A new update arrived for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on April 14 for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. With this game patch, Nintendo is celebrating the franchise’s 25th anniversary and providing a few bug fixes as well. Players who download the update will receive an anniversary gift and special letter from Nintendo.
Downloading the version 3.0.2 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons gifts players with a new item called the Leaf Statue. This statue is designed as Animal Crossing’s iconic leaf icon. In terms of size, this is a villager-size decorative item, and it even lights up. Players will just need to check their in-game mailbox to receive the Leaf Statue, and there’s even a thank-you note from Nintendo.
The letter thanks players for 25 years of the franchise. The design of the in-game letter also pays homage to the very first game with a stamp of the Nintendo 64 logo, which is the platform of the very first Animal Crossing game released on April 14, 2001.
Additionally, the update includes a small list of bug fixes. The patch notes reveal a fix for an issue that could previously prevent players from exiting the hotel after specific furniture placement or guest behavior. It also corrects an issue where villagers who had promised to visit the player’s home could appear in wonky and unnatural locations inside the house.
The full patch notes for version 3.0.2 can be found below, as shared by Nintendo.
Latest update: Ver. 3.0.2 (Released April 13, 2026)
The following updates have been made when playing the game on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch:
General updates
- A commemorative item for the 25th anniversary of the Animal Crossing series has been added. Please check the in-game mailbox to receive it.
- Fixed an issue in hotel guest rooms where furniture placement or guest behavior could prevent exiting the room.
- Fixed an issue where crafting multiple items at once using a DIY recipe requiring six types of materials could sometimes be completed even without sufficient materials.
- Fixed an issue where a dung beetle appearing on a snowball could remain on-screen after the snowball disappeared.
- Fixed an issue where items could pop out of a rock before the shovel made contact when hitting it.
- This issue was addressed in Ver. 3.0.1, but could still occur under certain conditions, so it has been fixed again.
- Fixed an issue where bringing custom designs created by the player to a Slumber Island could prevent them from being displayed at Able Sisters or uploaded to the Custom Design Portal.
- Fixed an issue where glowing spots on the island would not appear lit when viewing the island from the plane while returning from another island.
- Fixed an issue where villagers who had promised to visit the player’s home could sometimes appear in unnatural locations inside the house.
- Other adjustments and corrections were made to improve the game play experience.
Changes to DLC
The following issues related to the paid DLC “Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise” have been fixed.
- Fixed an issue where animals requesting vacation homes would stop appearing on the beach even when some animals still do not have vacation homes.
