How to Restart Your Island in Animal Crossing: A Complete Guide – Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game that offers endless creativity, charm, and the opportunity to design your dream island. However, there may come a time when you feel like starting fresh—whether it’s because your current layout no longer inspires you, you’ve made mistakes you’d rather not fix, or you’re just ready for a brand-new adventure. Restarting your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the solution, but it’s a process that should be approached carefully.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about restarting your island, including the steps, considerations, and tips for making the most of your fresh start.

Why Restart Your Island?

Before diving into the how-to, it’s important to understand why players choose to restart their island. Here are some common reasons:

1. Island Layout Dissatisfaction

You might not like your island’s river placement, beach layout, or general structure. Starting over gives you the chance to get a layout you love.

2. Lost Motivation

After months (or even years) of playing, your island may no longer feel exciting. Restarting can reignite your enthusiasm for the game.

3. Mistakes in Development

Did you accidentally place buildings in awkward locations or struggle to maintain a consistent theme? A fresh start can help you avoid past mistakes.

4. A New Creative Vision

Restarting lets you implement new design ideas, experiment with themes, and try different gameplay strategies.

Things to Consider Before Restarting

Restarting your island means erasing all progress, including your villagers, bells, Nook Miles, and collected items. It’s a big decision, so take the following into account:

1. Back Up Your Dream Address

If you love your current island, consider uploading it as a Dream Address. This lets you revisit it later, even after restarting. To do this, visit Luna in your bed and follow the steps to upload your island.

2. Visit Friends to Store Items

If there are items or DIY recipes you want to keep, coordinate with a trusted friend to temporarily store them on their island. Once you restart, they can help you retrieve your belongings.

3. Consider Multiple Profiles

Instead of restarting, you can create a new resident profile on your Nintendo Switch. This allows you to explore new designs and ideas without erasing your original island.

How to Restart Your Island: Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re ready to start fresh, here’s how to restart your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Step 1: Back Up Your Save Data (Optional)

If you’re part of the Nintendo Switch Online service, you can enable Island Backup through the in-game settings. While backups don’t let you restore your island after a restart, this feature is helpful if your console is lost or damaged.

To enable backups:

• Launch Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
• At the title screen, press the – button to access settings.
• Select “Enable Island Backup” and follow the instructions.

Step 2: Delete Your Save Data

Restarting your island requires deleting your game save data from the Nintendo Switch. This action cannot be undone, so double-check before proceeding.

Here’s how to delete your save data:

• Close Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
• On the Switch Home Menu, go to System Settings.
• Scroll down to Data Management and select Delete Save Data.
• Find Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the list and confirm the deletion.

Once the save data is deleted, the game will treat you as a brand-new player the next time you start it.

Step 3: Start the Game and Choose Your Settings

When you restart the game, you’ll go through the initial setup process again:

• Character Creation: Design your character with the same options as before. Don’t worry; you can change your hairstyle, face, and clothing later in the game.
• Island Name and Layout: Choose a new island name and layout. Take your time selecting a layout, as this is one of the most important aspects of your restart.
• Hemisphere Selection: Decide whether you want your island in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. The choice affects your seasons, so pick the one that aligns with your real-life preferences.

Step 4: Meet Your Villagers

The game randomly assigns you two starter villagers—one jock and one sisterly type. If you’re unhappy with your initial villagers, you can restart the game again until you get your desired duo.

Tips for Restarting Your Island Successfully

Starting fresh is exciting, but a little preparation can make the process smoother. Here are some tips to ensure a successful restart:

1. Plan Your Island Layout

Think about what type of island you want before choosing your layout. Consider:

• River and cliff placements.
• Proximity of Resident Services to the airport.
• Beach layout for optimal design opportunities.

2. Gather Inspiration

Browse online communities like Pinterest, Reddit, or Instagram to find inspiration for island themes, landscaping ideas, and design patterns.

3. Prioritize Nook Miles

Early in the game, Nook Miles are crucial for unlocking features like terraforming, extra storage, and new tools. Focus on completing daily tasks and Nook Miles+ activities to earn points quickly.

4. Embrace Starter Villagers

While it’s tempting to reset for perfect starter villagers, remember that you can recruit your dream villagers later through Mystery Island Tours or amiibo cards.

What Happens After Restarting?

Restarting your island brings you back to the beginning of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons journey, complete with its charming introduction by Tom Nook. Here’s what to expect in the first few days:

Day 1: Settling In

You’ll pitch your tent and place tents for your two starter villagers.
Resident Services will be a tent, and you’ll work with Tom Nook to gather resources like tree branches and fruit.

Day 2: Building and Exploration

• Begin collecting materials to build a museum and Nook’s Cranny.
• Use Nook Miles to purchase essential upgrades like the Tool Ring and inventory expansion.

Day 3: Island Development

• Start inviting new villagers to your island.
• Unlock new features like the campsite, Able Sisters shop, and K.K. Slider concerts.
• Benefits of Restarting Your Island
• Though restarting means losing progress, the benefits can outweigh the drawbacks:

Fresh Creativity

A blank slate allows you to explore new themes, layouts, and design ideas that you couldn’t implement before.

1. Improved Island Design

With experience from your previous playthrough, you can avoid mistakes and create an island that reflects your vision.

2. Renewed Enthusiasm

Starting over brings the excitement of discovery and progression back to the game.

Conclusion

Restarting your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be a rewarding experience that breathes new life into the game. By carefully considering your options, planning your layout, and embracing the opportunity to start fresh, you’ll create an island that reflects your creativity and personality. Whether you’re aiming for a themed paradise, a rustic getaway, or a bustling cityscape, the possibilities are endless.