The 'Animal Crossing: New Horizons' expansion and update are available now

ACNH's Happy Home Paradise DLC expansion and free update are both available now — here's how to download and play them.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game that changed the landscape of 2020. We entered the year optimistic, got smacked down by a pandemic, and the only thing that kept us from total revolt during that time was Animal Crossing. The sweet sounds of K.K. Slider, the jingling of Bells from Isabelle, the chirpy noises of Tom Nook’s nephews — nostalgia or no, it’s hard to resist the allure of ACNH, and with the huge Happy Home Paradise expansion available right now, you should update your game and get playing immediately. Yes, Froggy Chair is back, and just like that, we’re willing to dedicate another 200 hours to Animal Crossing.

How to download the Animal Crossing: New Horizons update

Here are all the froggy chair colors available in the #AnimalCrossingNewHorizons Ver. 2.0 update! pic.twitter.com/r5YlBKjcf1

— Nintendo Wire (@NinWire) November 4, 2021

If your Nintendo Switch has not automatically downloaded and updated Animal Crossing: New Horizons, then just follow our simple instructions below to get it downloaded so you can craft a Froggy Chair of your own. There are multiple designs, you know!

• Find Animal Crossing: New Horizons on your home menu
• Press the + button
• Go to ‘Software Update’
• Select ‘Via the Internet’
• As long as your Nintendo Switch is connected to the internet, the update will begin downloading

Now all you have to do is wait for the update to download and install – it shouldn’t take too long, just do some deep breathing to avoid getting too excited while you wait.

How to play the Happy Home Paradise expansion for ACNH

The Happy Home Paradise expansion is separate from the primary update that is launching today — Happy Home Paradise is a DLC expansion containing new game modes and hundreds of new items and features, both large and small. When combined with the free update launching today, it’s a wealth of content to play through.

The Happy Home Paradise expansion is either available for purchase on the Nintendo eshop, or it is included as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. If you paid the extra money for the Expansion Pack subscription, then you will have access to Nintendo 64 and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis games, in addition to the Happy Home Paradise expansion, as long as you continue to pay for the subscription. If the subscription model doesn’t appeal to you, then you are best off paying for the Happy Home Paradise DLC expansion separately.

Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.