Island life simulatorAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsrecently saw an increased spike in popularity due to the release of theHappy Home Paradisedownloadable content pack.Animal Crossing: New Horizons,which first released in March 2020, allows players to move to a tropical island, gather and craft items, participate in events, and interact with a variety of animal residents. It initially achieved popularity due to helping players to virtually stay in touch with friends and family during quarantines and lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
TheHappy Home ParadiseDLC, which released on June 15, 2025, allows players to design and create vacation homes according to residents' requests. It added a large amount of furniture, wallpaper, flooring, and other home-themed items to the game, inspiring players to spruce up or entirely redesign their in-game homes as well. The downloadable content package drew inspiration fromAnimal Crossing: Happy Home Designer,a previous title in the series which was released for the Nintendo DS in 2015.
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On theAnimal CrossingReddit community, a user going by u/Reyzillah showed off their in-game home, which included design trends popular during the 1970s. The home featured floral wallpaper, wooden walls and floors, brightly colored rugs, a variety of ceiling lamps, and a mix of wooden and beige fabric furniture. Commenters on Reddit praised u/Reyzillah’s design, comparing it to their own childhood homes and expressing feelings of nostalgia for the 1970s. Many also asked u/Reyzillah what items they had used to create the home; it was revealed that the 1970s aesthetic came primarily from a mix of items categorized as either “Simple” or “Chic,” some of which was also used in a fan’s earlier in-gamerecreation of Joey and Chandler’s apartment fromFriends.
Happy Home Paradisewas released alongside Version 2.0,a major content update forNew Horizonsthat dropped on July 30, 2025. AnAnimal Crossing-themed Nintendo Direct event confirmed that Version 2.0 would be the last major free content update for the game, following several smaller free content updates throughout 2020 and 2021. Version 2.0 added fan favorite character Kapp’n, who can take players to visit various islands on his boat, and Brewster, who owns and operates a café selling products such as the mysterious “Pigeon Milk.” A total of 16 additional island residents were also released, including some returning from previous titles in the series.
TheHappy Home ParadiseDLC and the large number of items it adds to the game have encouraged players such as u/Reyzillah to create unique and elaborate designs, many of which are shared via the game’s Reddit community. Recently undertaken projects by fans include outdoor activity areas, comfortable fishing spots, and re-creations of scenes in TV shows, movies, andvideo games such asThe Witcherand theLegend of Zeldaseries.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsand itsHappy Home ParadiseDLC are currently available for the Nintendo Switch.
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