15 Things To Do In Animal Crossing Most Players Never Discover

Animal Crossing has become one of the most played games on Nintendo consoles. The latest installment was launched in March 2020 for Nintendo Switch and Switch lite users. In the same year, as the COVID-19 pandemic started and lockdowns came into effect, plenty of people resorted to video games as a source of fun. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was among the most popular games of 2020, and remains popular today. The game sold over 31 million copies worldwide, as per Video Games Chronicle.

The game offers adventures for players of all ages, and while players new and old are aware of common activities, such as fishing, decorating, and creating friendships, it’s still possible to miss some exciting activities that gamers never knew existed.

Updated on March 17th, 2022 by Stacie Rook: Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains a popular game even two years after its release, and since the 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise DLC came out in 2021, there are even more fun things to do on a player’s island. With so much new choice, though, it can be harder than ever to find all the secrets the world of Animal Crossing has to offer, with fan-favorite characters like Brewster and Kapp’n making their long-awaited returns.

Kapp’n’s Boat Rides Can Lead To New Seasons

A new character made available after the 2.0 update, Kapp’n is a sailor who debuted in the first Animal Crossing game. In New Horizons, he will ferry players to a special island once a day in exchange for Nook Miles.

These islands give players the chance to gain new building materials like vines and moss, as well as food for planting, but that’s not all. Kapp’n’s destinations are randomized, but they often lead players to islands where it’s a different season and/or time of day, giving them an opportunity to acquire seasonal fish or shrubs.

Tell Nook Miles Apart

When going about day to day island lives, players will often complete tasks that reward them Nook Miles, which makes a blue icon flash in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.

There’s a way to tell whether this signals a daily ‘Nook Miles+’ accomplishment, or more general achievement, though. When a Nook Miles+ task is finished, the flashing sign will be accompanied by a ‘+’ symbol, but in any other cases this will be absent, clueing players in to the size of the reward they can likely expect.

Gain Food Recipes From Villagers

A revolution that came about with the 2.0 update was a player’s ability to craft or cook food using special DIY recipes. In order to do this, though, players need a stove of some kind to cook on.

As with regular DIY Recipes, food DIYs can be acquired in a number of ways, with a bundle of starter recipes available for purchase from Nook’s Cranny, but beyond this, they can be gained from bottles washed ashore, or by talking to villagers. If upon entering a villager’s house a player sees they are cooking with a frying pan, they can be talked to, and will gladly hand over the recipe for their newest creation.

Talk To Brewster Everyday For Gifts

Some truly good Brewster memes have come about because of the pigeon’s initially gruff personality and baffling use of pigeon milk in his drinks, but the cafe owner rewards a player’s loyalty.

In order to gain Brewster’s trust, players need to visit The Roost everyday, sitting down at the counter and buying a drink. Doing this repeatedly will not only lead to Brewster being more talkative, but also to him gifting players coffee-themed items after every ten-or-so visits.

Expand Your Music Selection With K.K. Slider

There are many ways for players to listen to music in Animal Crossing, with tape decks, record players, and radios being just some of the devices available for purchase, and K.K. Slider tracks can be loaded onto them and enjoyed at any time.

While Nook Shopping gives players the chance to purchase a single song a day, it inevitably leads to some holes in a collection, but this can be amended by watching K.K.’s concerts on a Saturday evening. After 6PM, K.K. will take requests, giving players the chance to ask for a specific song they are missing, or let the musician choose one randomly. When K.K. finishes his (first) performance, he will gift the player a copy of that tune, helping to build up a collection for free.

Dancing In Water

When New Horizons first launched, swimming was not possible for players. However, in the summer, the game released an update that lets users swim and dive in the ocean and find treasures buried deep in the sea. The only catch is that players need to wear swimming gear to do so.

Apart from swimming, Animal Crossing fans can also perform dances while in the water, using reactions to do so. In fact, players can use most of the reactions available, except those like Sit Down which require a solid surface. Additions like swimming are just one reason why New Horizons is the best game in the Animal Crossing series.

