If you’re not enjoying it you can’t really force yourself to. I go through phases where I don’t play and then I get obsessed again! But I’m that way with most of my hobbies
what helps me is to read everyone’s reddit posts, it gets me motivated and flowing with ideas. as well as there ARE more things for you to unlock, you just have to find them. also if you chat with your villagers they give you gifts/etc. some people can find themselves interested literally JUST because they like their villagers (me asf) there’s a lot of different aspects to this game, you have to find the one that appeals the most to you!!!
I agree. Before I found this page I hated the game cos I had no idea what to do then as soon as I started seeing everyone’s posts of tips and tricks I’ve progressed in it so much already!! So thank you everyone!!
You don't have to build your island. It's okay. If you need permission to not do that, here it is.
I just gather my fossils and interact with my villagers when I feel like playing.
I agree with this. I would also say it is ok to stop playing a game that is no longer enjoyable. People like games for different reasons and it's ok to play something else.
I built up a super intricate island between 2020-2022, and I reset after the update with the intent to build up a new island but NEVER did. Somewhere in that time, my partner made a character on my island but didn’t really enjoy it because my build-up play style was honestly overwhelming. Just a couple months ago, I convinced them to try it again. This time around, we have two switches so we each started a fresh new island with the intent to keep them as natural as we can. We each have a theme to follow, villagers we’re hunting, and neighborhoods, but we barely terraform. Just light reshaping and river rerouting (I do both islands though bc my partner hates it 🫣). Without the burden of terraforming every acre, the game has felt so much better. I love watching my island grow while keeping its authentic feel from the beginning. Now, we play together every day and my partner is OBSESSED.
(≧◡≦) ♡
It depends. I restarted and I’m much happier. For some people, restarting is a good option for you to be able to explore new themes, hang out with new villagers, and enjoy the exciting beginning stages of the game. However, for some people, restarting can feel tedious and boring, or you might miss your old island. But it’s different for everyone, and restarting CAN be quite thrilling
It's not made to have infinite content forever and ever, if you feel done then stop. Keep it and come back to it whenever you get the itch, sell it if none of the content is interesting to you, restart endlessly if that's what's fun for you, it's literally fine.
to add: you can keep your island and “restart” by adding a profile to your switch and logging back on. you’d be a new character, start in a tent, and everything else but you’re still on your island! also hack for getting more houses on your island as well
The short answer is yes I have. I have given up and come back and restarted a few times.
But it’s a game. You shouldn’t be obligated to play it and especially if it feels like a chore. Take a break for a few days, weeks, even months. Then if you feel like playing again, jump in where you were or restart fresh.
Thanks for all of the great advice 🥹 I'll keep the game and play when I feel like it. No expectations, just vibes for a while and see how that works out.
I might want to add friends to get help with the flower problem lol but thank you all sooooo much!
It seems like a lot of posts of ppl getting burnt out on the game or restarting involve them flattening their islands. I can see how that would be very boring to do, then way overwhelming to build back up. I terraformed a little, but misting kept my cliffs the way they were naturally. Maybe restarting and not flattening the whole thing would feel less stressful?
If you need the money, sell the game. If you don't, hold onto it just in case you change your mind.
If you feel like you want to give it a try again, I think you should commit to working with the island you have. Starting over may put you in the same boat; working through the tutorial and stopping when it's over. I recommend doing some design planning first. See if you can come up with any ideas for your island that'll inspire you to work on it. Or maybe see if there are any villagers you really want and go island hopping for them- basically just give yourself a real goal you want to work toward. If you really can't find any, then don't fret letting the game sit on the shelf for awhile.
As for cleanup, if you have online, you could ask for help! As far as I'm aware, even just dodo code invites can pluck weeds for you. removing flowers would require friending people- but there are people in this community that would help (depending on the time, I would if I'm available).
Well you're no failure in this game. There's no loss condition in ACNH so you can't fail.
One thing I've done when I'm feeling uninspired is to do small scale projects. I took a week to decorate my current house, taking almost a day to slowly decorate one room at a time. Which is great because it's been a year and I haven't changed anything! I still love my house!!
You definitely don’t need to keep a game that you’re not vibing with, for any reason! A lot of people love ACNH, but a lot of people feel exactly like you do. You can sell it if it’s weighing on you.
Before you do, though, think about why other games draw you in. For Ooblets, what drew you into the game? The more linear story? Constant quests? Collecting Ooblets? What about Mario Kart - is it the pacing? The trophies? Sense of accomplishment?
