Start deserted island life right with these Animal Crossing: New Horizons tips!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Nintendo Switch is out now, and the Nook Inc. Deserted Island Getaway Package offers you the chance to create your own slice of paradise!

Of course, living on a deserted island might seem a little daunting at first, whether you’re a newcomer to the Animal Crossing series or a long-time fan. Don’t worry though – with these helpful tips, you’re sure to start things off the right way!

Find new experiences throughout the day

Life on your island passes in real-time, with different things happening depending on the time of day and season. Try exploring at different times and catch different fish and bugs, watch for shooting stars in the night sky, or see what your neighbours are up to!

Visit Tom Nook regularly

Resident Services (located near the centre of your island) is open 24/7, so feel free to stop by any time! From DIY workshops and the handy Nook Stop to selling unwanted items, buying useful tools or asking Tom Nook on for advice on what to do next, it’s a useful place to go if you’re stumped.

Check your NookPhone

Your NookPhone has lots of useful apps to assist you. Use the map to get your bearings, see what fish and bugs you’ve caught in the Critterpedia, personalise your passport, create custom designs for clothing and more. New apps become available the more you progress, so be sure to check it regularly!

Start gathering materials

Before you can craft anything, you’ll need materials. You’d be surprised what you can make things from! Strike rocks with an axe or shovel for stone, clay and iron; shake trees for branches or strike them with a flimsy axe or stone axe to obtain wood without chopping the tree down. Even weeds can come in useful, either to craft with or sell on.

Look after your rocks!

When gathering materials from rocks, avoid eating fruit beforehand. Fruit gives you the strength to uproot entire trees for replanting, but also causes rocks to break if you gather materials from them while powered up. Don’t worry though, rocks you’ve accidentally destroyed appear elsewhere over time!

If you’ve got unwanted strength from eating fruit stored up, you can get rid of it by digging up trees or sitting on a toilet (either one acquired for your home or someone else’s if you ask nicely!).

Craft your own items

To craft items, you’ll need DIY recipes which can be bought from Resident Services, gifted by other island residents, found in bottles washed up on the shore and more! Collected DIY recipes are stored in the dedicated app on your NookPhone and always show the materials needed, so be sure to read them carefully if you’re stuck.

Make room in your pockets

Don’t expect to carry infinite amounts of materials, tools and other items around! If you don’t have room for something, you can either drop things off in your tent, anywhere on the ground, or sell any unwanted bits and bobs to Timmy for a few extra Bells.

By the way, you can also expand your pockets with a handy upgrade from the Nook Stop!

Catch the local wildlife

Once you’ve crafted a fishing rod or a net, try putting them to good use! Catching bugs and fish is easy once you know how:

Of course, once you’ve caught something, what do you do? You could display it in your home or sell it, but Tom Nook might also be interested in seeing what you have…

Do as many different things as possible!

Nook Miles can be used to pay off your initial getaway package fee and buy useful upgrades at the Nook Stop. Thankfully, almost everything you do – from fishing and bug catching to making friends, crafting tools and even pulling weeds – can earn you Nook Miles! Check your ongoing Nook Miles goals within the dedicated app on your Nook Phone.

Take a mystery island tour

Nook Miles can also be used to buy Nook Tickets, which you can exchange at the airport for trips to mysterious new islands. Use these trips to gather extra resources, find bugs, fish and materials not found on your island or even make new friends!

Play with friends!

Island life is better with other people! If friends or family members live on the same island as you, you can use the Party Play app on your NookPhone to play with up to three other people locally*.

Alternatively, visit the airport from the day after you arrive and use either local wireless or online play to enjoy island life with friends from other islands**. Open the airport gates to let them visit you, or take a trip to their islands and get inspired by their idea of paradise!

For more info, be sure to check out the official Animal Crossing: New Horizons gamepage. You can also stay up-to-date on all things Animal Crossing by joining our Animal Crossing Facebook community or follow the official Animal Crossing Twitter account.

*Local multiplayer requires one compatible controller per player. Additional controllers (sold separately) may be required. Up to 8 players registered as users on a Nintendo Switch console can live on one shared island, and up to four residents of one island can play simultaneously on one console. Please note: only one island can exist per Nintendo Switch console, irrespective of the number of users registered to or copies of the game used on one console. One Nintendo Switch and one copy of the game is required for each unique island.

**Up to eight people can play together on one island via local wireless or online play. Local wireless multiplayer requires one console and one copy of the software per player. Internet connection required during online play. To use online services, you must create a Nintendo Account and accept the related agreement. The Nintendo Account Privacy Policy applies. Some online services may not be available in all countries. Online play requires paid online membership. Find out more about the paid membership subscription.