Catch Turtles In The River

In Animal Crossing, players can fish anytime they want, but different fish come out at different times of day. Some fish are available all day long, such as the bitterling, crucian carp, carp, and the goldfish. Other creatures only appear at specific times. According to Nintendo Life, there are 80 fish available for catching in New Horizons.

Rare fish, like the great white shark and oarfish, are trickier to find. Turtles, on the other hand, can be found in the river. They are available for catching from 9PM to 4AM, and from April to October, in the Northern Hemisphere.

Avoid Getting Stung By Wasps By Using A Reaction

Wasps are an unavoidable part of Animal Crossing, but there is more than one way to deal with them. Shaking trees for some treasure can often lead to getting stung by these pesky insects. By the time players realize that they bothered a beehive, it’s usually too late to bring out the trusty net. Having it prepared will let players catch a wasp, though, and with a little skill, wasps can be outrun.

Another way of dodging this fate is by using specific reactions, like Sit Down and Feelin’ it, though this is merely prolonging the inevitable. When the reactions are done, players will still get stung.

Dig Up Trees By Eating Fruit

One of the most common activities in New Horizons is getting wood. Players can acquire different types of wood by chopping down the trees around the island. Although it may sound non-environmentally friendly, woods are essential in crafting. The trees also disappear when they get chopped down.

But for Animal Crossing fans that are simply re-decorating their islands, chopping trees can be avoided. Eating fruit can let players dig up entire trees using their trusty shovel, with no axe needed.

Talking To Mr. Nook Can Unlock New Features

Most Animal Crossing players know of Tom Nook’s reputation. His love for money knows no bounds, and it’s perfectly understandable that some players would like to avoid him as much as possible. Plus, his house loans are expensive, although players can prolong their dues.

Even so, talking to the owner of Nook Inc. can have various benefits, like unlocking new features and discovering new recipes, which is rather important for island development. Mr. Nook may seem greedy, but there’s an argument to be made that he’s actually the hero.

Make Crafts Alongside A Villager

One of the best activities in New Horizons is making crafts. With recipe cards found around the island or gifted by villagers, players can make exciting DIY projects. To make these crafts, players need a workbench. The recipe for this can be obtained from Mr. Nook himself, and a DIY workbench is also available in the Town Hall.

Users can also enjoy crafting alongside their favorite villagers. When a villager is making something on their work table, players can also use the same crafting space and make something at the same time.

Grow Money Trees

Earning some big bucks in Animal Crossing involves lots of hard work and hours of game time, but catching rare fish and bugs can help players along the way.

Another way to earn lots of money on Animal Crossing is by planting a money tree. When a player spots a yellow, glowing spot on the ground, it means they can get a bag full of bells. Once acquired, gamers can use the hole to plant Bells and grow a money tree, leading them to a simple profit.

Shop Seasonal Items From The Nook Shop

Players can choose between the Northern hemisphere and the Southern hemisphere when creating an island on Animal Crossing, and each has four seasons — Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer.

Throughout each season, special items on the Nook Shopping terminal appear, helping players to buy seasonal goods and decorate their house or the island according to the season, providing a solid reason to return to the game again and again. Past possessions can also be purchased from Nook Shopping, in case a player accidental sells something, or wishes to acquire more.

Flush Out Fruit By Using The Toilet

The toilet is an item available for purchase at the Nook’s Cranny, a shop managed by twins Timmy and Tommy. Sometimes, though, players can get lucky and find the item by shaking a tree.

Using the toilet in Animal Crossing can look realistic, as it flushes after a player sits down on it. Another function of the toilet is to get rid of ingested fruit. The number of fruit eaten will go down to zero once a gamer uses the household item. This can help players out if they have eaten too much, and no longer have a use for the increased strength fruit gives them.

Find Special Bugs On Stumps

A cut tree trunk around the island can look off-putting to some players, but the stump can actually lead to the appearance of special bugs, which will only land on this particular surface.

A great tool for bug collectors, players can improve their collection by having a few stumps positioned around the island. Acquiring these bugs is the same as catching all other insects, by using a net. Different bugs can appear at different times per day, so gamers should check the tree trunks regularly.

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