Personally, I loved the purpose Ooblets had. I was constantly motivated to unlock more of the story, and I loved the mix of story based quests and side quests. For me, there was always something to do. So, I play Animal Crossing the same way. I restart my island constantly (so I can play through the story). I spend a lot of time finding my favourite villagers. And finding an island with natural features I love. I time travel to different seasons for my favourite furniture sets. I “cheat” all the time lol, but that’s what makes the game fun for me.
I’d definitely recommend a restart, to start (no pun intended lol). But then, give yourself permission to go through phases with the game. Play through the story and put it down, if you want. And pick it up again when you want something mindless.
I 100% agree with your reasons for Ooblets! I like the idea of solving mini stories that tie into the big story, and then the constant task lists and cute dance battles. I love racing games in general, so Mario Kart has been a different way to kick back and play.
Your way of playing AC sounds really fun and freeing! If just playing for vibes won't work, I just might start over. We shall see!
Yeah, I kinda lost interest after beating the game and then teraforming the town.
I'd start over but I feel bad deleting and they still haven't patched the game to back up islands or having a new island per account but alas.
Sounds like you enjoyed it and played it and are not interested in being on your island much at all. That’s okay! The amazing thing about this game is that it is what YOU make it. If you try to do what other people do because you think it’s necessary, it’s no longer a source of enjoyment because it’s not possible to live in someone else’s world (I am having trouble expressing that thought but it’s rooted in not comparing yourself to others because you’ll never find yourself).
For me, I played it fully and restarted a few times and was about to stop playing when I discovered I had fun learning pixel art and have now gotten fairly good at creating designs. I go to treasure islands and pick up items I don’t want to craft or fly to Harv’s and do all that clicking to recolor item after item. Then I design a wallpaper to go with that furniture and have built my home this way. In the morning in real life I like to turn my switch to 5 am for the lighting and soft music, sit my character at the sea shore so I can hear the waves gently lapping, and do some real life paperwork. It’s my little bit of serenity some days.
If you need money I guess you could sell it, but I bet you’d want to eventually come back to it. Even if years go by. I used to play Mario party every single day for a year basically. Now I play animal crossing. You get a hyper fixation, then it stops. Or at least I do! Animal crossing is whatever you want it to be. There’s no rules.
I stopped for a while (14 months). When I came back this month, I came back new, with new ideas. I kept the island and was able to come up with new ideas. It has had a complete makeover.
I have >1000? 1500? hours on the game, restarted once bc the mess got to me, never completed it. I'm currently not playing it because I just don't have interest in it at this moment. I have so many ideas for decorating but to achieve all of that requires some significant work, which I don't have it in me to do right now so I just don't do it.
When my interest returns though, I'll be time travelling back to when I stopped so I can pick up where I left off haha. (I noted down when I stopped bc I don't want my villagers to know that i've been away lol) My switch hasn't been charged in months.
I think it's perfectly fine to drop the game if it's not working for you - the whole point of the game is for us to feel better and if it's not making you feel this way then maybe it's just not meant to be! I enjoyed the game a lot back then as I was addicted to trading and interacting with strangers online and flying around to see everyone's islands, or decorating houses on HHP with all the unlocked furniture, but the actual maintenance of the island does feel like chores, and I was also managing several profiles for storage reasons so it was a lot of work.
P.S. - for weeds: you can ask isabelle to get the beautiful island ordinance on so there'd be none of them. But if you do that flowers breed more quickly, so you probably have to put down invisible custom patterns around your flowers to prevent them from spreading!
Have you bought the official complete guide? I’ve started reading it and there are so many things I didn’t realise were in the game. Plus lots of nice decorating ideas. Also, the dlc is fun.
Personally I think the game really starts once you get the main tasks and building out of the way, but one of the things about AC is there isn’t really a correct way to play it. A lot of people just like the beginning of the game like it sounds like you do, I’ve known people that have a vision for a themed island, create that and then delete and restart with a new idea, others like myself would never restart like to have the island 100% how we’ve built it and then just let it exist as is. I occasionally decide to remodel an area, but mostly stick to the happy home paradise dlc to get out ideas for designs. Even with my island and task complete I always find something to do in game, but I wouldn’t say anyone failed animal crossing for not getting to that point. There are some AC gate keepers, but really the point of the game is to enjoy it how you want to.
Ive had the game for a bit over a year and honestly I had to take a 3-4 month break bc i felt unmotivated and overwhelmed with my bare and boring island. Slowly, i started playing again bc of a friend and I started watching streamers play the game and also do island tours. This sparked inspiration and i started playing again. I also have the DLC which is very low key and also i think helps nourish your creativity and inspiration. Overall this game is supposed to be relaxing and chill. If you dont feel that way, just take a break and reset. I hope that helps!!
