Animal Crossing: New Horizons took the world by storm upon its 2020 release. It coincided perfectly with the first round of COVID-19 lockdowns, and players were over the moon to have a virtual world where they could play with friends, design a home, and go outside without fear.
Though the Animal Crossing wave isn't quite as omnipresent as it was back in 2020, the game is still wildly popular, as demonstrated by the 2021 Happy Home Paradise DLC. Animal Crossing is a pretty casual game, and players tend to be laid back. That being said, there are some important unspoken rules to respect when playing alone or visiting other players' islands.
10 Respect People's Stuff During Co-op
When playing with other players, the same rules apply in Animal Crossing as apply in real life. Don't go messing around with other people's things. Whether playing with friends or strangers online, it's important to leave the various decorative items players use to fill their islands right where they are. Taking things, moving them, or otherwise messing with someone's design is a surefire way to ruin someone else's day and never get invited back.
9 It's Just As Much Fun Even If The Fad Has Passed
It's hard to overstate the splash Animal Crossing: New Horizons made upon release. At a time when people were feeling isolated and alone, it offered an opportunity for low-stakes tasks and genuine connection.
Like anything that becomes a fad, Animal Crossing has waned in popularity but maintains an incredibly large and loyal player base. Dedicated Animal Crossing players are having just as much fun today as they were when it came out, even more with the addition of DLC and free updates.
8 Villagers Come And Go, And That's Ok
Animal Crossing's villagers are one of its biggest draws, and New Horizons has tons of them. These animal people will move to a player's island if they have empty housing locations and will make their life there. But villagers won't stay forever. They'll ask the player before moving, giving them an opportunity to make a decision. Animal Crossing players know that some villagers need to be kept around, while others can be sent on to future adventures.
7 Don't Run In The Flowers
Gardening is a great pastime in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It allows players to decorate their islands with beautiful flowers of many types. But just like real flowers, it's important not to trample them. Especially when visiting another island, players should never run through a flowerbed. Running on flowers causes them to drop their blooms, leaving behind nothing but a green stem. These will eventually grow back, but in the meantime, the gardener will be left with an ugly patch where once a flowerbed stood.
6 Don't Steal Fruit
Each Animal Crossing: New Horizons island has a type of native fruit, but players can grow other types if they obtain them from other islands. While visiting another player's island can be an easy way to procure new fruit varieties, it's important to ask permission before taking. Players will often use fruits as an easy income stream, so taking without asking might really hurt their bottom line. Animal Crossing players are usually generous, but only if they're asked first.
5 If Someone Helps Gather Resources, Tip Them
Working together is a great way to generate more revenue in Animal Crossing. The game's speculative "stalk market" has players buying turnips and reselling them, hopefully at a profit. Multiple players can work together to find the best prices, ensuring everyone makes out like bandits.
But working together in this way has a customary tipping system. Visiting another player's island to take advantage of their turnip prices should always be accompanied by a tip, generally 10% of the revenue.
4 Island Songs Should Be Silly, No Real Composers Allowed
Animal Crossing players can use the in-game composition tool to create a small musical jingle that will play throughout the island. In keeping with the game's casual nature, many players like to use the island song as an opportunity for jokes and memes rather than create a beautiful song. The island song should be a place for fun jokes, not showing off any kind of true musical talent.
3 Check All The Shops Every Day
The many shops in Animal Crossing have daily deals that cycle every 24 hours. This incentivizes playing every day, and anyone looking to collect the many decorations and clothing options available should be doing so. Failing to check a shop could result in missing an exceptionally cool item, something that most Animal Crossing players want to avoid. Checking Animal Crossing shops can be a great morning routine, as it only takes about 15 minutes to peruse the inventory.
2 Don't Use Up The One-Time Purchases
In addition to having rotating inventory, many of the shops in Animal Crossing have limited items available. The art dealer Redd will only sell one piece of art, for instance, and Nook's Cranny has several one-off items.
Visiting players can use up these purchases on other players' islands, but doing so is considered a very rude move. It's always better to check in with the hosting player before using one of these limited options.
1 Do Whatever Is The Most Fun
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a ton of content, and more is being added all the time. Players have lots of options when it comes to how to spend their time. They could try to find every fossil, build a perfect house, collect every insect, or cover their island with flowers. No matter what any given player chooses to do with their time, that is a valid way to enjoy the game. Animal Crossing is a game about having low-pressure fun and creating a customized world, so any way to go about that is perfect.