This afternoon, Nintendo unveiled the latest update to Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the second part of the Summer update. In a short video, shared on their official channels, it was revealed that this update would include Firework Shows. These shows, which take place each Sunday during August, will allow villagers to participate in Redd’s raffle and launch custom-design fireworks.

Additionally, a new dream feature was shown, which appears similar in function to the dream suite from Animal Crossing: New Leaf. This will allow the player to access different dream islands, uploaded by others who own the game and even share their own. Not only that, an Island Backup and Restoration feature will also be included as part of this update. This free content will be available for download on the 30th July, with the next update (which appears to be Halloween themed) due sometime in Autumn.

Check out the full video below, or click ‘Read More’ to check out the full press release.

Animal Crossings New Horizons: Summer Update Wave #02

Fireworks Shows – Enjoy atmospheric fireworks lighting up the sky above your island every Sunday in August at 7 p.m. Get in the spirit by redeeming Bells for raffle tickets in the plaza to get various festive items that you can use. Put your personal spin on the fireworks display by using your own custom design pattern to see it shot in the air as a firework in the sky!

Dreaming – You can now choose to take a nap in any bed placed in your home. While dozing off, you may find yourself in a strange realm where you’ll be greeted by Luna. Luna offers visits to other islands as a dream, and with her help, you can share your island as a dream with others too. She will grant those who share their island a “Dream Address” which players can exchange and use to visit each other’s island in a dream. In dreams, nothing is permanent because nothing you do is saved, so explore to your heart’s content.

Island Backup & Restoration Service – Nintendo Switch Online members can enable the new island backup service, which automatically uploads island and user save data to the internet at certain times. If your Nintendo Switch system is lost or damaged, you may be able to recover your island paradise as long as you’ve enabled island backup. In the event of loss or damage, contact Nintendo Consumer Support about restoring the island and user save data on your new or repaired Nintendo Switch system. After your island data and individual player data is restored, you can get back to building your island community!
Additional details can be found on the Nintendo Consumer Support page when the update goes live. The island backup feature is separate from the Save Data Cloud functionality offered for select Nintendo Switch games through Nintendo Switch Online. A function specific to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to move users and save data to another system is planned for later this year. Details will be announced in the future.
James Moulding

I have been gaming for 30 years, starting mostly with PC Gaming, where I developed a penchant for classic point and click games. Over time I discovered Nintendo, starting with the Game Boy and the Super Mario Land games. Here, my love for Nintendo grew as I discovered many of their other franchises, from Zelda to Pokémon. These days I play a bit of everything but Nintendo and their unique creativity always keeps me coming back for more.