Save the Date! July 30 sees the Release of the Second Summer update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons & Island Backup

Cue the fireworks!

A release date for the second free summer update has just been shared and the date is July 30, 2020. With such a short wait, this week players can expect to:

Watch a fireworks show every Sunday in August
Earn rewards with Redd’s Raffle
Create your own fireworks with custom designs
Compel your villagers to go to sleep and dream, where they can meet Luna and dream of other Islands (Nintendo Switch Online required)
Island backup service commences

Nintendo has since provided further details as part of a press release:

Fireworks Shows – Enjoy atmospheric fireworks lighting up the sky above your island every Sunday in August at 7 p.m. Get in the spirit by redeeming Bells for raffle tickets in the plaza to get various festive items that you can use. Put your personal spin on the fireworks display by using your own custom design pattern to see it shot in the air as a firework in the sky!

Dreaming – You can now choose to take a nap in any bed placed in your home.** While dozing off, you may find yourself in a strange realm where you’ll be greeted by Luna. Luna offers visits to other islands as a dream, and with her help, you can share your island as a dream with others too.*** She will grant those who share their island a “Dream Address” which players can exchange and use to visit each other’s island in a dream. In dreams, nothing is permanent because nothing you do is saved, so explore to your heart’s content.

Island Backup & Restoration Service – Nintendo Switch Online members can enable the new island backup service, which automatically uploads island and user save data to the internet at certain times. If your Nintendo Switch system is lost or damaged, you may be able to recover your island paradise as long as you’ve enabled island backup. In the event of loss or damage, contact Nintendo Consumer Support about restoring the island and user save data on your new or repaired Nintendo Switch system. After your island data and individual player data is restored, you can get back to building your island community!**** Additional details can be found on the Nintendo Consumer Support page when the update goes live. The island backup feature is separate from the Save Data Cloud functionality offered for select Nintendo Switch games through Nintendo Switch Online. A function specific to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to move users and save data to another system is planned for later this year. Details will be announced in the future.

Lastly, a free update for Autumn was also announced.

[Annoucement] Get ready to light up the sky when the next summer update for #AnimalCrossingNewHorizons arrives on 30/07! 🎆 pic.twitter.com/sHljTXELU3

— Isabelle UK (@AC_Isabelle) July 28, 2020