Animal Crossing: New Horizons to get new free seasonal update

The colder weather is definitely moving in now, and to help cheer us up in the long winter months, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is bringing some warm seasonal cheer with a free seasonal update coming on November 19.

For those players in the Northern Hemisphere they can look forward to not only the autumn coloured leaves falling from the trees, but also their islands being covered in a soft blanket of snow.

The free update will introduce special holiday events and some gameplay enhancements.

There will be special occasions such as Turkey Day on November 26, and Toy Day on December 24 that will be added to the update. Players can also expect new Reactions and new hairstyles in the winter update as well as in-game a home item storage expansion upgrade and save data transfer capabilities.

Here is a list of features players can expect in the update:

• Turkey Day –  top class chef Franklin will arrive and host a gathering in the plaza. Players can help Franklin collect ingredients to go in the dishes that will be on display in the plaza. Players helping Franklin cook will receive a gift from him. Please note: This event requires the construction of the Resident Services building beforehand.
• Toy Day – Players might notice their 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 players to craft holiday furniture recipes. From 1st December to 25th December, it will be possible to purchase toys from Nook’s Cranny and find holiday-themed clothing at the Able Sisters shop. When it’s officially Toy Day on 24th December, Jingle will pay a special visit to each island to spread holiday cheer. By helping him deliver presents, players will receive a gift too. Please note: Certain aspects of this event require the construction of the Resident Services building beforehand.
• New Reactions and hairstyles – Nine new Reactions and six new hairstyle options can be acquired by redeeming Nook Miles at the Nook Stop terminal located in Resident Services.
• Home storage limit upgrade – Players who have previously expanded their home to the largest size and have paid off their debt will be able to apply for a further home storage expansion by speaking to Tom Nook at the Resident Services. This will expand the home storage to 2400 slots.
• Visiting random islands in dreams – Everyone enjoying dozing off and visiting other islands within dreams will now be able to choose to visit random islands while dreaming, opening up new vistas of inspiration for island customisations.
• Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp collaboration – To commemorate Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’s third anniversary, a Pocket Camp smartphone model will become available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
• Resident and Island Data Transfers**** – Two new features are arriving to offer expanded flexibility for resident and island data. The single player transfer feature allows players to transfer resident data to another system. This includes the resident’s name, appearance and equipment, along with their inventory, home and storage. A separate whole island transfer feature will enable players to move their 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. Additional details about the benefits and limitations of these new data transfer services can be found at Nintendo Support.

After the festive season is over a new update is expected, but not until late January 2021.