I can't believe it was only three months ago that we were driving down to the beach in Animal Crossing: New Horizons in search of our first blue summer shells, but as Isabelle pointed out to me today, August is almost over. In the Northern Hemisphere, this means that we are getting ready for Fall, when the leaves begin to change color and the pine cones begin to appear in the trees. What follows are some of the new features that will be included in the game.

We'll start with a color shift: while most of the country is still experiencing summer conditions, weeds and trees will be transitioning to a warmer, more autumnal palette as the leaves deepen in color throughout the month of September. As part of the transition to the new theme, Timmy and Tommy will add free ACNH items appropriate to Nook's Cranny's decor, and the Tea Olives will begin to bloom. However, for the first few weeks of autumn, we'll be focusing on acorns and pinecones. Later, maple leaves and mushrooms will begin to appear.

There will also be new crafting materials to replace the blue shells, including acorns and pinecones, each of which will come with its own DIY recipe that we will cover in greater detail when they are released. Nook Shopping has a grape harvest backpack to go along with it to get the party started.

Typical of the past few years, we'll see a significant increase in the number of ACNH items fish, sea creatures, and bugs that appear, and I'll continue to work slowly but steadily toward the completion of my museum. There will be a resurgence of rare river fish species such as the Golden Trout; more information can be found here.

What we do know is that there will most likely be something else on the way as well. Throughout the year, Nintendo has released larger updates every month, such as Fireworks and Dreaming August or swimming in July. While ACNH hasn't demonstrated any outward effects of COVID-19 as of yet, it's possible that we won't get a significant September update. Nonetheless, I would anticipate hearing more information about some sort of new feature in the near future..

For now, keep an eye out for some changes starting tomorrow morning, and stay tuned for further details on an upcoming substantial upgrade. Then there will be the excitement of catching some of the new bugs that appear, because I am so close to finishing the wing of the museum where they are currently located. Please keep in mind that this is only applicable to the Northern Hemisphere; the Southern Hemisphere should still be in the midst of springtime.