Animal Crossing New Horizons: Updates & Changes In June 2023
Today, we’re breaking down all the changes and new additions we can expect to see throughout the month of June. We’ll be looking at Events, Limited-time items, Seasonal Changes, Weather Phenomena and everything in between.
1. Wedding Event
Now, June is a super busy month, primarily because June also marks the start of the Wedding Season in Animal Crossing New Horizons, honouring Reese and Cyrus’s Wedding Anniversary.
Beginning June 1st, and running through to the end of the month, the Wedding Season Event takes place on Harv’s Island and players are given the task of decorating the Venue each day. This is probably the largest event in the game, offering up the most rewards and furniture items for taking part.
The objective is to decorate the venue with the chosen theme that day to unlock items. The more you take part, the more ACNH Items you unlock and the more Heart Crystals you earn. These are used to purchase Wedding Furniture to keep for yourself.
Alongside the Wedding Season Event, the Able Sisters also stocks several special wedding-themed clothing items. And additional wedding-themed seasonal items are also available from the Nook Stop and are not to be missed.
2. Seasonal Items
Speaking of Seasonal Items, June is packed full of limited-time items that are only available throughout the month of June in honour of real-world events.
These include the Dragon Boat Festival and the Dano Festival, International Children’s Day, Father’s Day, the Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice, depending on which Hemisphere you’re in, and of course, the Wedding Season we already mentioned.
The Dragon Boat Festival and the Dano Festival are typically celebrated in China and South Korea respectively and introduce the Festival Zongzi and Surichwi Tteok items, which are now both edible food items.
International Children’s Day is a celebration honouring good health towards children, and introduces the Handmade Cape and Handmade Crown. Both are really cool items. These are only available for two weeks, unlike at launch.
Father’s Day returns to honour parents and, like the Wedding Season, runs for the entire month. This Seasonal Event introduces the Thank-You Dad Mug and Thank-You Dad Apron.
The Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice take place at the same time, depending on your hemisphere. Players in the Northern Hemisphere can obtain the Sunflower Crown, the Sunflower Rug, the Sunflower Glasses and the Maypole. And Players in the Southern Hemisphere can obtain the Midwinter Sweater, the Aurora Wall, the Bathtub with Yuzu and the Tangyuan.
All of these items mentioned here are available from the Nook Stop on the dates shown, and depending on when you started New Horizons, or if you went back to the game after a break, some of these items may be brand new.
3. Seasonal Materials
Moving on, whilst we’re talking about Seasonal Topics, it’s worth remembering both Hemispheres are approaching new seasons, which means new Crafting Materials are available throughout June.
The Northern Hemisphere will say goodbye to the Young-Spring Bamboo materials and instead begin to find Summer Shells washed ashore. These new materials will be available from June 1st through to August 31st. And of course if you’re playing through this season for the first time, you’ll now unlock the Summer Shell Boat Tour, too.
Anyway, Summer Shell recipes will also become available from Balloons and Bottles, and include recipes for items, such as the Water Flooring, the Tropical Vista and the Summer Shell Rug, amongst others.
The Southern Hemisphere will continue to encounter Acorns and Pine Cones for a couple of weeks, however as Winter begins, small and large Snowflakes can be obtained from June 11th through to August 24th.
4. Nooks Cranny
Now, given we are approaching new seasons, Nooks Cranny sees some pretty cool changes to both. It’s aesthetics and stock.
In the Summer and Winter months, depending on which Hemisphere you’re in, you’ll notice Nooks Cranny sees subtle changes to its decoration and window displays.
But, more importantly, Nooks Cranny also sells seasonal items. During the Summer, Nooks Cranny sells the Surfboard and Retro Fans. And during the Winter, Nooks Cranny sells the Round Space Heater and Celebratory Candles.
All of these items are actually locked to a specific colour, based on your island. However, now that Cyrus resides on Harv’s Island, it is possible to customise them with him for bells, even during the Wedding Season, which is super useful.
5. Weather Phenomena
Now, one of my favourite changes we see on the New Horizons Island is, of course, to the different types of weather.
The Northern Hemisphere is much the same at the start of Summer, though. However, Thin Clouds will disappear at the end of May, so it will be some time before you see these again.
In the Southern Hemisphere on the other hand, Cirrus and Cirrocumulus Clouds disappear, with Billow clouds taking their place. Players in the Southern Hemisphere will also begin encountering Aurora’s on clear nights once the snow starts to fall from June 11th.
You can only encounter these from 6 pm through to 4 am, although can be tricky to spot, as they often only appear for an hour or so. But if you’ve never seen one, definitely worth looking out for.
6. Bug-Off
Next up, we have another cool Summer activity, which is, of course, the Bug-off Season.
Starting on the 4th Saturday of June, which this year is the 24th, Flick will stop by the Plaza to host the first Bug-off of the year. For anyone new to New Horizons in the last 10 months or so, the Bug-off is a time-trial challenge that sees players catch as many bugs as possible before the timer ends.
Flick rewards players for catching bugs, so the more you catch, the more prizes you can earn. Some of the items available include the Bug Cage Bag, the Toy Cockroach and the Termite Mound, amongst others.
You also earn Trophies for taking part, so even if you took part last year, it’s a great opportunity to earn different items or a different type of Trophy.
The Bug-off is a Summer Event, so currently unavailable in the Southern Hemisphere, but you could always time travel or visit a friend’s island, if you wanted to.
Also Read: ACNH: How Could Splatoon 3 Affect The Next Animal Crossing Game?
7. Island Aesthetics
Another detail and change I like to see on the New Horizons Island is of course to the Bushes that go in and out of season as we change months and seasons.
Anyway, pink and white Azalea Bushes stop flowering at the end of May in the Northern Hemisphere, with blue and pink Hydrangeas blooming in their place. These will continue to be available through to July.
As we continue to transition into Summer, the weeds found around the island become less vibrant too, but tend to have more flowers, which personally I like.
In the Southern Hemisphere, Holly Bushes continue to flower until mid-June. However, red and pink Camellia Bushes bloom in their place from June 16th, all the way through to September.
As for the Weeds, they lose their feathery Autumn look, and become frosted and icy as the snow begins, which is to be expected.
8. Critters
As you’d expect, as we enter the Summer months here in the Northern Hemisphere, we see a huge shift in Bugs, Fish and Deep-Sea Creatures.
In total, players can expect to encounter 25 new Critters, including the Goliath Beetle, the Great White Shark and the Abalone, to name just a few. Naturally, as players enter the Winter months in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s much the same.
However, in total, players can expect to encounter only 9 new Critters, which are pretty much inline with what you’d expect from the Winter months. These include the Dung Beetle, the Stringfish and the Lobster, to name a few.
So, what are you looking forward to the most from the month of June?