It feels like forever ago since we got a new Animal Crossing, but now that time has arrived. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is here to bring its deserted island getaway to your screens. If you’re looking for some fun Animal Crossing: New Horizons multiplayer activities to play with your friends, we’ve thought up a few quick ideas for you.
One quick note before we dive into these. For all of these, we recommend you make your friends ‘Best Friends’ within the game. This enables them to use all of their tools in your island, and yours on theirs. This can be done by accessing your friends list on your Nook Phone, selecting your friend, and changing the setting.
Fishing/Bug Catching Competition
Things You’ll Need: Fishing Rod, Bug Net, Timer
There’s nothing like a good ol’ bug catching or fishing competition to get rivalries heated up.
Set a timer for however you long you want to give yourself and the other competitors to catch the best fish they possibly can.
You can limit it to fish from the river or sea only, should you want to add more requirements.
Once the time limit is up, it’s time to reveal what you’ve got. The biggest fish or bug, or whoever receives the most for theirs from Timmy and Tommy is crowned the winner.
It requires a bit of guess work and for everyone to be honest, but hey, in the peak of summer, this is a great way to pass the hours with your friends.
Hide and Seek
Things You’ll Need: Yourselves, a Killer Hiding Spot
Sometimes the classic options are the best options, and when it comes to multiplayer games to play in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it’s tough to beat hide and seek.
The premise is simple, one person starts out in your house, or a corner of the island. The rest of the players then go and hide somewhere around the island. It might be behind a fossil in the museum, that group of trees in the corner, or one of the many Kaiju figures you littered across your island.
The last one to be found is the winner. You might want to make use of the smartphone companion app for communication for this one, just in case someone’s incredibly well hidden.
Flea Market
Things You’ll Need: Items you no longer want, some spare Bells, a killer sales pitch
Sometimes you don’t necessarily want to do something that’s all fun and games. Sometimes you need to put your nose to the grindstone and hustle with your friends to get that damn Tom Nook loan repaid.
If you ever find your house’s storage becoming overencumbered with furniture you’re just never going to use, why not make some money off it.
Check how much Timmy and Tommy will give you for all the items, and then add a little extra to your selling price. Your friends can then come, having done the same thing, and you can all trade and sell items.
Not only does it give you all a chance to earn some Bells, but someone might finally get that Modern Chair they’ve been needing to complete the set at a discount price. It’s a win win for everyone involved.
Capture the Flag
Things You’ll Need: Two Random Items, Custom Designs
For this one, you’re going to need to have do a bit of prep work. That being said, it’s really not all that difficult.
Once you’re able to make custom designs, you’ll want to make two that are just block colours, or stand out enough from one another. These are going to be your team colors.
Split your friends into two equal teams, and have them go to separate ends of the island. You’ll now drop either a piece of fruit, or any other kind of item on the floor. This is now your base and your flag.
Now let all chaos unfold across your island as your friends sprint about the place, falling into Pitfalls and inadvertently wiping out villagers as they sprint back to their base with your flag.
The team that brings the other team’s flag back to theirs without being caught (hit on the head with a bug net) wins. If you get hit with the flag, you must drop it and return back to your base before you can try again.
Treasure Hunt
Things You’ll Need: A Cool Item, Pitfalls, Some Imagination
The Treasure Hunt is arguably our favorite idea, but also the one that’ll take some proper time to set up. Perhaps this is something you can do for a loved one if you’re wanting to be a little QT.
Hip abbreviations aside, here’s what you’re gonna want to do.
Bury your hidden treasure anywhere on your island. Be sure to take a screenshot of its location, or make a note, just in case.
Next, you’re going to lay out clues around your town. This can come in the form of a series of riddles you share with the treasure hunter, or secret messages written on designs placed on the floor or around your island. Or maybe it’s a conveniently-placed item. How you go about this is up to you.
The end result? You’ve got one of your friends hurtling around your island screaming what Olive Sun Flounders have to do with anything.
You’re free to put your own spins on any of the games above, these are more just basic ideas and templates for those (many, many) people more creative than yours truly to use as a foundation. But hey, we hope that it’s given you some ideas for fun with your friends in Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ multiplayer.
Got any more ideas, be sure to share them with us and your fellow Animal Crossing fans in the comments below.
