10 Funniest Glitches in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been riddled with hilarious glitches, even after the 2.0 updates. Released in March of 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons players had plenty of time to explore and soon realized that the game had some not-so-intentional game features that have left them laughing.

With new updates and the Happy Home Paradise expansion pack, players are experiencing anything from supernatural abilities to villagers being kidnapped for days on end.

10 Zen Bridge Break

The Zen Bridge glitch was not funny for what it did in the game but for the reactions it caused players to have while playing. If a player chooses to build a Zen Bridge on their island’s upper levels they will not be able to cross it. This glitch left players stuck on the bridges or running in place in the middle of their structure no matter what they did.

Since characters can not react without being prompted, this created a strange scene of villagers forever trying to move forward with a smile as if nothing is wrong. While on the other side of the screen players were left frazzled and frustrated that they could not navigate their island as designed. Thought to be caused by the height of the Zen Bridge passing Animal Crossing’s height restriction when terraforming, Nintendo has since patched the issue.

9 Location Confusion

Glitches with quotes in Animal Crossing are some of the most talked-about issues. Combine that with a resident spawning in your home unprompted and you have a glitch that no one will forget. Players were left startled and asking “how did you get in my house?!” when their villagers randomly spawned into their homes asking why they were at the museum. One player on Reddit experienced this and was so confused by the encounter they made a comic panel of their reaction. While there is no known cause for this glitch in dialogue the issue was patched in the 2.0.1 update.

8 Decorating with Gyroids

Gyroids have long been a part of Animal Crossing lore, and New Horizons finally got the figurines with the 2.0 update. With the new addition, savvy designers found that there was a glitch when using the gyroid on the walls in their homes. Once a gyroid is placed, items can be placed directly in front of them.

However, instead of being blocked, the gyroid can still be seen. Players who have discovered this imperfection have placed their gyroids in precarious situations including being in the toilet, roosting over fires, and being stuck in potted plants. For visiting villagers, these scenes are not only funny but create a strange adaptation of a traditional Easter egg hunt and great photo ops. The glitch has yet to be patched and no announcement has been made regarding a future change.

7 Wardrobe Malfunctions

The Happy Home Paradise expansion pack has come with its own set of hilarious glitches. One of those is villagers being in clothes that do not belong to them. One Reddit user found one of his villagers, Julian, usually dressed in a blue sparkle patterned tank top, in a maid’s uniform belonging to Tina. While the outfit change does not affect how villagers perform their assigned tasks within the expansion it does affect the way players looked at their villagers. There is no known cause for the glitch other than one villager taking on another’s task due to them being unable to complete the job. Given the lack of effect on gameplay, there is no fix for this issue as of yet.

6 Walking On Water

Superpowers were never a part of Animal Crossing gameplay… until now. A water-centric glitch was found by players that allows them to not only walk on oceans but sit in lakes and rivers on their island, giving them superhuman characteristics for a time. Characters can not do anything once in the water, but it does make for a fun new way to navigate your island, especially with the addition of mermaid clothing and accessories. But once you are in the water good luck getting out. To get out of the water, your character must use the Rescue Services on their Nook Phone, sending you back to Resident Services. So far this feature has not been fixed even though it has been a known problem since before version 1.9.

5 Disappearing Act

Much like the walking on water glitch players found that when hosting villagers from other islands they could walk on air and become invisible. One Youtuber showed not only how this glitch works but how you can have fun with guests on your island since not everyone can see where you are when you are out of bounds. The process of getting out of bounds is very particular but if done properly can provide entertainment for you and your guests. Special items and tools can still be seen if your character holds them. This has led to players reporting floating glow sticks, fishing poles, and more. You can even play a game of hide and seek when using this glitch. Recent updates have yet to address the issue.

4 Perfect Photo Ops

For some players, the photo opportunities on their AC island are very important and one glitch has left fans in stitches over the pictures they’ve captured. Nintendolife reported the mishap and showed how villagers could get themselves into just about any item they placed on their island. Most players have used this opportunity to place characters in hot tubs and caves, while others have gone the more comical route of putting their villagers in vending machines and garbage cans.

With the ability to use reactions, like crying, to enhance their photos villagers have created not only comical but somewhat disturbing situations for their residents. As of the 2.0.4 update, this glitch is still working despite Nintendo knowing about it.

3 Clones Appear

Some AC users have hacked their games to produce hundreds of clones of villagers on their islands, but other players have found their villagers with a “twin” following them around with no external modifications. Clones will look exactly like the other resident, and they will not talk or interact with players, they only look in the direction of your character. Players have compared these clones to the twins from Stephen King’s The Shining. There is no known cause for the glitch but it seems to happen more for those with the Happy Home Paradise expansion. The only way to make clones disappear so far is for designers to remodel the clone client’s home. No official patch has been released.

2 The Almost NSFW Glitch

The Animal Crossing: Happy Home Paradise expansion has left some designers blushing when they were greeted by naked villagers! This NSFW glitch came as a shock given that Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its expansions are rated E. One player discovered their cafe full of nude villagers enjoying coffee. Other players found their clients in their homes without their clothes. Most players were left feeling like they had violated their villagers but others found their nudity oddly adorable. This event was found to be random and could happen with any client within the expansion, especially when characters were dressed in custom designs. A new update has since fixed the issue.

1 Kidnapping Your Villagers

One feature noticeably missing from New Horizons is the ability to aggravate your villagers on purpose and experience their reactions. This was a feature long-time players found hilarious and were missing in the new version of Animal Crossing. One player accidentally discovered a sure-fire way to get an upset reaction from their villagers: hold them hostage. Nothing says welcome to my island like a kidnapping.  Saving and ending the game for the day without saying goodbye to your villager traps them until your next login. The villagers open your next session visibly distraught begging to go home. If you want villagers to get off your island without telling them to this is a great way to do it. If you’re just trying to get a photo of their angry reaction without making them it is better to try other methods. There is no word on if this glitch will be fixed or become a permanent fixture.