A number of older Nintendo Switch games all require fresh downloads to play online. An update went out not just for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but also ARMS, Splatoon 2, and Super Mario Maker 2. However, they seem to be inconsequential ones designed to fix minor issues or perhaps potential loopholes. [Thanks, Resetera!]
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, ARMS, Splatoon 2, and Super Mario Maker 2 support pages note the update patch details for each one. However, you don’t need to actually visit each page. Nintendo’s official patch notes for each one is identical. They all say, “Several issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience.“
In each case, it’s been a while since a patch appeared. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the most recent one, as its 2.0.5 patch appeared in February 2022 ahead of 2.0.6. The last Splatoon 2 update showed up in September 2021 and involved rebalancing. Super Mario Maker 2 hasn’t changed since July 2020. That involved a change to keep Ninji Speedruns fair. Finally, this is the first ARMS update since September 2018. It added Nintendo Switch Online app support and involved rebalancing.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, ARMS, Splatoon 2, and Super Mario Maker 2 are available for the Nintendo Switch, with new update patches available for each as of November 14, 2022.
