How to play Animal Crossing

You’re talking to your friends during a quiet weekend reunion, when suddenly someone utters the following words: “ But you know Animal Crossing ? “Suddenly, every member of the group is talking about other things, about his personal island, the way he has organized his house and the inhabitants who inhabit his game world. Someone even takes out his Nintendo Switch to show everyone the result of hours and hours of gameplay.

Confused, you start looking for various information on the Internet and discover that Animal Crossing is a video game belonging to the simulation genre and that puts you at the helm of a community that, slowly, as the days go by, will be filled with objects, buildings, plants, flowers and above all inhabitants, creating the ideal place to live. It is a game where patience and constant commitment over time are the masters, and this could also interest you.

If you have arrived on this page, in fact, it means that you want to deepen the subject and learn how to play Animal Crossing . That’s the way it is, am I right? No problem – in the next few minutes you will receive a general smattering of the basics of the hugely popular Nintendo game. Are you ready to get started? All right, then pack your bags and head to check-in!

Index

• How to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons
  • How to create the island
  • How to create objects
  • How to decorate
  • How to get new inhabitants
  • How to get stelline with turnips
• How to play Animal Crossing online
• How to play Animal Crossing on smartphones and tablets
• How to play Animal Crossing on PC

How to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Before starting, let me make a small introduction: the following guide will allow you to learn how to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons , the latest chapter in the Nintendo series currently on the market and which, compared to its predecessors, has some unique mechanics on its side. in keeping with the desert island theme that characterizes the game.

If you have a previous edition of the game, don’t panic. Be aware that some of these tips can also be applied there, albeit with the necessary differences.

How to create the island

When starting Animal Crossing for the first time, you will first be asked to create your character . After entering the name to give to your alter ego and entering the date of your birthday , select the smiley that portrays the gender of your inhabitant. Later, you can customize the appearance of the latter, moving between the various categories with the L and R keys on the controller and selecting the options you prefer with the A key .

Once this is done, you will move on to creating the base to use to raise your island . Therefore, select the continent you live in and the hemisphere you want to live in, choosing between the northern and southern hemisphere . In this way, you will have the possibility to choose whether or not to reverse the order of the four seasons . To conclude the work, select the island model you prefer among the four options that will be proposed to you and choose the object you would like to take with you on this new adventure.

After a brief introduction, you will be greeted (along with two other randomly chosen inhabitants) by Mirco , Marco and Tom Nook , the characters who manage the main functions of the island: the shop and the service center . For your first day, you will be asked to place your tent on any part of the map. Once you have found the most suitable spot for you, press the X button on the controller to open the inventory , select the tent and confirm your choice by clicking on Yes, it is the right place!Once this is done, complete the same operation with the other inhabitants, interacting with them with the A key of the pad.

After returning to the center of the island, you will need to collect 10 branches and 6 apples to proceed to the final stage of island creation. These items can be found around the island and can be collected by pressing the Y key on the controller. Alternatively, some branches can be hidden inside the trees. Approach a tree and press the A button to shake it and drop the necessary materials. Once you have collected all the necessary items, deliver them directly to Tom Nook, he will take care of organizing the opening party.

During the party, you will be asked to name your island . In case you want to share your island with others, remember not to use offensive phrases or words that could lead to some sanctions by Nintendo itself. If you have followed these steps perfectly, all you have to do is enter your tent , pick up and place the bed and go to sleep , moving the stick of your controller towards the object and confirming with a Yes . After a short dialogue, your adventure in the world of Animal Crossing will finally begin!

How to create objects

During your days as the undisputed ruler of the small islet, it may happen that some characters, like Tom Nook, ask you to obtain certain items: furniture , accessories , decorations and much more. At this point you might therefore ask yourself: “But where do I find these things if I am on a desert island?” Don’t worry: the mechanics of Do-It-Yourself Projects will take care of this . These projects can be obtained in three ways: by purchasing them through the distributor of the Service Center, by obtaining them from their neighbors by visiting their home, or by opening bottles that are on the shore of the beach.

Using these projects is super easy. First, once you have them, open your inventory by pressing X on the controller, choose the project you are interested in and select the Learn option with the A key . Once this is done, press the LZ backbone to open the menu of your Nook Phone and select the Laboratory item , to take a look at the projects you have learned.

At this point, all you have to do is collect all the materials necessary for the development of the project and go to a workbench . The latter is located inside the Service Center but can also be purchased inside the Bottega di Mirco & Marco or can even be built using its do-it-yourself scheme.

How to decorate

Once you’ve bought or built an item, it’s time to place it correctly on the map. Nothing could be simpler: once you have reached the area you want to decorate, open the inventory , select the object and press the A button on the controller on the Place option . By holding down the A button and moving the analog stick , you can also move and rotate objects to your liking.

