Animal Crossing update release date comes early: patch notes for New Horizons
Brewster opens a new branch of The Roost in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
The big Animal Crossing update release date has come early! This content drop has been hugely anticipated for some time now and while it was due later this week, Nintendo has surprised us by dropping it a day early - and it isn't even Christmas yet!
There are some big changes coming in the 2.0 update and it will be a lot of fun to work our way through it all while we wait for Nintendo to release the patch notes - some of those changes include boat tours and a new coffee shop.
So boot up your Nintendo Switch, load up Animal Crossing and enjoy the update, but if you want to have a read up on all that we know so far, here are the details!
When is the Animal Crossing: New Horizons November 2021 update released?
The Animal Crossing update release date was meant to be Friday 5th November 2021 - that's the day on which Brewster, The Roost and a whole lot more were due to be added to the game. However, the update landed today (4th November) instead! It came a full day early and you can download it right now!
What time is the Animal Crossing update?
The Animal Crossing update release time seems to have been around 1am BST on 4th November in the UK.
The time for speculation is over as the big Animal Crossing update is already here - one day earlier than we all thought it would be. So get downloading it!
What do we know about the Animal Crossing: New Horizons update?
Nintendo has confirmed that a beloved area called The Roost will be coming to the game in the November 2021 update. It will be in the museum, to the left of the art gallery.
Fans of the earlier entries in the Animal Crossing franchise will know that The Roost is a coffee shop overseen by a bird barista named Brewster, who is also joining New Horizons in this update!
Though we knew this was coming, that wasn't all that was announced. For a summary of some of the highlights (and there were a lot), read on:
- A bunch of returning characters, including Tortimer, Katrina and Harriet are back.
- The ability to place permanent ladders is now possible.
- Users can now place storage and ATMs outside - no more wasting time going in and out of buildings.
- The amount of bridges and inclines you can have has increased from eight to 10.
- You can now uncover gyroids through digging. They are also customisable.
- You can also cook, grow vegetables and collect recipes.
- New furniture and customisable options.
That really wasn't all. Perhaps the biggest update was the arrival of a paid DLC, called Happy Home Paradise, which will cost $24.99.
This significant update means users can "go to work" and set about creating paradise homes for animal residents.
Animal Crossing 2.0 update patch notes
Despite the update now being out, Nintendo has not at the time of writing released the Animal Crossing 2.0 update patch notes. We will let you know all the details about them as soon as they are released, but here are some new things to expect.
Rooster is set to open a cafe in the museum that you can hang out in - and invite friends to join you for coffee. Gyroids will be able to be found in the ground - and they make fun musical noises too! Kapp’n will be able to take you on a boat tour if you need a relaxing break, and Harv’s Island is due for something of a revamp.
This is very much the tip of the iceberg and we are already excited to get playing to see what else has been added.
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When was the Animal Crossing Direct in UK time?
Here in the UK, the Animal Crossing Direct started at 3pm BST on Friday 15th October 2021. This live stream taught us everything about the update.
In the USA, the times to be aware of were 7am PT or 10am ET, depending on which time zone you're in. And if you're wondering how long the Animal Crossing Direct was, it was about 20 minutes.
How to watch the Animal Crossing Direct
You can watch the Animal Crossing Direct right here! The live stream was hosted on Nintendo's official YouTube and Twitch accounts, and we've embedded the YouTube version for you below. Take a look here:
Who is Brewster in Animal Crossing?
Brewster is a bird barista that will serve your islanders coffee at any time of the day in his cafe called The Roost. In previous games, a cup would usually cost you 200 Bells.
This is his first proper appearance in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but Brewster has a storied history with the franchise's previous entries.
Fans will remember Brewster from Animal Crossing: Wild World, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
Brewster has spread his wings outside of the game franchise, too! He also appeared in the background in the crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros Brawl, and he had a brief role in 2006's Animal Crossing: The Movie (also known by its original Japanese title, Dōbutsu no Mori).
Some fans have said that adding Brewster to New Horizons is 'too little too late' to keep the game alive and its players happy, but he's certainly a welcome addition. Roll on that release date and bring on the coffee!
Read more on Animal Crossing:
- Animal Crossing Gyroids guide - where to find them
- How to get Brewster in Animal Crossing
- Animal Crossing ordinances guide - what do they do?
- How to update Animal Crossing and get the new DLC
- How to get the best turnip price every week in Animal Crossing
- Animal Crossing's best and most popular villagers
- The best Animal Crossing dream islands to explore
- Animal Crossing shooting stars guide
- How to restart your game in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
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Authors
Rob Leane is the Gaming Editor at Radio Times, overseeing our coverage of the biggest games on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile and VR. Rob works across our website, social media accounts and video channels, as well as producing our weekly gaming newsletter. He has previously worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional and Dennis Publishing.
