Time to upgrade! Get an iPhone 12 mini + Unlimited Data for $60/mo

  • Forums
  • Shop
  • CES 2021
  • iPhone 12
  • Best VPN
  • iOS 14
  • Nintendo Switch
  • AirPods Pro

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Better together!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons — The best activities to do with friends

Here are some of the best ways you can spend time with friends in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Brendan Lowry
2 Jun 2020

Animal Crossing New Horizons two players using players using ReactionsSource: iMore

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a great online multiplayer. Multiplayer opens the door for friends to have an awesome time in-game together. However, there are some activities that we think rise above others. Here's our list of the best things you can do with your friends in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Welcome to island life

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The joyful game the world needs

Upon coming to a deserted island, you'll be able to harvest materials, collect bugs, go fishing, build your dream house, and make friends with animal villagers. This is an adorable life simulator that you can get lost in.

  • $59 at Amazon
  • $60 at Best Buy

Trade valuable items

Animal Crossing Best Friends HeroSource: iMore

One of the simplest things you can do with friends in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is also one of the most lucrative and useful — trading. Your friend may have a piece of furniture you would love, and you might have a piece of fruit that they've been looking to plant on their island. By trading these items, you and your friend both benefit. This is just one example of the many different types of trades you can do. Plus, all you have to do to trade is put your items on the ground so the other player can pick them up. You can also offer Bells as well by selecting your wallet and putting the amount you want to offer in a bag.

VPN Deals: Lifetime license for $16, monthly plans at $1 & more

If you're still in the early game, trading with a friend who's farther along than they can really help by offering important building materials like stone, iron nuggets, and wood. Check with your pal to see if they would be willing to trade some of their extra resources for Bells, fruit, or other items, and you'll get a head start on your island's development!

Compare shop stocks and prices

Animal Crossing New Horizons Nooks Cranny OutsideSource: iMore

If you and your friend don't have anything you want to trade, why not explore what your shops have? Both Nook's Cranny and the Able Sisters have daily rotating stocks, and even if shops on your island may not have anything you're interested in purchasing, your friend's shops might. Therefore, communicating with your friends and visiting each other to check out what's on shelves can be an awesome way to benefit mutually.

Related: The trick to Turnip sales in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Something else you should do is regularly check Turnips prices, as the prices vary for each player. If your friend's shop is buying Turnips for a significantly higher price than your own, you can make some serious money! Having two available islands to sell to also helps you reduce the chance of losing money on your investment.

Host a fishing or bug-catching tournament

Animal Crossing New Horizons Monthly Fish Bugs HeroSource: iMore

While Animal Crossing: New Horizons has its own built-in fishing and bug-catching tournaments that occur every so often, you and your friends can host your own tournaments whenever you want. Simply have everyone head towards one person's island, set a timer, and see who outperforms the competition.

The best part about these player-made tournaments is that the rules can be changed to encourage different experiences. For example, one version of competition could be designed to encourage people to catch a ton of bugs or fish, while another could be focused around the quality and rarity of each catch. Players could even implement "street rules" by allowing people to sabotage each other by scaring away the critters they're looking to snag.

Ultimately, the sky is the limit here. And since catching and selling bugs and fish is one of the best ways to make money in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, everyone will walk away with a nice fat wallet once the tournament ends.

Play minigames

Musical Chairs 1/6 #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/BdzDesK0Ss

— Tuuli Liikki (@tuuliikki) April 1, 2020

If you're looking to switch things up from standard activities like fishing and bug-catching, you can always create your own minigames using furniture pieces, tools, and some imagination. Musical Chairs is, by far, the most fun. You can recreate the game in Animal Crossing: New Horizons using stools and a handheld instrument. Other ideas include using a shovel to create buried treasure hunts, whacking each other with a net to play tag, and terraforming part of your island to create an obstacle course.

The large size of New Horizons islands means that even playing hide and seek is an excellent choice, as the numerous houses, buildings, trees, and cliffs all give players plenty of hiding spot options. Again, the only limit to the possibilities is your imagination.

