How to Restart Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Animal Crossing: New Horizons has captured the hearts of millions of players with its charming gameplay and customizable islands. However, after playing for a while, you may feel the urge to start fresh and create a completely new island. Whether you want to change the layout, try a new theme, or simply experience the game from the beginning, restarting your game is a great option.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about restarting Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including the steps involved, what you lose, what carries over, and tips for making the most of your new island.
Why Restart Your Island?
Before diving into the process, let’s discuss some reasons why you might want to restart your island:
- Fresh Start: A new island layout, villagers, and design opportunities.
- Creative Reset: Explore new themes or landscaping ideas without constraints.
- Change Your Native Fruit: Start with a different native fruit for variety.
- New Villagers: Meet new characters or try to get your favorites as starters.
- Reignite Interest: Rediscover the joy of progression and unlocking features.
If any of these reasons resonate with you, restarting may be the perfect solution.
What Happens When You Restart?
Restarting your game means wiping your current save data and starting anew. Here’s what happens:
What You Lose:
- Your current island, layout, and all progress.
- Villagers, buildings, and landscaping.
- Nook Miles, DIY recipes, and an item catalog.
- Bells and other stored resources.
What You Keep:
Restarting completely resets your game, meaning you don’t retain any in-game progress. However, if you have saved screenshots or videos on your Nintendo Switch, these will not be affected.
How to Restart Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Restarting the game requires deleting your save data. This cannot be done from within the game itself, so you’ll need to go through your Nintendo Switch settings. Follow these steps carefully:
Step 1: Back Up Your Save Data (Optional)
If you’re part of the Nintendo Switch Online service and have enabled Island Backup, your save data is stored in the cloud. However, this backup is for recovering your island in case of a system failure, not for restoring after a restart.
To check or enable Island Backup:
- Open the Animal Crossing: New Horizons title screen.
- Press – to open the settings menu.
- Follow prompts to check your backup status.
- Remember, restarting your game permanently deletes your progress.
Step 2: Delete Your Save Data
- Close Animal Crossing: Make sure the game is not running in New Horizons.
- Go to System Settings: To access settings, choose the gear symbol from the Nintendo Switch Home menu.
- Select Data Management: Scroll down and choose this option.
Delete Save Data:
- Scroll to Delete Save Data.
- Find Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the list.
- Confirm deletion by selecting Delete All Save Data for This Software.
- Check again before moving further because this action cannot be undone.
Step 3: Restart the Game
Once the save data is deleted, launch Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game will treat you as a new player, allowing you to start fresh:
- Meet Timmy and Tommy for the orientation.
- Choose a new island layout.
- Select your native fruit and hemisphere.
- Begin your new adventure!
Tips for Starting Fresh
Restarting gives you the opportunity to rethink your approach to island life. Here are some tips to make the most of your new beginning:
1. Choose the Perfect Layout
When selecting your island layout, consider factors like river placement, beach access, and Resident Services location. Think about how these elements will fit into your design plans.
2. Select Your Hemisphere Wisely
Northern Hemisphere islands have seasons that align with real-world seasons in North America. The Southern Hemisphere offers a reversed seasonal experience. Choose based on your preference for weather and events.
3. Reroll for Desired Villagers
Your first two villagers are randomly selected. If you’re aiming for specific characters, restart until you get your favorites. Keep in mind this can be time-consuming.
4. Plan Your Native Fruit
One of the five indigenous fruits—apples, cherries, oranges, peaches, or pears—is served first on each island. While you can trade with other players later, restarting allows you to start with your preferred fruit.
5. Focus on Progression
In the early stages of the game, prioritize unlocking essential features like the Museum, Nook’s Cranny, and Resident Services upgrades.
Things to Do After Restarting
Once you’ve restarted and settled into your new island, here’s what you should focus on:
1. Collect Resources
Gather wood, stone, iron nuggets, and other materials to craft tools and furniture. Shake trees, hit rocks, and scavenge for supplies daily.
2. Build Relationships with Villagers
Talk to your villagers daily and help them with requests to build friendships. Over time, this unlocks new dialogue and rewards.
3. Participate in Events
To obtain rare products and do-it-yourself recipes, keep an eye on seasonal and special events.
4. Decorate Your Island
Use your fresh start as an opportunity to experiment with landscaping, pathways, and furniture placement. Think creatively to make your island unique.
5. Visit Mystery Islands
Use Nook Miles Tickets to explore Mystery Islands. These trips can yield rare resources, new villagers, and exotic fruit.
Alternatives to Restarting
If restarting feels too drastic, consider these alternatives:
1. Flatten Your Island
Instead of starting over, use the Island Designer app to remove cliffs, rivers, and trees. This allows you to reshape your island while keeping your progress intact.
2. Relocate Buildings
You can move buildings like your house, villager homes, and shops to better locations. This is a great way to refresh your island without losing everything.
3. Trade or Visit Other Players
Connect with friends or online communities to trade resources, items, and villagers. This can add excitement to your current island.
Pros and Cons of Restarting
Pros:
A blank slate for creativity.
Opportunity to experience the game’s progression again.
Opportunity to start with a different island layout and get to know new folks.
Cons:
Permanent loss of all progress.
Time-consuming to rebuild everything.
Emotional attachment to your current island may make restarting difficult.
Conclusion
Restarting your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a big decision but can be incredibly rewarding if you’re looking for a fresh start. With careful planning and the tips provided in this guide, you can make the most of your new adventure.
Whether you’re aiming for a perfect layout, meeting new villagers, or exploring a different creative vision, restarting opens the door to endless possibilities. Take the leap, and enjoy building your dream island from the ground up!