Animal Crossing’s Switch 2 Update Fails to Improve Online Multiplayer Experience

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has seen some significant enhancements with the recent 3.0 and Nintendo Switch 2 updates, but unfortunately, the game’s most frustrating issue remains unresolved: online play is still a major hassle. A recent test revealed just how poorly the new 12-player feature performs, with the process taking a staggering 90 minutes to get everyone onto a single island.

Complaints about the multiplayer mechanics in New Horizons have been around for a while. The entire setup is cumbersome, requiring a lengthy chat at the airport followed by an even longer loading screen for air travel. For those already on the island, the experience is even worse—players are stuck in place, forced to watch the arrival loading sequence despite being present. With multiple visitors, gameplay can feel nearly impossible, and if any player crashes, everyone is booted back to their own islands, forcing a complete restart of the process.

One of the major highlights of the Nintendo Switch 2 update was the promise of enhanced multiplayer options. Players can now host up to 11 friends, collaborate on Dream Islands, and take advantage of new GameChat features for a more engaging experience. While this sounds fantastic in theory, the reality is far from it. The testing revealed numerous issues, including crashes and excessive waiting times.

The article discussing these findings sparked a conversation on Reddit, where many users expressed their disappointment that the update did nothing to resolve these online problems. One user lamented, “If there was ANYTHING they should have fixed/updated about online play, it was how everyone is stuck when someone comes in. There is no reason to do so, and it feels like a biblical level punishment.”

Since its inception, the Animal Crossing series has focused on fostering connections among players. In a 2001 interview about the original game, director Katsuya Eguchi emphasized that a core value was to encourage real-life interactions, stating, “A key concept for us was people communicating with each other.” So, what went wrong?

One Reddit user, paulstronaut, offered a possible explanation: “The problem is that when you join an island, the entire state of the island is snapshotted and sent to you… So basically they have to ensure every player has the exact same state at the exact same time before sending any real-time play. It’s a problem of the core of the game engine itself and it likely cannot be fixed without a complete rewrite.” If this is indeed how online play functions, players may have to hope that the next installment of Animal Crossing improves the multiplayer experience significantly.