Island Life
What should I do during the first week of the game?
Section titled “What should I do during the first week of the game?”Check out the Beginner’s Guide.
How can I become friends/best friends with other people?
Section titled “How can I become friends/best friends with other people?”Friends are automatically added to your “Best Friends List” when you have them friended via your Switch profile and they’ve visited your island (or vice versa) at least once. You can add them as a “Best Friend” by toggling to the “All friend” tab (press R twice after opening the app) > select the player you want to add > “Ask to Be Best Friends”. They have to accept your request, but once they do they will appear in the “Best Friends” tab.
How do I get the Best Friends List app?
Section titled “How do I get the Best Friends List app?”Speak to Orville in the airport > Select I want visitors. > Select All my friends. This will prompt him to give you the Best Friends List app.
What can visitors do on my island?
Section titled “What can visitors do on my island?”| Action | Non-Friend Visitors | Friends | Best Friends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visit via Dodo Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Visit when gates are open to “All my friends” | No | Yes | Yes |
| Visit when gates are open to “Only my Best Friends” | No | No | Yes |
| Dive & jump off your airport dock | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Drop items, pick up dropped items | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Go fishing/bug catching | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shake trees | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Chop trees | No | No | Yes |
| Plant trees | No | No | Yes |
| Plant, pluck, water, or trample flowers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dig up whole flower plants | No | No | Yes |
| Wish on stars | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hit rocks for materials | No | No | No |
| Change outfits (via closet or wand) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Take a villager moving out | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Buy from shops/visiting NPCs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Display custom designs at Able Sisters | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Get DIYs from crafting villagers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dig up bushes | No | No | Yes |
| Dig up/bury items | No | No | Yes |
| Terraform | No | No | No |
How do I visit other people/invite visitors over?
Section titled “How do I visit other people/invite visitors over?”Starting day 2 of the game, speak with Orville in the airport and choose I wanna fly! to visit someone, or I want visitors. to open your gates for people to visit you. In order to use the Online Play options, you will need to have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
NSO is a paid subscription that you can purchase through the E-Shop that allows you to use the online features of various games, including AC:NH. If you have a friend that is physically close to you (i.e., in the same room or building), you can also choose the Local Play option! This option does not require the internet or an NSO subscription, but still allows you to visit other islands.
If someone asks me to “leave through the airport”, what does that mean and how do I do it?
Section titled “If someone asks me to “leave through the airport”, what does that mean and how do I do it?”When someone asks you to leave via the airport, they are asking you to depart by speaking with Orville in the airport and telling him you want to go home, rather than leaving through other means (shutting your game off, pressing the minus button).
Why wouldn’t someone want me to leave by pressing the minus button?
Section titled “Why wouldn’t someone want me to leave by pressing the minus button?”When you try to leave with the minus button, if any other player is not ready (they are still in a dialog, menu, etc), a countdown will start. If the blocking players don’t quit their menus before it hits zero, everyone will be reset at the airport, wandering NPCs will respawn, and villagers crafting will likely interrupt their crafting session. Leaving through the airport will prevent this from happening, as Orville makes sure it is safe for the player to leave.
What does the minus button do for the host/visitor?
Section titled “What does the minus button do for the host/visitor?”In multiplayer, the minus button allows the host to view visitors’ passports, end the online session (return all visitors home), or close their gates.
For visitors, it allows them to view others’ passports and gives the option to return home. See above for why leaving using the minus button isn’t always a good idea, though.
What defines a week and a day in-game?
Section titled “What defines a week and a day in-game?”An in-game week begins on Monday at 5:00 AM, and is when your weekly NPC visitor schedule and Nook’s Cranny items are determined. An in-game day begins at 5:00 AM and ends at 4:59 AM the following day.
How can I get 8 hits from a rock?
Section titled “How can I get 8 hits from a rock?”Dig two holes diagonally in one of the corners around the rock. Stand in the corners and hit the rock with a shovel. You should be able to hit the rock 8 times without being knocked away. See below for an example. Video courtesy of mybae#1905.
