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You need a Nintendo Switch Online membership to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons over the internet. That covers visiting another player’s island online and using the game’s other online multiplayer features. Single-player play, sharing one island on one console, and local wireless play with people nearby do not require the online membership. This article covers the Nintendo Switch version of the game and Nintendo’s current official support wording.
What the membership is required for
Nintendo’s support article on starting local or online multiplayer states the requirement directly: “A Nintendo Switch Online membership and Internet connection are required to play online.” The article is the official source for this rule, and it applies to every online session in New Horizons, including visiting a friend’s island.
Online play also needs a Nintendo Account. Each player who joins online needs their own Nintendo Switch system and their own copy of the game, and up to eight players can take part in an online session.
What the membership unlocks
Nintendo’s official game page describes the online features that membership supports: flying to friends’ islands, gathering resources, visiting shops, seeing museum collections, and meeting up at the Roost.
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- Share Your Paradise - Show off your island utopia to family and friends - or pack your bags and visit theirs.
- Get Building - Experience a robust new crafting system - collect materials to construct everything from furniture to tools!
- Create Your Perfect Getaway - Craft everything from tools to creature comforts as you create and customize your island community.
- Explore Your Island - Collect bugs, decorate your paradise throughout the day, or enjoy sunset on the beach while fishing in the ocean.
- Play Together - Up to eight players can reside on an island; four residents of the same island can play together simultaneously on a single system.
The page also describes Slumber Islands, a shared dream setting where members can visit another player’s island. Nintendo’s support material adds a version condition: after updating Animal Crossing: New Horizons to version 3.0.0 or later, members can design and save up to three Slumber Islands and play on them with friends online. If you are on an earlier version, update the game before relying on this feature. Nintendo’s version-specific details are on its Happy Home Paradise and Version 2.0.0 FAQ and its multiplayer setup article.
Ways to play without the online membership
Local wireless play is a separate path from online play. It uses direct connection between nearby systems rather than the internet, so the online membership requirement does not apply to it. Nintendo’s multiplayer guidance says local wireless and online play can each support up to eight players, with one system and one game per player.
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- Build your community from scratch on a deserted island brimming with possibility; Create your personal getaway and customize your character, home, decorations, and even the landscape itself
- Collect materials to construct everything from furniture to tools. Then, use what you create to give your island a personal touch
- Watch as the time of day and seasons match real life—even your hemisphere. Each day holds potential for surprises and discoveries
- Get to know the island residents, garden, fish, decorate, hunt for fossils, and more.
- Show off your paradise – play on the same system with a total of 4 people, or play together online or over local wireless for fun with up to 8 players
Two situations need no membership at all:
- Single-player play. The core game can be played alone without a membership.
- Shared island on one console. Nintendo’s Save Data and Multiplayer Support FAQ says up to eight people can live on one shared island on one Nintendo Switch system with one game. A single system can also host up to four simultaneous local players when additional accessories are connected.
The table below puts the play modes side by side.
| Play mode | Nintendo Switch Online membership required? | Systems and game copies | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-player | No | One system, one game | One |
| Shared island on one system | No | One system, one game | Up to eight people living on one island; up to four simultaneous local players with additional accessories |
| Local wireless multiplayer | No (local wireless is not online play) | One system and one game per player | Up to eight |
| Online multiplayer | Yes, with an internet connection and a Nintendo Account | One system and one game per player | Up to eight |
Happy Home Paradise is a separate question
Readers often connect the membership question with the Happy Home Paradise expansion, but the two work differently. The relevant subscription for that content is Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, not the standard online membership. The standard membership alone does not include Happy Home Paradise.
Nintendo says Happy Home Paradise can be bought separately or played at no extra charge while an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership is in place. Access through the membership lasts only as long as the membership does. A separate purchase stays available indefinitely. If membership access ends, Nintendo says the DLC save data remains on the console and becomes usable again after you renew or buy the DLC. The DLC requires the base game.
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- To be updated
- To be updated
- To be updated
Nintendo’s Happy Home Paradise access guide explains both routes. Check the price on the Nintendo eShop or Nintendo’s store before buying, because separate prices and plan terms vary by region and change over time.
Which option fits your situation
- You play alone, or with people sharing your console: the online membership requirement does not apply to that play.
- You want to visit friends over the internet: you need a Nintendo Switch Online membership, an internet connection, and a Nintendo Account.
- You want to play with people nearby: local wireless works without the online membership, but each player needs their own system and game.
- You want Happy Home Paradise: compare a one-time purchase with temporary access through Expansion Pack, and decide whether you want continued access if the membership lapses.
Nintendo’s Nintendo Switch Online Service FAQ covers the membership itself, including the question of whether games can be played online without subscribing. For the online features covered here, the answer is no.
Nintendo’s official pages do not state a publication date for the player and system figures above, so treat them as the current guidance for the version noted and confirm them on the live support page before you buy.
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