Animal Crossing Shares New Freebies Ahead of Major New Horizons 3.0 Update

For the first time in a few years, Animal Crossing fans have something new to look forward to this year. The franchise is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and we’re starting the year strong with a new major update to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game’s dedicated Switch 2 version and its major 3.0 update arrive on January 15th. That has already brought many fans back to the game in anticipation. Now, Nintendo just shared a new freebie to encourage gamers to jump back in before the big update.

To celebrate the start of 2026, Nintendo shared some new freebies for Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans to claim. Unfortunately, the items are only available to Nintendo Switch Online members, as they need to be claimed from the Custom Design portal in New Horizons. But with many gamers planning to re-up their NSO memberships for multiplayer when the new Animal Crossing update arrives, it’s good timing to grab some freebies while we can.

Nintendo Shares Free Animal Crossing: New Horizons Designs to Celebrate the New Year

The new items aren’t anything too exciting, as they’re pretty specific to celebrating the start of 2026. But even so, free designs for your avatar to wear are never a bad thing. Specifically, Nintendo has shared 3 new custom designs with the numbers 2026 and fireworks on them. The items are:

• 2026 Knit Cap – Design ID MO-4BF9-FR90-X513
• 2026 Hoodie – Design ID MO-05W4-BPK8-3R2F
• 2026 Flag – Design ID MO-T5KK-WX8Y-VKP0

To be eligible to claim the items, players will need to meet a few pre-reqs. First, you will need to progress far enough in the game to unlock the Able Sisters shop. This is where you can go to access the Custom Design Kiosk, which is located at the back of the store. A Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to access this feature. If you’ve satisfied all of those pre-reqs, you can claim the free items by entering the Design IDs listed above.

How to Claim Free Custom Designs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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If it’s been a while since you’ve claimed a Custom Design or you’re stepping into New Horizons for the first time, here’s a quick review of how to claim Custom Designs.

First, head to the Able Sisters shop. Then, interact with the Kiosk in the back. Using the Kiosk, you can search for Pro Designs using a Creator ID or Design ID. For the free New Year’s items, you can find individual ones using the Design IDs listed above. Or, search for the Creator ID MA-6818-1746-6029 to see designs from the Nina / Nintendo creator.

After searching for the designs you want, you can hit Save to download and add them to your Custom Designs app. Then, you can use the items from the app on your in-game Nook Phone.

The 3.0 update and Switch 2 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons will arrive on January 15th. The free update is available for players on Switch and Switch 2 and will add a ton of new content to enjoy.

Will you be jumping back into New Horizons for the 3.0 update? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!