What does eating fruit/turnip/cupcake/candy/lollipop do?
Section titled “What does eating fruit/turnip/cupcake/candy/lollipop do?”After you eat one, you can dig up a tree or break a rock. If you break a rock, one will respawn per day if there’s a place it can spawn. You can get rid of the effect by sitting on a toilet.
What determines the weather on my island?
Section titled “What determines the weather on my island?”The weather on your island is determined by your weather seed. A seed is a special number generated at the creation of your island that determines a specific pattern. In this case, your weather pattern for the entire game. Weather includes things like shooting stars, rainbows, thunderstorms, etc. If you are interested in finding out what your weather seed is, visit https://wuffs.org/acnh/weather/.
Your weather pattern is permanent and unchanging. This means if you were to see a rainbow at 1:00 PM on June 1st, 2020, you would always see a rainbow at that time on that day if you were to time travel there. This is helpful to know for meteor showers/shooting stars.
What is the spawn rate of X critter?
Section titled “What is the spawn rate of X critter?”For the spawn rates of ocean fish, visit https://tinyurl.com/OceanFishSpawn.
For the spawn rates of river fish, visit https://tinyurl.com/riverfishspawn.
For the spawn rates of deep sea creatures, visit https://tinyurl.com/seafoodspawn.
The spawn rates for bugs are a bit more complex to calculate, so we recommend referring to the data spreadsheet and comparing their base values relative to other bugs.
What are the dimensions of X building?
Section titled “What are the dimensions of X building?”
What does X villager’s house look like?
Section titled “What does X villager’s house look like?”Please visit https://tinyurl.com/villagerintext for a complete list of villager interiors and exteriors!
What are the different mystery islands (NMT) and what can I find on them?
Section titled “What are the different mystery islands (NMT) and what can I find on them?”Please visit https://cestislife.github.io/mysteryisland for a complete list of them.
Additionally, there is a 30% chance of finding a fossil, as well as a 30% chance of finding a DIY message bottle per island. You can always find one wasp’s nest and one piece of furniture from shaking a non-fruit tree. If you have an empty, unsold plot, you can also find a random villager. See here to learn about how the game determines the villager.
What are Kapp’n islands, and what can I find on them?
Section titled “What are Kapp’n islands, and what can I find on them?”Introduced in Ver. 2.0.0, Kapp’n Islands are a new type of mystery islands that players can explore. While similar to NMT islands, it costs 1,000 to visit them, and is payable to Kapp’n 
, which will appear on your docks once you upgraded your Resident Services to a building. The exclusive resources to these islands are gyroids, seasonal materials (even if current time is out of season), star fragments and crops.
Asteriation’s website has a rundown of all the available Kapp’n islands and what is available to them. There is also a Kapp’n Island calculator to determine how likely you are to land on each of the island everytime you request for a boat tour.
Which Mom’s items can I get each month?
Section titled “Which Mom’s items can I get each month?”| Month | North Hemisphere | Southern Hemisphere |
|---|---|---|
| January | Art | Art |
| February | Embroidery | Plushie |
| March | Candle Set | Cushion |
| April | Tissue Box | Tea Cozy |
| May | Knapsack | Kitchen Mat |
| June | Handmade Apron | Hand-knit Sweater |
| July | Plushie | Pen Stand |
| August | Pen Stand | Embroidery |
| September | Cushion | Candle Set |
| October | Tea Cozy | Tissue Box |
| November | Kitchen Mat | Knapsack |
| December | Hand-knit Sweater | Handmade Apron |
| Your Birthday! | Birthday Cake | Birthday Cake |
You can get different colors on different profiles. The birthday cake item can sometimes be sent early if you time travel. You will still get a birthday cake if you sync back to real time for your birthday.
What are reactions?
