Villagers are an important part of every Animal Crossing game as they help create a sense of community as well as chip-in for public projects and generally prevent you from ever feeling lonely.
While previous games featured villagers coming and going as they wished, New Horizons introduces a couple of changes to this system to give you more control.
However, you’ll find it’s much easier to convince a character to move in than it is to get them to leave.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to add and remove villagers from your island as well as breakdown villager personalities and list which ones appear in New Horizons.
If you would like to learn more about island living, check out our New Horizons tips and tricks guide to help get you started.
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How To Add Villagers
When you first arrive on your deserted island, you’ll be joined by two random villagers with the option to add more later on.
There are many ways to go about adding villagers to your island, depending on where you are in the game, so we’ve listed them in the order they become available.
Note: The maximum number of villagers you can have living on your island is 10.
Place Housing Kits and Craft Furniture
The first opportunity you’ll have to add villagers to your island will be after unlocking Nook’s Cranny, at which point Tom Nook will give you three housing kits and request you place them around the island.
It’s at this point that you’ll also unlock the Ladder and construct your first Bridge, so make sure to take advantage and explore new parts of your island before making your selections.
Once you’ve found the perfect spot, you’ll have to do some crafting. Each house will require you to build three pieces of indoor furniture as well as three pieces of furniture to be placed outside. Afterward, your three new villagers will start moving in at a rate of one new villager per day.
Purchase Plots Of Land
Later, when you’ve fully upgraded Resident Services, Tom Nook will offer you the option to purchase plots of lands for potential new villagers via the Island Infrastructure dialogue selection. Each plot will cost you 10,000 Bells; however, you’re rewarded with Nook Miles for each villager that moves in.
You won’t have to worry about building any furniture, only finding potential new residents. Once a villager has decided to move in, Tom Nook will call you on your NookPhone to let you know.
Invite Villagers During Mystery Tours
The best way to go about recruiting villagers is to go on Mystery Tours using Nook Miles Tickets. To purchase a Nook Miles Ticket, simply enter Resident Services, access the NookStop kiosk, select Redeem Nook Miles, and purchase a ticket for 2000 Miles.
Afterward, make your way to Dodo Airlines and tell Orville you want to use your Nook Miles Ticket to visit an island somewhere else. Each island you visit will be randomly generated and contain at least one villager.
Once on the island, you’re going to want to talk to the villager twice, at which point you’ll have the option to invite them to come live on your island.
Invite Villagers At The Campsite
Once Resident Services is fully upgraded, Tom Nook will also encourage you to build a campsite on your island. After it’s complete, you’ll have a chance of getting a new villager to visit your island at the start of each day.
To check whether or not you have a visitor, go inside the tent and talk to any character that appears.
Convincing them to move in works exactly like before, so make sure to keep talking to them until they ask you about your thoughts on them moving to the island. If you succeed in encouraging them, they’ll most likely agree to stay, assuming you have a plot of land available for sale.
Note: You can use an Amiibo card to get a specific character to appear at your campsite.
How To Remove Villagers
Since you’re not always in charge of which villagers get to move in, there’s a chance you’ll come across a character with a personality or appearance you simply don’t like. Of course, you can continue to put up with them being your neighbor or try to convince them to leave.
To remove a villager from your island, we recommend completely ignoring them. Don’t speak to them, don’t look at them, and don’t even walk in their general direction until the day you see a thought bubble floating above their head.
If you talk to the visitor, they’ll mention that they’re thinking of moving away, at which point you can tell them it’s time to go.
Note: Hitting a villager with your Net will also encourage them to think about moving.
Different Villager Personalities
There are a total of eight possible villager personalities in New Horizons, four for males and four for females. Since your villager’s personality affects every conversation, it’s useful to know which ones you like and which you find annoying.
You should at least try to become friends with each villager on your island since they’ll reward you with new DIY Recipes, furniture, clothing, reactions, and even Bells in exchange for completing favors. Here is each personality type listed:
Male
- Cranky
- Jock
- Lazy
- Smug
Female
- Normal
- Peppy
- Sisterly
- Snooty
List Of Villagers In New Horizons
New Horizons includes a lot of returning characters from previous games as well as some new faces. Here is a list of every new villager along with their personality type, species, and gender:
- Audie – Peppy Wolf (Female)
- Megan – Normal Bear (Female)
- Raymond – Smug Cat (Male)
- Judy – Snooty Cub (Female)
- Cyd – Cranky Elephant (Male)
- Reneigh – Sisterly Horse (Female)
- Sherb – Lazy Goat (Male)
For every returning villager in New Horizons, refer to this list.
