Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting ready to celebrate the shift in seasons with the annual snow melt, and there are plenty of ways to prepare.

Spring is just around the corner in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, with the winter snow set to melt in just a few weeks. New Horizons utilizes a real-time clock to progress gameplay, as well as following the seasonal patterns accurate to the hemisphere a player's Nintendo Switch is set to. Because of this, players can enjoy weather that matches the seasons outside their window, from grassy summers to frosty, snow-capped winters. While this is a great way to boost immersion, some seasons feel longer than others, and many are looking forward to the shift from snow to flowers and blossoming trees.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons players often set islands up to take advantage of the weather currently present in-game. Because of this, the transition of the seasons can be a particularly exciting time. Previous island designs can be packed up and landscapes can be leveled to give a fresh canvas for future plans, and DIY and purchasable decorations can be stockpiled so players can launch into action as soon as the weather changes. Players may also want to visit other islands to stock up on New Horizons' flower types, especially if they recently restarted a save, to ensure they have the right colors and variations of flowers for landscaping projects.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons' official day for the snow to melt in 2022 will be between February 24 and 25, 2022. While it may seem odd to bring springtime to islands before the official Spring Equinox, the transition matches the change of natural weather patterns, which often begin warming up a few weeks before the official start of spring. As the snow melts, green grass and blooming trees will again overtake islands, and players will also be able to set up for the exciting New Horizons Festivale Event for 2022. Pavé will return to player islands at the end of February, bringing brightly colored feathers and dancing to welcome the warmer weather.

Animal Crossing 2.0 Update Can Freshen Spring Gameplay

In November of 2021, Animal Crossing: New Horizons received the 2.0 update and the Happy Home Paradise paid DLC expansion. The update added features that were exciting, if out of place for the time of year, to New Horizons gameplay. Players can now farm a selection of vegetables in patches around their islands, including sugar cane, tomatoes, carrots, wheat, and potatoes to go alongside the pumpkins added in the Fall update of 2020. Like pumpkins, each crop has a yield of up to three per patch if watered daily, and all products can be used in cooking recipes also added in the 2.0 update. The addition of cooking and farming in New Horizons was heavily requested after its success with pumpkin patches and gives players a much wider range of growable decorations to place around islands.

Because players have had all winter to take New Horizons' Kapp'n Tours, many have obtained enough of each crop variety to start a diverse farmstead once the snow has melted in Animal Crossing. Because of this, players could trade in island designs based on other shows, books, and games for more rural layouts. Crop types could be arranged outside of player homes for a comfortable country design or they could be planted on mass for a sprawling homestead. Players can also use the crops produced to cook dishes in large quantities, allowing them to easily amass Bells needed for home expansions or expensive New Horizons' 2.0 update furniture purchases. While it was possible to plant and grow all crops in winter, farms in warmer weather will likely look more authentic, making for a more immersive farmstead concept.

Animal Crossing Could Add A Spring Update When The Snow Melts

While New Horizons' 2.0 update and the DLC expansion added a large quantity of new content to the game, there are still many things that could be introduced in a Spring 2022 update to further bolster available options. Springtime crops like strawberries or snap peas could help expand crop options, and planter boxes that can hold both flowers and crop types would give players more options for how garden plots are set up. New flower types would also be exciting, especially for those who have already obtained all the flowers available in New Horizons. Alternatively, new colors could be added to existing flower types, offering new breeding challenges for players to tackle.

Unfortunately, it isn't likely an update of this size will be coming for New Horizons, even after the snow melts, as it was announced that the 2.0 expansion will be the last large content addition for the game. This likely came as disappointing news for many fans, who may feel the game still has room to grow in the coming year. However, it is possible a future Animal Crossing game could include these features with more options, though nothing about a new Animal Crossing game has been announced currently by Nintendo. It is also possible smaller updates could be scattered through 2022 designed to improve seasonal events, similar to Bunny Day and May Day in 2021. These updates could offer players new items to obtain during the events, as well as expanding 2.0 features like farming with small bursts of new content as a bonus.

For those wanting to get a head start on island designs before the upcoming snowmelt in Animal Crossing, areas for gardens and certain decorations can be set up in advance. Players can plan out where they might want to set up flower patches using the fencing options available in New Horizons, or even begin stocking up on the 2.0 update Gyroid additions by collecting Gyroid Fragments while visiting islands with Kapp'n. The adorable, musical additions could be set up around flower gardens or outdoor patio areas to offer player-made songs, or even be used in place of flowers as an interesting change from flower gardens of past years.

The upcoming spring season also includes the Cherry Blossom season in April, which will be particularly important this year for new players and those restarting their saves. While Cherry Blossom season only comes once a year, it can now be accessed as a special location on Kapp'n's boat tours. However, it will only become available after the event has been experienced naturally one time on player islands. While this can be unlocked easily using time travel, those wanting to play through the game without changing their Nintendo Switch calendars to speed things up will finally be able to encounter the Cherry Blossom island, and they will want to carry nets to catch Cherry Blossom Petals when setting out to explore. With so many ways to welcome the spring, Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans will have plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks once the snow melts between February 24 and 25, 2022.

Next: Animal Crossing Polish Options Save The Best Choice For Last