Section titled “What are reactions?”Each villager personality allows you to unlock reactions—these are the emotion animations your character can display. Unlocking them all takes time, so be patient! The table below shows which reactions are unlocked based on which personalities. You need a villager of that personality living on your island to unlock those specific reactions.
For example, if you have no peppy villager, you cannot learn the aggravation, curiosity, happiness, sleepy, or mischief reactions. You can, however, always move out a villager once you’ve obtained all of their possible reactions!
For the Halloween reactions, they are earned by playing the Halloween event. The Hip Reactions Collection can be bought via Nook Miles Redemption for 2,700 . The New Reaction Notebook can be bought via Nook Miles Redemption for 3,300 and requires Hip Reactions to be bought beforehand.
For the Festivale reactions, the 
Viva Festivale Reaction Set can be purchased with 19,800 from the shelf at Nook’s Cranny from February 1st to February 15th.
The DJ KK Festival reactions are exclusive to Happy Home Paradise. They are earned after you experience your first DJ KK Festival.
Reactions Sources
Section titled “Reactions Sources”Initial
Section titled “Initial”
None
Cranky Villagers
Section titled “Cranky Villagers”
Jock Villagers
Section titled “Jock Villagers”
Lazy Villagers
Section titled “Lazy Villagers”
Smug Villagers
Section titled “Smug Villagers”
Big Sister/Uchi Villagers
Section titled “Big Sister/Uchi Villagers”
Peppy Villagers
Section titled “Peppy Villagers”
Snooty Villagers
Section titled “Snooty Villagers”
Normal Villagers
Section titled “Normal Villagers”
None
Viva Festivale Reaction Set
Section titled “Viva Festivale Reaction Set” None
Group Stretching
Section titled “Group Stretching”
None
Hip Reaction Collection
Section titled “Hip Reaction Collection”
None
New Reaction Notebook
Section titled “New Reaction Notebook”
None
DJ KK Festival Reactions
Section titled “DJ KK Festival Reactions”
None
Dreams
Section titled “Dreams”How do I dream?
Section titled “How do I dream?”After upgrading your Resident Services from a tent to a building, you would have unlocked Dreaming. Go to a bed indoors and walk towards the bed lie down. Select I want to sleep. This will allow you to enter the dream world and meet Luna! From there, select I want to dream and then enter a dream address!
How do I get my dream address?
Section titled “How do I get my dream address?”Go to a bed indoors and walk towards the bed lie down. Select I want to sleep. Talk to Luna and select Share a dream to receive your dream code.
Your weather and time in the dream will be same as when you upload the dream.
What can you do in a dream?
Section titled “What can you do in a dream?”You can explore other user’s islands at your own leisure to get inspiration or talk to different villagers! Any changes made by visitors will NOT affect your real island and visitors can NOT take anything from a dream!
What are dream bell exchange tickets for?
Section titled “What are dream bell exchange tickets for?”These 
tickets are given to you by Luna via the mail the next day after uploading your dream. They can be sold at Nook’s Cranny for 5,000 . They have no other use.
Swimming
Section titled “Swimming”How do I swim?
Section titled “How do I swim?”First you need a wetsuit, they can be bought from the cabinet in Nook’s Cranny or ordered from the nook stop under Redeem Nook Miles. Once you have a wetsuit, face the ocean and press . To swim faster hold and when you see bubbles, select to dive and catch a sea creature.
How to catch fast sea creatures?
Section titled “How to catch fast sea creatures?”If you are having trouble catching a sea creature because it is moving too quickly you could try approching it without holding then selecting when you are near enough to dive and catch it. Or you could try swimming towards it and making it move into the corners of the net since they can’t go past it.
Who is Pascal?
Section titled “Who is Pascal?”If you catch a scallop and it’s the first scallop of that day caught, an NPC named Pascal will appear and ask for the scallop, if you tell him yes, then he will give you either a pearl, a mermaid furniture diy, or mermaid clothing that will go directly into your pockets if you have enough pocket space.
