'Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Gets a Ton of Free and Paid Content

The paid downloadable content is tied to a Switch Online price hike

By
Stefanie Fogel
Stefanie Fogel
Stefanie Fogel
Writer, Editor, Commerce Producer
  • University of Central Florida
Stefanie Fogel has written about consumer technology since 2009. Her work has appeared on Variety, Engadget, Polygon, and many other online publications.
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Published on October 15, 2021 02:53PM EDT
Fact checked by
Rich Scherr
Rich Scherr
Fact checked by Rich Scherr
  • University of Maryland Baltimore County
Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire.
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Nintendo is adding a ton of new downloadable content (DLC) to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, both free and paid, on November 5.

According to the announcement in a Nintendo Direct presentation on Friday, the free content includes fan-favorite NPCs Brewster and Kapp'n, gyroids, new shops, DIY cooking recipes, and more. After the update, Brewster will open a café on the museum's second floor and serve some java for you and your friends once you do Blathers a certain favor. Kapp'n will take you to remote islands on his boat.

Islanders enjoy some coffee at Brewsters in Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Nintendo Switch

Nintendo

Harv's Island is getting an open market where merchants like Redd, Saharah, and Kicks can set up shop. Animal Crossing mainstays Katrina and Harriet will show up there as well to read fortunes and style hair, respectively.

Nook Inc. has some new services, like ordinances for making weeds grow less or making all the islanders wake up early. You also can expand your storage space and change the exterior look of your house.

The paid DLC is called Happy Home Paradise and it lets you join Lottie and the Paradise Planning team. In this role, you travel to other islands where you can design vacation homes, decorate schools and restaurants, and more. You can share screenshots of your designs with other players, and you can even apply the techniques you learn while remodeling these islands to your home island, as well.

The DLC can be purchased for a one-time $25 fee. Or you can get it via Nintendo's new Switch Online + Expansion Pack. This new membership tier includes the base Switch Online membership and grants access to Nintendo 64 games and Sega Genesis games.

It costs $50/year for an individual membership or $80/year for a family membership, which is a pretty big price hike over the base plan's $20/year fee.

The new features arriving on November 5 are New Horizons' last major free content update.

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