Animal Crossing Summer update 2: Island backup, fireworks and more coming in-game

The second free update of the summer lands this week 
Fireworks shows will take place every Sunday evening throughout August
Nintendo

The next big free update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is adding an Island Backup feature and weekly firework shows to your island.

While the last update added swimming and a cadre of new sea creatures to discover, this second wave will bring with it one of the most requested functions to the game.

Island backup, which we believe will essentially let you save a copy of your island to Nintendo's Online cloud, will allow people to not lose their progress if tragedy befalls their Switch console.

Also coming in the update is the ability to sleep in your bed and be transported to a dreamland, which lets you then visit other people's islands and tour them.

The update was announced on Twitter and it will be going live on July 30.

What's new in Animal Crossing's Summer Wave 2 update?

This is the second promised wave of DLC (downloadable content) coming to New Horizons.

You'll be able to save a backup of your island to the cloud, take part in weekly fireworks shows and sleep in your bed.

The first summer update added the ability to swim in the ocean and some new DIY recipes.

Island backup and restoration

Perhaps one of the most anticipated and requested features for the game is finally being added: the ability to backup and save your current island progress to the cloud.

The official Animal Crossing Twitter account explained how it will work: "The Island Backup & Restoration Service allows #NintendoSwitchOnline members to upload their game data online & recover data in the event of loss or damage. The ability to transfer #ACNH save data is planned for later this year".

This means that you'll be able to back up your data and if you lose your Switch, or it breaks, you can then just re-download the game and pick right up where your last uploaded save was. However, it seems that only people who have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription will be able to use this feature.

Having a Nintendo Switch Online subscription already allows you to upload save data to the cloud, but this feature was missing from Animal Crossing when it first launched back in March.

The choice behind this, probably, is because of how you can skip time and use any number of exploits by manipulating the Switch's inner clock.

We've got a full guide on how to go about doing this, which you can read here.

Weekly fireworks shows

These will take place every Sunday evening throughout August.

Your island's sky will be glowing in the soft summer breeze as fireworks are blasted into the air for you and your residents to enjoy.

As shown in the video above, it looks like shady art-trader Redd will be holding a Raffle outside of the Resident Services building; possibly selling bubbles and sparklers to have fun with.

You will also be able to launch your own fireworks, which can be custom-designed to explode into a pattern you desire.

Luna, dreaming and visiting other islands

By interacting with your bed, you'll be prompted to go to sleep.

Interact with your bed to visit a dreamland!
Nintendo

The video shows us that upon accepting this option, you'll drift off to some dreamland where you'll meet a returning character, Luna. Luna will allow you to access "different dream islands", allowing you to explore islands all over the world and even show off your own.

This seems like a function which allows you to visit other people's islands without them being online or being friends with them. Perhaps it's a way for you to get some island inspiration of your own.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons summer update 2 will go live on July 30.

If you're looking for more Animal Crossing news, tips and tricks then check out our dedicated guides section here.

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