This April 14, 2026, Animal Crossing celebrates the 25th anniversary of its first release, Dobutsu no Mori on Nintendo 64. For the occasion, Nintendo thanks players with a free gift hidden right in Animal Crossing: New Horizonsaccessible on Nintendo Switch And Nintendo Switch 2.
Update 3.0.2, deployed around April 14, activates this anniversary bonus and is accompanied by other surprises, including a large musical selection via the mobile application Nintendo Music. Here’s how to take advantage of this “Animal Crossing 25 years free gift” without missing anything in France.
Where to collect the free gift in Animal Crossing New Horizons ?
Start by updating your game: from the HOME menu, select Animal Crossing: New Horizonstap “More”, then “Update” and “Via internet”. Update 3.0.2 Animal Crossing New Horizons is free and identical on Switch and Switch 2.
Once the update is installed, launch your game and enter your house: a new letter of Nintendo waiting for you in the mailbox. It celebrates 25 years of the series and contains as an attachment the Leaf Statuea leaf-shaped statue that pays homage to the logo ofAnimal Crossing. Any current player receives this item, without subscription Nintendo Switch Online.
Leaf Statue and Ninten Island: how to decorate your island for the 25th anniversary?
The Leaf Statue functions like classic furniture: from your inventory, choose “Place on the ground” to install it indoors or outdoors. You can make it a central monument near the town hall, an island entrance like a memorial park, or the heart of a small museum reflecting the aesthetic of theNinten Islandthe official dream island that recreates the cover art from the first game.
Nintendo Music, 158 Animal Crossing tracks: exclusive bonus and patch 3.0.2
Second gift for the 25th birthday: Nintendo Music puts online a special playlist “Nintendo Music Animal Crossing soundtrack” dedicated to the very first episode. There are 158 tracks Animal Crossing Nintendo Musicor about 5 hours and 18 minutes of music, from daytime themes to title screen songs that rocked GameCube players.
To access it in France, you need a smartphone, a Nintendo account and an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Install the Nintendo Music app on iOS or Android, sign in, then search for the playlist dedicated to Animal Crossing. At the same time, patch 3.0.2 fixes several bugs reported by the community, notably around the hotel, multi-material crafting, rocks, dung beetles, custom patterns and DLC Happy Home Paradise.