Animal Crossing New Horizons Tips & Tricks For Getting Started

It’s been 8 years since the last Animal Crossing game took us by storm, Animal Crossing New Leaf. Needless to say, I have been on the edge of my seat anticipating the arrival of Animal Crossing New Horizons for a very long time.

For those of you who are new to the Animal Crossing series, you may feel a little bit lost when you first land on your new island.

In order to live your best life, you may want to follow some of my beginner tips and tricks for getting started in New Horizons.

1. Location

One of the first decisions you’ll make is where to pitch up your tent. With a small section of the island to choose from, it can be difficult figuring out where to make your new home.

However, don’t fret too much. If you choose a location early on in the game and decide you don’t like it, you can move (for a small fee).

2. Appearance

Like me, you’ll probably spend ages sorting out your appearance before you land on your new island. Whilst it’s exciting choosing how you look, don’t worry about it too much at this point, as you make adjustments throughout the game.

Like most Animal Crossing games, you’ll come across ways you can change your appearance. For example, you might find a present with a new hat in, or if you don’t want to be a girl anymore, you can become a boy!

It’s really as simple as that, and I love the anticipation of finding new items and hairstyles to wear whenever the moment suits.

3. Inventory

When you first start Animal Crossing New Horizons, you’ll notice that your inventory space is quite limited.

Thankfully, there’s a way to increase your inventory space that you carry around with you. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be stuffing your pockets full of apples, fossils, and fish!

Once you own a house (which happens fairly early on), you’ll have almost unlimited storage space inside your home. This is great for storing items you don’t want to sell or get rid of, but don’t have a need for them whilst on the move. Examples include rugs, hats and bee hives.

When you’re ready to increase your personal storage space, head on over to the ATM machine in Resident Services. Here you can upgrade your inventory by spending Nook Miles.

4. Tools

When you start Animal Crossing: New Horizons, unfortunately, you won’t start with everything you need. You’ll encounter tasks that prove difficult without the relevant tools.

Thankfully, as with most things in the game, there’s a way around the conundrum. Head over to the airport and choose to go to a mystery destination. When you land, you’ll see Wilbur who has all the tools you need available for you to buy.

Of course, like much in life, they aren’t free, but they’re not expensive. If you want to return, you’ll need to purchase a Nook Miles ticket from the ATM.

5. Money

There are lots of ways to make money in Animal Crossing. You can sell a range of items include bugs, fish, shells, and even weeds you find on the ground.

However, one of my top tips is to plant a fruit farm. When you first start the game, there will only be one type of fruit on your island. However, the more you travel, the more fruits you’ll encounter, and if you plant them, you can grow money… I mean fruit trees!

DO NOT sell a new fruit if you have one. Instead, as I mentioned, plant it and you can start growing your own luscious orchard. Every few days, you can pick your fruit and sell it for cold, hard cash!

If you want to make more money, check out our Animal Crossing New Horizons how to make money guide.

6. Talk

Whilst Animal Crossing is a great game to play on your own, and it’s easy to get lost in, I do recommend you talk to other ‘people’ regularly.

If you run into another character, talk to them. You never know what they’ll say or what they have to offer. Sometimes you’ll even get a present which is always a bonus.

Feeling lost? Talk to Tom Nook who will guide you on your way. He will make it clear what you need to do to progress with the game. For example, he will tell you how long something might take, like your new house.