Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) is one of the most beloved life-simulation games on the Nintendo Switch. Part of its charm is exploring different locations on your island and visiting others where you can find rare items, special flora and fauna, and hidden surprises. Knowing the various locations, and when/how to access them, can significantly enhance your gameplay. In this guide, we’ll detail the types of locations in ACNH, how they work, when to visit them, and tips to make the most of each.
Why Location Variety Matters
- Resource Diversity: Some resources are only found in specific terrain types or during specific times of year. Visiting different locations helps gather apples, peaches, bamboo, rare fish, and insects not available on your main island.
- Aesthetic & Customization: Beautiful vistas, cliff outlines, mixed flora, and decorative items from special locations help you design your island with more creativity.
- Seasonal & Event Content: Holiday events, seasonal creatures (butterflies, fish, snow variants) appear in specific places. Missing a location or timing may mean you miss certain items.
- Multiplayer & Trading: Visiting other players’ islands or mystery islands opens up opportunities to find new designs, villagers, and rare items through trading.
When to Visit Where: Best Practices
- Morning vs Evening
Some bugs, fish, or creatures only appear at certain times of day. For example, tarantulas or scorpions come out at night; certain fish are dawn or dusk exclusive. - Seasonal Timing
Many events or creatures are seasonal. If you want a certain insect or fish (e.g. Goliath Beetle, Coelacanth), know what months they appear, and visit terrain accordingly. - Mystery Island Exploration
Using mystery islands with Nook Miles Tickets is one of the fastest ways to gather rare materials (like bamboo, hardwood trees, flowers), and even discover new villagers. - Using Terrain & Terraforming
As you unlock terraforming, you can craft cliffs, rivers, paths etc. to shape your island; this also affects the resource spawn types and beauty of your island. - Event Participation
On event days (e.g., Bug Off, Fishing Tourney), visiting central locations like Resident Services / Plaza will reveal special tents, vendors, or gifts.
Tips & Tricks to Maximize Locations
- Plan Your Island Layout Early: Placing structures like Resident Services, shops, museum, retailer houses in logical spots helps minimize travel time.
- Use Custom Designs to Mark Locations: Use paths, signs, visuals to mark where specific things (like fossil dig sites, flower gardens) are located.
- Keep Up With Seasonal Updates: Nintendo often updates with new content or seasonal changes—keeping informed helps you not miss new locations or events.
- Interact with Villagers & Explore Randomly: Sometimes villagers give you clues to rare things; exploring randomly can lead to hidden items or villagers willing to move in.
Common Misconceptions & Errors
- Thinking everything shows up year-round: many bugs, fish, or events are tied to seasons or time of day.
- Assuming Mystery Islands always yield the same resources: they are randomized, so outcome varies.
- Ignoring accessories and customization options: locations like Able Sisters or tailor shops can give unique clothes/patterns stars in your island’s identity.