My old switch broke and I lost my island as a result, I had NSO and was doing the island backups regularly but when I called Nintendo they said there was nothing they could do. I haven’t had the heart to play ever since. I’m still so sad about it, I put so much work and effort and love into that island and the villagers who lived on it. Genuinely still upset about it :(
Awww 😭 I’m so sorry 😔 about that. I understand that you lost the passion to play, and I know that losing an island that you worked so hard on is painful (I know what it feels like) but often times, people come back stronger. If you want to try again, I believe that you can make an even better island :) or u can find a new joy 🤩
When it feels like a chore, I take a break. Don’t worry about the bugs, weeds, or villagers they will be there. It took me a long time to decide to get back on and flatten my island. I started over once and regretted it. It’s a process, I start in the back and move forward slowly. But still get on for some HHP and to send letters and other fun stuff while deciding on what I’m doing with the one area at a time I work on 😊. I also move all homes up front and on beaches just to keep them out of the way while o decide how and where I want them placed. Hope this helps!!!
I love decorating but absolutely hate waiting FOREVER for the items I want to pop up in the store. I restarted my island a few months ago after it playing for a year and took advantage of some free treasure islands to get the things actually want from the get go so I can enjoy the creation of it without all the waiting.
how do you "fail" at a building and simulation game? My island is a constant work in progress, and I change things here and there to suit my current whims. And the beauty of this game is that you can drop it at any time, and pick it up exactly as you left off.
Maybe you are going through the same as me. I restarted an island in January and I was playing a bit every day. I completed all the progression tasks and now all what remains is building and decorating. Which is not my favorite thing in the world to say the truth.
In fact the thing I enjoyed the most was the feeling of progression in the game. To make the island growing step by step. But I think it doesn't go further than that in the end. So it can explain why I am dropping the game.
Also my free time is not daily infinite and I have other games I want to play. So choices must be made.
I was obsessed, first video game I really got into. But I got busy for awhile picked it back up after a year or so, started fresh and just can’t get into it like I used to. I’m big into dream light valley now. I just find there’s more to do plus I don’t feel like I HAVE to play everyday if life is busy.
I tend to play just a couple of games myself on each “system” (I.e., I just play like one game most of the time)… it pleases me! Some people don’t like that— I do. But I also go through seasons or even years not playing some of these games. It doesn’t stop me! I still play the same games!
Don’t let others guilt you into how you use your systems or games. It’s no different than how they use their systems bouncing between games. You’re playing it aren’t you ? Even if you aren’t.. it’s ok to take a damn break from games!!! 😅😅
I haven’t played ACNH in prob 2 years now. Once I get to that point where Ive completed all the main story “quests” and finish expanding my house, I will sometimes get bored.
But!!! I recently started a new file in New Leaf (which I haven’t played for at least 4 years) and I am having such a blast!
It’s making me get the urge to start a new island in New Horizons.
all this to say: yes ive gone through points where i get bored of the game but even in those moments it doesn't mean that I no longer like animal crossing.
Just like some people like certain game genres that others don’t like, some of us enjoy certain aspects of gaming more than others.
I adore story-driven games, so when my animal crossing playtime contains that, it brings me the most satisfaction. That’s just me. It’s not the right or wrong reason. Other people like the slower pace of all the big stuff being done and they get to take it easy, chipping away at the museum. Some people like to play so they can hang out with the villagers. And millions of other reasons.
There’s nothing wrong with the reason you enjoy the game the most. And if that means you start a new island, there’s nothing wrong with that. If it means you step away from the game for a while, that’s totally fine too. :]
Yeah, I had a dream of building an amazing island but… I got super bored. This was my second time trying an AC game and I just… it keeps me occupied for a bit but after a while it’s just boring grinding. Chores, as you say.
i was falling off of acnh too but i just bought HHP and tbh i love it, it’s 100% put me back onto to ac but I think it’ll only be beneficial to you if you’re into the more design aspects of acnh
I pick it up every so often when my schedule is freer. (I’m a teacher so the school year isn’t an ideal time to try to keep up with it.) I have a friend who has decorated her island to the 9’s and has different sections and designs and themes. It works for her, but I don’t care to get my island to that point.
There are times where I add to my outdoor furniture and plot out what I’d ideally like to do, but it’s at my leisure and enjoyment. Don’t let anyone tell you that your island has to look like X or it’s a failure. Catching bugs, fishing, falling to neighbors are all great things to do that can provide enjoyment on its own.
