Animal Crossing Tips and Tricks
Image: Nintendo Life

Animal Crossing: New Horizons slowly but surely took over many of our lives when it launched in 2020, but if you're at a loss for what to do next in the game, then you should check out the tips and hints we've outlined below.

So, sit back and relax as we'll take away the stress of your new island. Let's begin.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Walkthrough

Getting started in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Given how much there is to do in New Horizons, just knowing where to begin is quite intimidating.

Not only do you have to deal with a seemingly deep question right at the beginning, but you also have to pick a spot to place your tent, acquire essential tools like the axe, shovel and ladder and unlock vital amenities like the Museum and upgraded Resident Services.

Then there's the process of bringing villagers to your island and attracting key talent, like the one and only K.K. Slider. Fear not, for here we answer your most pressing early-game questions:

Best Tools and Best Gear

Animal Crossing Tool Ring
Image: Nintendo Life

You're not going to get very far in New Horizons unless you have the best gear and tools. You can buy tools from various sellers in the game using Bells but you can also craft them yourself using components scattered around the island.

Make sure you unlock the tool ring early on as it makes switching between tools a little bit easier, and be sure to upgrade your axe and shovel as soon as possible – the more advanced the tool, the longer you'll be able to use it before it breaks.

Unlock And Upgrade Buildings And Amenities

There are several amenities and shops for island residents to unlock and upgrade as you play. To get the most out of your island getaway experience, you'll want to add the following buildings and characters to your deserted island.

Manage Your Resources

Resources are essential in Animal Crossing: New Horizons when it comes to crafting and upgrading items, and pretty much anything you can pick up on the island can be sold for Bells.

However, items like wood, rocks, nuggets (both iron and gold) and clay are used in the construction of important items and structures. Make sure you have plenty of them in your pockets at all times!

Fishing, Bugs and Fossils

Animal Crossing Fish
Image: Nintendo Life

There's a whole ecosystem of critters living inside New Horizons, and you'll want to collect as many as possible to donate to Blathers in the island's museum (which also accepts artwork donations, too). Some of these can only be acquired at certain times of the year, so you'll need to keep checking back constantly!

Special Days and Events

Throughout the year special holidays and events take place in Animal Crossing: New Horizons to coincide with real-world festivals and holidays. Here they are in the order they occur throughout a calendar year.

Special Characters

Redd Animal Crossing New Horizons
Image: Nintendo Life

Special characters — many recognisable to series fans from previous Animal Crossing games — periodically pop up around your island or even set up shop. These beloved characters invariably bring opportunities to expand your catalog with special items, so it's well worth chatting with them when they turn up.

General Help, Tips, Advice, How-Tos, FAQs

Here are some general tips and tricks to make your life in New Horizons that little bit easier. From earning Bells quickly to making use of amiibo cards and figures, we've got you covered!

How to Time Travel - What Happens when you Time Travel


Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Happy Home Paradise DLC Walkthrough

The Happy Home Paradise DLC — available for purchase separately or bundled as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription — unlocks a whole range of possibilities in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including various expanded decoration abilities, new furniture, new and returning characters, the ability to change the time of day and the season and much much more.

Where to buy Animal Crossing: New Horizons

If you are completely new to the series, you might want to give our Animal Crossing: New Horizons review a read, where we concluded that the game is an "accessible and addictive masterpiece - 10/10." Alternatively, find out everything that's available in Update 2.0 and the Happy Home Paradise DLC package.

If you don't currently own the game, check out Where To Buy Animal Crossing: New Horizons On Nintendo Switch and How To Buy The Happy Home Paradise DLC.

Thanks for reading! That concludes our walkthrough guide for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, we'll continue to update this page and all our other articles on the game.