Animal Crossing Mario update: How to get all the new items and how long they will last

This new Animal Crossing DLC comes as Nintendo is marking the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros with a wide variety of celebrations: a limited edition Mario Bros version of the Switch console has already been revealed, as has an interactive Super Mario Bros LEGO set. That's not to mention the recently-released Super Mario Bros 3D World + Bowser's Fury game, which promptly earned a place on our list of the best Nintendo Switch games.

• Buy Animal Crossing: New Horizons at GAME

But what exactly does this Animal Crossing Mario update have to offer players, and how long will you be able to claim all its goodies for? Keep on reading and we'll explain everything.

When is the Animal Crossing Mario update release date?

As Nintendo promised, this Animal Crossing update became available to download on 25th February 2021. It wasn't actually possible to access the Mario items until they go live on 1st March.

Nintendo is giving you something to tide you over, though. As the company revealed in a blog post, "Players who download the Feb. 25 update will receive the mushroom mural in their in-game mailbox as a thank-you gift. Super Mario Bros. themed items won’t be available for order until March 1, but the mushroom mural might help inspire your imagination…you can pretend to be Mario while you wait!"

What time did the Animal Crossing Mario update arrive?

The official Japanese Twitter account for Animal Crossing revealed that the Mario update would be available to download from 10am on 25th February, Japanese time. In other time zones: America got the update on Wednesday 24th February at 5pm PST, 7pm CST or 8pm EST, while gamers in Australia got it at 12pm AEDT on Thursday 25th February, and fans in the UK got it at 1am GMT on Thursday 25th February.

How long will the Mario items be available in Animal Crossing?

As the Animal Crossing developers said in another Tweet, "These items are not time limited and can be ordered at any time." To us, this sounds like there is no end-date for fans to worry about. You should be able to buy these Mario items at any point after you download the update. We'll let you know if that situation changes at a later date.

What's included in the Animal Crossing Mario update?

The Animal Crossing Mario update promises rather a lot of fun stuff for players to pick up and muck around with. This is basically your opportunity to turn your island into the Mario franchise's iconic Mushroom Kingdom locale. There are new outfits to wear, heaps of recognisable items to place, and you could even add a Warp Pipe or two to your island. We'll break it down a bit more below:

Mario outfits in Animal Crossing

If you've ever wanted to dress up your islanders like Mario characters, this is the perfect update for you: once you've downloaded the update, you'll be able to purchase a Mario outfit, Luigi outfit, Wario outfit and/or Princess Peach outfit from Nook Shopping. It looks like each of these outfits will consist of a few different parts: a hat, an outfit, a pair of shoes, and a moustache accessory for all of them except Peach.

Mario items in Animal Crossing

As for the items available in the Animal Crossing update, most players will recognise all of them from Mario games: you'll be able to pick up Coins, Blocks, Mushrooms, Shells, Fire Flowers, Stars, Question Mark Blocks, Thwomps, Goal Poles and even Warp Pipes. All of those are available at Nook Shopping, but the Warp Pipes might be the most exciting inclusion of them all.

How to use the Mario Warp Pipe in Animal Crossing

Like all of the other Mario items, you can buy the Warp Pipe from Nook Shopping within Animal Crossing itself. You can buy two or more of them and place them anywhere suitable on your island. When you jump into a Warp Pipe at one location, you'll pop out of the other Warp Pipe after a few seconds - it's basically a way of teleporting between two set points on your island, which could help a lot of players save time.

• Buy the Limited Edition Mario Switch console from Amazon

How to get all the Mario items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

After you've downloaded the Animal Crossing Mario update, getting the Mario items should be fairly easy. All you have to do is head over to Nook Shopping and boot up the green shopping machine - you'll find the Mario items listed on the Promotions page.

Although the software update itself is free, these new items do have costs attached to them within the game itself - so you'll want to stock up on some Bells before you head to Nook Shopping and start your Mario spending spree. Before you head over to Nook Shopping and pick up whichever ones you want, here's a handy breakdown of how much all of the Mario items cost:

• ? Block – 1350 Bells
• 1-Up Mushroom – 2000 Bells
• Block – 1000 Bells
• Block Flooring – 3000 Bells
• Coin – 350 Bells
• Fire Flower – 1500 Bells
• Floating Block – 1000 Bells
• Goal Pole – 3500 Bells
• Lakitu’s Cloud Rug – 1500 Bells
• Large Mushroom Platform – 3000 Bells
• Luigi ‘Stache – 1200 Bells
• Luigi Hat – 1500 Bells
• Luigi Outfit – 2400 Bells
• Luigi Shoes – 1400 Bells
• Mario ‘Stache – 1200 Bells
• Mario Hat – 1500 Bells
• Mario Outfit – 2400 Bells
• Mario Shoes – 1400 Bells
• Mushroom Mural – 3000 Bells
• Peach Crown – 12000 Bells
• Peach Dress – 6000 Bells
• Peach Shoes – 2400 Bells
• Pipe – 5000 Bells
• Shell – 700 Bells
• Small Mushroom Platform – 1000
• Super Mushroom -1350 Bells
• Super Star – 2000 Bells
• Thwomp – 3000 Bells
• Wario ‘Stache – 1200 Bells
• Wario Hat – 1500 Bells
• Wario Outfit – 2400 Bells
• Wario Shoes – 1400 Bells
• Yoshi’s Egg Rug – 1500 Bells

• For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.

Animal Crossing Patch Notes Version 1.8.0 [2021.2.25]

If you haven't already installed the update, your Switch console should prompt you to do so next time you try to open the game, as long as you're connected to your Wifi at the time. You'll know that the update has been applied if you see Ver. 1.8.0 in your top right corner of the software title screen. And if you're wondering what's changed in the update, here are the full patch notes from the official Nintendo website:

General

• Collaboration items added to match 35th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros. Order from Nook Shopping after 1st March 2021
• The following elements have been added: Seasonal Raccoon Shopping Items

Bug fixes

• After performing communication play with Ver. 1.7.0, when you select the user’s icon (My Page) in the HOME menu and select “Add friend” → “Search from people who played with you” to see the other party Fixed a bug that the nickname of “User” of Nintendo Switch was displayed in “Name in game” of “Software played together”.
• In addition, we have made adjustments and fixed bugs so that you can play the game comfortably.

The small print on the patch notes mentions this, too: "Local communication is not compatible with Ver. 1.7.0 or earlier. Make sure you have the same version of the update data with the people you play with." Basically, if you want to play locally with someone else, make sure you've both got the latest update installed.

What other Animal Crossing events are coming?

Nintendo's recent blog post also confirmed that several other Animal Crossing events are on the horizon: there will be a Hinamatsuri event on 3rd March and a Pi Day celebration on 14th March, and there's also a St Patrick's Day event called Shamrock Day taking place between 10th March and 17th March. Between that and the Mario update, it's clear that Animal Crossing hasn't lost any of its lustre one year on from its launch!

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