Give island and house tours

Animal Crossing New Horizons Multiplayer LocalSource: Nintendo

Designing an aesthetically-pleasing village is tougher than you might think, and the same goes for decorating homes. However, one of the best ways to get some inspiration is to take a tour of your friends' islands. Seeing how other people express their creativity is an excellent way to get over designer's block, and there's a good chance your friends will get inspired by your island and house designs, too.

Throw a surprise birthday party

Animal Crossing: New HorizonsSource: iMore

Your animal villagers will throw birthday parties for each other and you, and you can do the same for your friends! First, send a letter to all of the people you want to invite to the party besides the person whose birthday it is a few days in advance. You can do this by buying postcards from the Dodo Airlines airport. Pick out a nice gift and wrap it using the gift wrap you can get from Nook's Cranny. Then, on the big day, open your island's gates and have everyone hide somewhere with party poppers from Nook's Cranny.

Next, contact the special someone and ask them to come to your village for a bit because you want to show them something cool. Once they arrive, lead them to where everyone is hiding and have the whole gang jump out and blast off their party poppers. If you were careful and kept the party a secret, they will likely be shocked! Then everyone can give them their birthday present, and everyone can have a good time goofing off in celebration.

Your thoughts

What do you think of all of the different activities we mentioned? Have you come up with some other interesting, useful, fun, or engaging ways to play with your friends? Let us know! Also, make sure you check out our full guide to multiplayer in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Nintendo Switch for $60.

Welcome to island life

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The joyful game the world needs

Upon coming to a deserted island, you'll be able to harvest materials, collect bugs, go fishing, build your dream house, and make friends with animal villagers. This is an adorable life simulator that you can get lost in.

  • $59 at Amazon
  • $60 at Best Buy

Get More Switch

Nintendo Switch

  • How the new Switch V2 compares to the original model
  • Nintendo Switch Review
  • Best Nintendo Switch Games
  • Best microSD Cards for your Nintendo Switch
  • Best Travel Cases for Nintendo Switch
  • Best Nintendo Switch Accessories
  • $299 at Amazon

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Apple releases new limited-edition Apple Watch Series 6 Black Unity
a surprise release

Apple releases new limited-edition Apple Watch Series 6 Black Unity

Apple has just released a brand new limited-edition Apple Watch Series 6 to celebrate Black History Month.

Taron Egerton to star in new Apple TV+ show 'In with the Devil'
TV+

Taron Egerton to star in new Apple TV+ show 'In with the Devil'

A new report says Taron Egerton will star in a new Apple TV+ series called 'In with the Devil' alongside Paul Walter Hauser.

iPhone 12 Pro camera supplier LG sees 43% revenue rise in 2020
bumper year

iPhone 12 Pro camera supplier LG sees 43% revenue rise in 2020

iPhone 12 Pro camera supplier LG InnoTek saw its 2020 revenue rise by 43% on the previous year thanks to the iPhone 12's launch in October.

Take your shot with the best hunting games for Nintendo Switch 2021
Only the best

Take your shot with the best hunting games for Nintendo Switch 2021

If you want to play a hunting game on the Switch, there's quite a few to choose from. Here's a list of the best games you can buy right now!

Keep in Touch

Sign up now to get the latest news, deals & more from iMore!

I would like to receive news and offers from other Future brands.

I would like to receive mail from Future partners.

No spam, we promise. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details without your permission.

  • Help & How To
  • Animal Crossing New Horizons
  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • Apple Watch
  • Apple TV
  • Mac
  • Reviews
  • How To
  • HomeKit
  • Forums

Other Categories

  • About Us
  • Newsletter
  • Fitness
  • Apps
  • Gaming
  • Deals
  • Advertising Inquiries
  • Licensing and Reprints
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Android Central
  • Windows Central
  • CrackBerry
  • Thrifter
  • TechnoBuffalo
  • MrMobile
Log in or Sign up
  • t
  • f
  • y
  • i
  • r

Brightness

  • © Future US, Inc.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Careers
  • Licensing
  • External Links Disclosure
  • Accessibility Statement
  • © Future US, Inc.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Careers
  • Licensing
  • External Links Disclosure
  • Accessibility Statement