Nintendo Explains How Animal Crossing's Mario Warp Pipes Work

Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Mario update arrives on February 25, and it introduces a line of Mushroom Kingdom furniture and clothing to the Switch life sim. Perhaps the most intriguing addition is the warp pipe, which lets you travel quickly between two points around your island, and Nintendo has now shared some more details on how this works.

As the company first revealed during the February 2021 Nintendo Direct, you can purchase a pair of warp pipes from Nook Shopping once the Mushroom Kingdom items go on sale and place them at two different points around your island. Once the two pipes are set, you can hop into one to travel between the two locations quickly. This works even if one of the warp pipes is placed inside your house.

If you have more than two pipes placed around your island, your warp location will be chosen randomly. Nintendo says you'll also need to ensure that the pipes have enough landing space around them before you can use them.

Although Animal Crossing's Mario update arrives this week, the warp pipes and other Mushroom Kingdom items won't actually go on sale in the game until March 1. However, you'll be able to get one Mario item early. Once you've installed the latest update, you'll receive a Mario-themed wallpaper in your mailbox.

That's not all this week's update will bring to the game. In addition to the Mario furniture and clothing, the update will add a handful of new seasonal items to the game celebrating March holidays like Shamrock Day, Pi Day, and the Hinamatsuri festival. These items will be available to order from Nook Shopping at various points in March.