Animal Crossing: New Horizons is set to get a major Switch 2 Edition in early 2026, introducing new items, gameplay content, and more. Ahead of this launch, you might be tempted to revisit this iconic game, or perhaps to transfer your island to a brand new Switch 2 console.
Here’s how you can easily transfer your island between Nintendo Switch consoles – and, for some consideration, why you might want to start fresh, instead.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons island transfer – quick links
How to transfer your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island
The first thing you need to know is that if you’re starting fresh on Nintendo Switch 2, you can perform a complete system transfer to have all your save data from an original Nintendo Switch transferred to a Nintendo Switch 2. This will bring your Animal Crossing: New Horizons save data along with it.
If you’ve already got a Nintendo Switch 2 set up and didn’t transfer data, but you still have your original Nintendo Switch, you can still retrieve and transfer your Animal Crossing: New Horizons data.
To do so, you’ll need to download the ‘Island Transfer Tool for Animal Crossing: New Horizons‘ from the Nintendo eShop, and have it on both consoles.
Fire up the tool on both consoles, and follow the instructions presented. Essentially, you’ll be asked to upload the island from the source console, and then download it to the target console. Once the tool detects your newer console is waiting, you’ll be able to select ‘transfer data’ to initiate the transfer process.
Importantly, the save data from the source console will be deleted once the transfer process is complete, and you’ll then only be able to access your island from your newer console.
Why you should consider starting fresh in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Speaking as somebody who didn’t use the Island Transfer Tool correctly and instead wiped her Animal Crossing: New Horizons progress a few years back, I think you should consider starting fresh with the Nintendo Switch 2 game update, instead.
Now, I will admit, messing up the transfer process was devastating. I lost hundreds of hours of island work, and sweet little friendships with my favourite villagers. But once I was over the loss, I discovered a freedom in starting over in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
For many of us, it’s likely been years since we jumped into the game. 2020 was a wild time to be alive, and New Horizons was a salve for months, if not years, as coronavirus lockdowns forced everyone to stay indoors. Then, after a full year of updates and enjoyment, many of us drifted away from the game. We found other experiences to distract us. We became different people.
Revisiting your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island after a period away might be somewhat nostalgic, but it’ll also be a reminder of a more difficult time, that nobody really needs to be reminded about. Start fresh instead! Leave the memories where they belong. Make new memories, with new villagers.
That’s another part of the appeal of starting over. New Horizons has so many villagers to befriend, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Why not take a chance on a new cohort of friends? You’ll get new houses to explore, new items to collect, and new reasons to visit your island every day.
There’s also changes in the Switch 2 Edition that may further inspire a fresh start. Changes to menus mean it’s now easier to craft and decorate your island. You can also invite more friends to visit, potentially necessitating some changes to your island layout. A new hotel location will also shake up the activities you can do, as well as adding in dozens of new items to collect.
That’s not to mention the new Lego collaboration items, or the Splatoon and The Legend of Zelda crossover items. There’s so much new to collect here that you might as well start over to make room for it all.
That’s my case, anyway. Your decision will be up to you, and how willing you are to leave behind so many hours of progress, for something shiny and new. At the very least, you will be able to leave your save data on your old console if you choose not to transfer, and then make the decision later, as you like.
Either way you choose to go, returning to Animal Crossing: New Horizons after all these years will no doubt be a warm, welcome experience. Those keen to return should have 15 January 2026 marked on their calendars.
