Animal Crossing 25th Anniversary: New Horizons Update 3.0.2 and Free Rewards

Nintendo released version 3.0.2 of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on April 14, 2026, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Animal Crossing franchise. The update introduces a free commemorative item and a series of technical stability fixes for players on both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

The anniversary marks 25 years since the original title, Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Forest), launched on the Nintendo 64 in Japan on April 14, 2001, before expanding to a global audience via the GameCube later that year.

Anniversary Gifts and Content

As part of the celebration, Nintendo has provided all players with a commemorative Leaf Statue. To claim the item, players must update the game to version 3.0.2 and check their in-game mailbox for a special letter themed around the original Nintendo 64 version of the game.

The Leaf Statue is a purely cosmetic furniture item featuring the franchise’s iconic leaf symbol. It is available in a single green variant and cannot be customized. The statue also functions as a light source that players can toggle on and off.

Beyond the statue, the update adds a commemorative custom design. The anniversary letter used to deliver the statue has also been permanently added to the stationery collection at the Dodo Airlines airport, allowing players to use it when sending mail to villagers or friends.

Nintendo expanded the celebration beyond the game software by adding the original GameCube soundtrack to the Nintendo Music app.

Version 3.0.2 Patch Notes

Version 3.0.2 is primarily a stability and bug-fix patch. It addresses several issues affecting both the base game and the Happy Home Paradise DLC.

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• Fixed an issue in hotel guest rooms where furniture placement or guest behavior could prevent a player from exiting the room.
• Resolved a bug where crafting multiple items using a DIY recipe requiring six types of materials could sometimes be completed even if the player lacked sufficient materials.
• Fixed a rare crash that occurred when visiting Slumber Islands while the player had a full inventory.
• Addressed an issue where custom designs created by the player and brought to a Slumber Island might not be displayed at Able Sisters or uploaded to the Custom Design Portal.
• Fixed a bug where a dung beetle appearing on a snowball could remain on-screen after the snowball had disappeared.
• Corrected an issue where items could pop out of a rock before a shovel made contact. While this was previously addressed in version 3.0.1, the issue could still occur under specific conditions.

The update is available to all players regardless of when they started their island, provided they are connected to the internet to download the patch and receive the anniversary mail.