Inside your home, you can access a top view menu by pressing the down button on the controller. Within this mode you can rearrange the position and rotation of various objects much easier, using a slider .

How to get new inhabitants

After a few days of activity, talking to the same neighbors with whom you started your stay may start to be redundant. No problem: know that it is possible to get new inhabitants and increase the population of your paradise up to a maximum of 10 inhabitants , including your own character.

You can get new villagers in three different ways: by camping , visiting new islands (using Nook miles coupons ) or by receiving villagers from online friends . The first is pretty straightforward: as the days go by, a new inhabitant will visit your new island for 24 hours. By visiting the tent (which you will have to place thanks to the kit that will be given to you by Tom Nook) and interacting with the new visitor several times, the latter will challenge you to a card game. Follow the rules carefully, and with any luck, you will convince the new guest to join your community.

Using the Nook miles coupons instead, you can go to the Dodo Airlines airport operated by Dodoardo and Dodobaldo and travel to randomly generated mysterious islands. From time to time, the game will place a new inhabitant on these islets. By interacting with the latter at least twice it will be possible to invite him immediately into your digital family.

Reaching these new islands is very simple. First of all, get a Nook miles coupon through the Service Center distributor and go inside the airport. Then go to the reception and talk to Dodobaldo . The latter will ask you if you want to travel or if you want to open the doors to other visitors: select I would like to leave and then Fly with a coupon .

As for getting your friends’ villagers , this is a completely random mechanic that will trigger when one of your friends has kicked a villager you interacted with on one of your visits from their island. Little tip before continuing with the guide: make sure you have at least one free seat before following these directions .

How to get stelline with turnips

As you begin to improve your island, you will begin to notice that some of the improvements offered by the Service Center and some of the rarer items that can be purchased inside the shop will require a rather large expense in stars , not to mention the mortgage to be paid to Tom. Nook every time you change your home.

Don’t worry, I’m about to show you a “secret” that will allow you to get lots of stars by buying and selling turnips . Every Sunday, starting from 05:00 in the morning until 12:00 , little Brunella will visit your island in search of some buyers for her turnips. By interacting with Brunella, you will be able to purchase large quantities of turnips at a price that will be set by her.

Once you’ve purchased the amount of turnips you want, wait until the week begins to sell them. From the following Monday until Saturday, the Bottega di Mirco e Marco will allow you to sell the turnips you have purchased at a price that will be decided at random. With a little luck and the right timing, you will be able to make huge amounts of money in just a few weeks.

The turnip trading is one of the most interesting mechanics of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, able to create not only real communities of investors , but also sites dedicated to the search for islands with the highest possible selling price, such as Turnip Exchange .

How to play Animal Crossing online

Of course, Animal Crossing is also a sharing game, whether it’s sharing a few hours of your time with your friends or strangers online. Specifically, in the course of the next few lines I will explain very quickly how to play Animal Crossing in two or more players, through the paid service Nintendo Switch Online .

First of all, make sure you have already activated your Nintendo Switch Online membership. If you haven’t done it yet or you don’t know how to do it, I have prepared for you a complete guide on how to play online with Nintendo Switch . After completing the operation and subscribing to the service (with prices starting at 3.99 euros / month), start Animal Crossing: New Horizons .

As previously mentioned, go inside the Dodobaldo and Dodoardo airport , talk to the latter at the reception and select the options I would like to leave and Online communication . After a short wait and after confirming that you want to go to someone , your feathered friend will ask you whether to visit a player on their friends list or enter a Dodo Code to visit other islands. Once you have completed all the formalities, you can finally leave and visit any island you want.

By following a similar procedure, you can also invite other players to your island. Talk to Dodoardo, select I would like to receive visits and then confirm that you want to use online communication . Finally, choose whether to open your island to your friends or to everyone by creating a Dodo Code to share. Be very careful and share this code mainly with your friends.

How to play Animal Crossing on smartphones and tablets

On smartphones and tablets , for some years now, it is possible to play a specific version of Animal Crossing for these devices: Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp , where the player is assigned the management of a real campsite.

Downloading Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is quite simple, on both Android and iOS / iPadOS . In fact, it is enough to contact the official stores of these platforms. Once the installation is complete, you can take Animal Crossing’s cute pets wherever you are, even when you don’t have a Nintendo Switch handy.

The game is free, however it includes some content that can also be purchased for real money.

How to play Animal Crossing on PC

If you’re wondering is it possible to take all the light-heartedness of Animal Crossing and bring it to your computer, I have bad news for you.

At least for the moment, there is no official Animal Crossing computer game ; therefore, pay close attention to sites that offer downloads of alleged versions of the title for Windows or macOS. In most cases, these downloads will only infect your computer with malware (or otherwise they are unauthorized low-quality clones).

The only thing you could do is install an Android emulator and install the version of Animal Crossing for smartphones and tablets in the latter, but it is a too complex procedure for me (then of course the choice is up to you).