For more information, please visit https://yuexr.github.io/img/pascal2.png
Group Stretching
Section titled “Group Stretching”Where do I do group stretching?
Section titled “Where do I do group stretching?”A tape deck will be in front of the Resident Services. Interacting with this with allow you to group stretch.
What are the rewards for group stretching?
Section titled “What are the rewards for group stretching?”After doing group stretching for a specified amount of days, a reward will be given to you in the mail, or in the case of reactions, as soon as you complete the specified amount of stretches. Only one group stretching session counts per day. The table below lists the rewards and their required daily stretching amounts.
| Days Required | Reward |
|---|---|
| 3 |  Nook Inc. leotard1 |
| 10 |  Nook Inc. yoga mat1 |
| 20 |  Dumbbell2 |
| 30 |  Protein shake2 |
| 50 | Stretching reactions3 |
- Reorderable as Nook Mile Redemption redeems from the Nook Stop once unlocked.
- Reorderable from Nook Shopping once unlocked.
- There is a separate count for progress towards reactions, and this must be done with days going forward, i.e. time travelling back to achieve the Nook Miles stamp for this achievement will not count towards unlocking the reactions.
The Roost
Section titled “The Roost”The Roost is tied to Brewster, and to unlock Brewster 
, you must meet the following pre-requirements:
- K.K. Slider must have already performed on your island.
- The art gallery must be open.
- At least one item of each type must have been donated in the museum: fish, sea creatures, insects, fossils and any piece of art.
After completing these pre-requirements, complete the following steps while playing as the island representative (the person who created and named the island):
- Talk to Blathers, he’ll say he plans to open a café and needs you to find Brewster, the coffee specialist.
- Go talk to Kapp’n on your pier to take a trip to one of his islands. If you have already gone on a Kapp’n tour today, you can do this the following day as well.
- Brewster should be there on the island, talk to him about Blathers’ project.
- Go back to your island and tell Blathers you found Brewster.
- The Museum will close the next day for renovations and should reopen the day after with the Roost available.
Bonus: Speak with Blathers once more after the café dialogue, and he will sell you some posters if you have any completed sections of the museum. You can then purchase these from him at any time going forward once the section is complete.
Getting coffee from Brewster often will sometimes result in him giving you gifts, or changing his greeting with you.
| Days the Player has Purchased Coffee | Resulting Gift |
|---|---|
| 5 |  Roost Sablé Cookie DIY |
| 10 |  Coffee Beans |
| 15 |  Cup with Saucer |
| 20 |  Coffee Plant |
| 30 |  Siphon |
| 40 |  Pro Coffee Grinder |
| 50 |  Brewstoid |
Additionally, Brewster’s greeting will change when the number of days you’ve purchased coffee reaches: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15.
A compact infographic by cestislife#0473 can be found here: https://cestislife.github.io/brewster
Gyroids
Section titled “Gyroids”What are gyroids?
Section titled “What are gyroids?”Gyroids are musical little clay dolls, known as “Haniwa” in Japanese, that will sing along to any song if you place a speaker playing a K.K. song nearby. If not, they will play their own tune randomly.
How do I get gyroids?
Section titled “How do I get gyroids?”Gyroids can be gotten by burying and watering a gyroid fragment, typically found on Kapp’n Islands. They will be fully grown the next day. A little puff of smoke on the digspot will appear to indicate that it has been watered.
Can I get full gyroids from digspots?
Section titled “Can I get full gyroids from digspots?”You can only get full gyroids the day after rain on your island, after you have gotten your first gyroid from the above method. Otherwise, you may also find full gyroids from Kapp’n Islands that are raining (Rare Haniwa islands). The only gyroid unobtainable from both the methods is the Brewstoid.
A compact infographic on gyroids can be found here, created by Bigfoot MG#9157:
https://bigfootmg.github.io/ACNH-Guides/#gyroid