Learn all about the ACNH Fall Update

Pumpkins, leaves changing colors, new characters, and more.

Within the Northern Hemisphere, Animal Crossing: New Horizons fall changes officially starts to show on your island on September 1. You'll notice that the small island icon that shows up in the bottom right corner of your screen during loading times is a more yellowy hue. Additionally, when you shake your island's trees, you'll occasionally find acorns and pinecones.

However, you'll need to wait until October 1 to see some real changes. This includes the leaves changing color and the start of additional fall events. There are a few new characters not to mention the Halloween and Thanksgiving activities to get excited about. Here's everything coming in the free Animal Crossing Fall Update.

ACNH Fall Update

How to download the Fall Update

If, for some reason, the Autumn festivities don't seem to have appeared in your game come October 1, then maybe you need to make sure your Switch downloaded the Fall update.

  1. From the Nintendo Switch's Home menu, hover over the Animal Crossing: New Horizons icon.
  2. Press + and the game information will display.
  3. Scroll down to Software Update.
  4. Select Via the Internet. The Switch will check for any new versions and will download them if necessary.
  5. Select OK.

Once these steps have been taken, your Switch will search for any Animal Crossing: New Horizons updates it might not have already. Hopefully that solves the issue and allows you to take part in the Halloween festivities.

Gifts in the mail

You'll receive two gifts in the mail on October 1 after downloading the update

  1. A picture of Jack, sent from the Czar of Halloween himself.
  2. A Ring-Con, like the one from Ring Fit Adventure, sent to you by Nintendo.

Leaves changing color

The most obvious change that comes with the Animal Crossing Fall Update is the leaves changing colors. Orange and red canopies will dapple your island while the grass also turns yellow—a stark contrast to the vibrant green we've seen for so many months. Nook's Cranny also changes its decor slightly by putting out pumpkins, a string of fall leaves, and featuring mushroom vinyls in the windows.

Buy candy from Nook's Cranny

During the month of October, players can purchase candy from the green cabinet in Nook's Cranny. Each piece costs 120 Bells and you can only purchase one per day. We highly suggest stocking up on your candy horde throughout the month of October so you're better prepared to meet Jack on All Hallows Eve.

Pro tip: You can buy candy from the store of other islands you visit, even if the island's owner has already purchased the day's candy. Additionally, you can get a second piece of candy from visiting other islands if you already know the DIY recipe a resident offers to teach you.

Halloween costumes and character customization

By purchasing fancy clothes from Able Sister's during October you'll be able to dress your character up in festive attire. Additionally, a number of eye colors and body paint colors are getting added so your characters can look more otherworldly. This includes things like having blue skin and yellow eyes. Have fun and get your character ready for Halloween!

Grow your own pumpkin patch

Look at those adorable little pumpkins! I'm super excited to get my own pumpkin patch set up in the perfect section of my island. Pumpkin starts are available for purchase at the Nook's Cranny cabinet or from Leif the sloth beginning October 1. You're going to want to grow several pumpkins before Halloween if you want to craft all of the Halloween decorations.

New crafting materials and DIY recipes

After September 1, players who have the DIY Recipes app unlocked will receive the Tree's Bounty Little Tree recipe from Isabelle after turning their games on. Additionally, she'll explain that acorns and pinecones can now fall from your island's trees. We've also seen from Nintendo's official trailers that mushrooms will appear on the island as part of the fall update.

Remember your pumpkin patch? Well, if you gather pumpkins, you'll be able to craft them into various Spooky Pumpkin DIY recipes during the month of October. Tend to your patch so you can get your island completely ready for this spooky night.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Fall Update Characters & holidays

Two main characters appear during the Autumn season in Animal Crossing: Jack, the pumpkin-headed specter who shows up around Halloween, and Franklin, the turkey chef who shows up around Thanksgiving. If you do what they ask for, they can reward you with festive furniture and items.

Animal Crossing Fall Update

It's time to fall in love with Animal Crossing: New Horizons' changing leaves and upcoming Autumn characters. I'm especially looking forward to the Halloween activities and meeting Jack in person.

Hopefully, these Autumn festivities prove to be a fun change for all you fellow Animal Crossing players out there.

Get More Switch

Nintendo Switch

$299 at Amazon

Comments are closed.