GamingAnimal Crossing

All new villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update

byMeg Bethany Koepp
sasha and frett in animal crossing new horizons 2.0 updateNintendo
The 2.0 update has added plenty of fun features into the game.

On October 15, Nintendo gave fans a deep dive into what’s coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and also revealed 16 more characters are on the way. Here’s what you need to know about the new villagers in the 2.0 update.

The Animal Crossing Direct announced a ton of new upcoming features, surprising fans who have been waiting for a substantial content update since 2020. Brewster and his cafe are returning, cooking and growing vegetables is now a thing, and Kapp’n is sailing players to mysterious islands, just to name a few. A handful of new characters are coming with the update as well. 16 villagers are available in the game from November 5, 2021, but it seems like there could be a very specific way to unlock them.

New villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update

shino in animal crossing new horizonsNintendo
Shino is one of the new villagers.
In late September, Nintendo revealed Series 5 of the Animal Crossing amiibo cards was being made, but didn’t go into detail as to what characters would be featured on them. But during the Direct, fans finally got a look at what’s to come and were surprised when 16 new villagers were shown on the cards right at the end of the presentation. Some are fresh to the series, and some were only ever in the original 2002 GameCube title.

  • Read More: Happy Home Paradise DLC: release date, features, price

The products release on the same day as the 2.0 update on November 5, and are sold at local retailers. It is currently unclear whether this is the only method of obtaining the new characters or whether they’ll be thrown into the random villager pool to move in when someone leaves your island. Here’s every new villager coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the 2.0 update:

  • Ione (Squirrel)
  • Shino (Deer)
  • Petri (Mouse)
  • Quinn (Eagle)
  • Zoe (Ant Eater)
  • Rio (Ostrich)
  • Azaelea (Rhino)
  • Faith (Koala)
  • Sasha (Bunny)
  • Tiansheng (Monkey)
  • Marlo (Hamster)
  • Cephalobot (Octopus)
  • Chabwick (Penguin)
  • Ace (Bird)
  • Frett (Dog)
  • Roswell (Crocodile)

series 5 animal crossing amiibo cardsNintendo
The Series 5 amiibo card set features 16 new villagers.
It appears as though you’ll also be able to meet the new characters in the Happy Home Paradise paid DLC as you model homes for them on the archipelago.

Shino is already proving popular amongst Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans, so Series 5 of the amiibo cards will no doubt be a hot commodity item.