Farming and cooking coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the fans are going to lose it

Animal Crossing: New Horizon update 2.0 features
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting farming and cooking as part of the huge update coming this November. 

Originally introduced with the pumpkin growing feature last October, Animal Crossing: New Horizons update 2.0 will drop on November 5 and allow you to grow a variety of crops on your island. These will include tomatoes, wheat, sugar cane, potatoes, carrots, "and more". 

As part of the update, players will get access to DIY Recipes+, which will include traditional food recipes, ranging from more basic elements like flour to fully-fledged dishes like a pizza. You'll seemingly craft them by combining the ingredients you've grown, and then using the stove in your home to create each dish. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizon update 2.0 features

(Image credit: Nintendo)

These dishes can then be displayed on a dining table or even just straight up scoffed down. But either way, these new additions are a huge boon for long-time players. 

Some suspected that the additions of pumpkins in October 2020 would be the beginning of a larger farming element on offer for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. However, since that update, no additional crops or farming mechanics have been added, so this many fresh farming incentives will make a big difference to the game. 

When update 2.0 drops on November 5 though, you won't just be farming. You'll be able to visit Brewster in his cafe, The Roost, enjoy boat tours with our old pal Kapp'n, and go shopping in the brand new plaza on Harv's island, which will include a visit from our very old friend Tortimer. 

For now, why not check out the upcoming Switch games set to hit your console in 2021 and beyond

Sam Loveridge
Brand Director, 12DOVE

Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.

Read more
Mirthwood
One of the most enchanting games like Stardew Valley I played in 2024 just got a big new update, placing the medieval life sim RPG back on my radar
Stardew Valley
With another "thank you," Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone brings an update arc to a close with "the Switch patch to fix the last Switch patch"
Three girls face the camera with big smiles in Animal Crossing New Horizons
15 Games like Animal Crossing that are so wholesome it hurts
Stardew Valley
The best farming games to help you reap what you sow
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing's "obscure references" were all "localized out completely" before its debut in the West, as Nintendo felt it needed to "change everything"
Stardew Valley
"I'm very ashamed to say this": Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone warns players to avoid certain areas thanks to a major Nintendo Switch bug
Latest in Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing's "obscure references" were all "localized out completely" before its debut in the West, as Nintendo felt it needed to "change everything"
Anime Life Sim
After unsuccessfully attempting to launch a Monster Hunter clone, this controversial dev is now supposedly releasing an Animal Crossing-like game on PS5
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp trailer screenshto showing a chibi-style female character with bobbed brown hair, a yellow flower atop her head, and a chef-like top, smiling with her arms out
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp's new paid version has finally arrived and is microtransaction-free, but fans already miss the old app
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp trailer screenshto showing a chibi-style female character with bobbed brown hair, a yellow flower atop her head, and a chef-like top, smiling with her arms out
As the free-to-play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp prepares to go offline, Nintendo reveals more on the paid replacement - including its $20 price tag
Galactic Getaway
This multiplayer life sim is like Animal Crossing in outer space with Mario Party minigames, and it's just what I needed this Steam Next Fest
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp trailer screenshto showing a chibi-style female character with bobbed brown hair, a yellow flower atop her head, and a chef-like top, smiling with her arms out
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp players blast "greedy" Nintendo as new items roll out despite the game's imminent shutdown
Latest in News
Overwatch 2
My hopes for an Overwatch anime or Diablo horror movie are going strong as Blizzard president points out "we are Blizzard Entertainment, and not simply Blizzard Games"
The New Thunderbolts leaping into action
Marvel's New Thunderbolts* comic steals the MCU's asterisk, and the reason why is just as big of a mystery
Pokemon Go players brace for the worst as Niantic is sold off for $3.5 billion: "This game is entering its death knell"
Stamp PSP
A 16-year-old pitch for a newly discovered first-party PSP game has me mourning the death of PlayStation's Japan Studio all over again
Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon says he "got rid of" agents who deliberately kept him away from video game gigs: "They just didn't want me to do it"
Mass Effect
Jennifer Hale says she didn't see a single line as Mass Effect's Commander Shepard until it was time to record: "It was all cold reading on the spot"