrade we should have had ages ago.

The technical specs get a bump, too, with resolution support up to 4K at 30fps. Plus, there’s a new 'Megaphone' feature using the Switch 2's built-in microphone to call over your villagers. Multiplayer sessions are also expanding, letting up to 12 players join the fun instead of the usual 8. There’s a built-in game chat, and if you use the camera, your faces will pop up on screen for that extra personal touch.

Moving on to the 3.0 free update, we have the new 'Resort Hotel' facility opening on your island's pier. Kapp'n’s family is looking to expand their hospitality business, and you’re the one tasked with doing all the heavy lifting. You’ll be interior designing rooms based on specific themes, styling mannequins for guests, and crafting island 'specialties' to help Kapp'n market the resort abroad. The room styling even includes furniture recommendations, and once you’ve snagged a piece of furniture, it’s yours to keep.

Helping out at the hotel nets you coupons, which can be traded for various goodies at the gift shop. The real highlight here? Retro Nintendo consoles that you can actually play within the game. Do note, however, that you’ll need an active 'Nintendo Switch Online' subscription to access the games.

Beyond the hotel, there’s a new dream world accessible when you doze off. This dream island is yours to terraform, place furniture, or plant trees as you see fit. You can create up to three dream islands per person in three different sizes, and invite villagers or friends to hang out. Again, you’ll need a 'Nintendo Switch Online' subscription to visit these dreamscapes.

Then there are the collaborations. First up is Lego, bringing blocky furniture and wallpaper to the mix, along with some branded t-shirts. Nintendo is also dipping into its own archives with The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon. Use their respective Amiibo to unlock themed furniture and outfits, and even invite new villagers based on those series to move into your town.

Quality-of-life updates are also on the menu. Storage is getting a massive bump from 5,000 to 9,000 slots, and you can finally store trees, shrubs, and flowers. Plus, the new 'Resetti Cleanup Center' will help you clear out messy areas of your island in one go, automatically sending everything to storage.

The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition and the 3.0 free update drop on January 15th next year. The Switch 2 edition is priced at 69,800 won, while the upgrade pass for existing Switch owners will set you back 5,000 won.