'Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Summer Update Adds Dreaming, Fireworks, Cloud Saves

July 30 marks the date when the second summer update arrives for “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” and it marks two big gameplay additions.

The ability to dream is one addition while The Verge reports that new fireworks shows are the other. For Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, a cloud backup system is also coming so you won’t lose your island.

For dreaming, Nintendo says players will be able to take a nap in any bed in their house. “While dozing off, you may find yourself in a strange realm where you’ll be greeted by Luna,” the company explains.

“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,” Nintendo says.

Meanwhile, the fireworks shows will be a regular occurrence in August. Expect the fireworks every Sunday evening in August, at 7:00 p.m. local time. Players will be able to buy raffle tickets during these events to earn prizes.

However, the biggest part of the update could be the long-requested option for players to back up their islands via cloud saves. Here’s how Nintendo describes the feature:

“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.”

In addition, The Verge reports that Nintendo says that “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.”

This marks the second major summer update for “Animal Crossing: New Horizons.” The first was the landmark addition of swimming in early July. “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” was released on March 20, 2020, and sold five million digital copies in its first month.