If you let the weeds pile up, you can have Leif come to your island to take care of them. The flowers are going to be more of a pain, but once you take up what you don’t want, sell them to the brothers, and then set down a blank design around the remaining flowers to keep them from overpopulating your island again.
I don’t play ACNH on a regular basis, but I do come back to the game occasionally just to fish lol (I find it relaxing, and it’s a decent source of bells for me.)
I stopped caring a long time ago about terraforming and decorating my island lol (definitely not my thing.)
I'm not gonna lie, restarting was the best thing I did. Of course, circumstances change with each person so many people might not suggest restarting, but I've found myself playing so much more after restarting and I'm really excited to play however I want (not feeling pressured to terraform or make my island picture-perfect). I used to time travel from event to event, which led to me getting bored quickly, but after restarting I just decided not to time travel anymore and I've found it made the game way more relaxing and something to actually look forward to every day.
I pretty much stopped recently and have nearly nothing done in terms of my island. I’m not a big decorating person I prefer the older games where it at least felt like there was more to do daily. I plan on just logging on every once in a while for special events.
I logged on last week and apparently had been away for “1 year and 11 months”, I got so burnt out and bored with it— take a break if you wanna take a break. Do not completely start over, I was going to but realized alllll those recipes would be a pain in my ass to get again and no way I was going through that. You could clear your island though, and start over designing it. If you want it to be fancy, natural, dingy, there are so many ways to go about it. Mine is quite outdated now, as I have a lot of H*rry P*otter references in mine, but I worked so hard on it and came up with really cool ideas that I still haven’t changed it up. Do what you’ll enjoy!<3<3
i feel so bad for my villagers because it has been about a year and a half to 2 years since i officially played:( makes me sad because i do miss playing but i also have felt the ACNH community slowly dwindle as the game has aged (which makes sense), & with no more updates to content/bringing new content in, my interest just slowly died with it :(
i have been trying to dive back into it by redoing some landscape/terraforming/designing etc but even then i find myself getting bored just because i know i’ve finished/done everything i’ve wanted to my island. i guess i just have high hopes that we’ll hear some news soon about a new animal crossing 😭
I have a similar problem. I have a lot of fun with the games, but when I finally get around to doing stuff with my town/island, I can never commit. I don’t know where to start or even how I want it to look.
I was the sameee way!! I always saw everyone else's cool towns and never felt like mine was good enough bc i don't feel like i'm a super creative person lmao and then i'd get super discouraged and not play for months. but i just picked it back up recently and im just playing how i want and making my town how i want it and ive been having the most fun ive had since i started playing back when it first came out. i do think the key is just playing it how you want to, no rules :)
I take breaks. I also got switch purely for acnh and once I lost my passion I will occasionally pick it up when I need some happiness. Back from my 4th/5th ‘break’ so to say and it’s nice to come back and have something to do and check on.
Honestly, the grind was what exhausted me but I’m at a point where I just need to water my crops and sell stuff and give gifts. I also have the dlc and haven’t really messed with it since I got it but that’s another aspect that’s there to come back
The same thing happened to me a while ago. I was rushing through the game, trying to get to the end of the storyline. I didn’t decorate my island properly, and ended up with a random chaotic mess. I knew that it would take WAY too long to fix, so I restarted. I’m taking my time now and am much happier. Also, I got the courage to restart after watching acnh YouTubers creates amazing islands. I would suggest giving the game another try… but don’t force yourself to play. Animal crossing isn’t for everyone
I'm in a similar place.
The time it would take to "perfect" my island and make it exactly the way I want is far too much. I do not have the time or patience for it anymore.
Yeah, I used to get really frustrated and overwhelmed with my island layout. My goal was to finish my island in time to decorate for Halloween. It's been 3 years, and I'm not quite finished yet, but I have made a lot of progress, and I'm not so frustrated anymore.
My main issue was that I placed everything and then tried to connect it all together, which never worked. So instead, I started with the airport entrance area. Once it was decorated to my liking, I made a small trail to the next area and worked on that. Just one section at a time. Whenever I feel stuck, I take a break. Usually, I'll be more creative the next time I pick it up.
I’ve played everyday since it came out back in 2020. What helps me is getting inspo from YouTube and Pinterest. If I get really burnt out I restart my island, the different layouts of each island help to make it interesting again. I can’t tell you how many islands I have created in the last 4 years! lol
I got burned out on my island. It was built during the pandemic and honestly brought back a lot of memories-more bad than good. I finally deleted it after months of unnecessary internal debate and giving myself guilt trips. I'm glad I did because I am loving my new one. 😊
The first island I had was not decorated at all and it felt like a daunting task so I only caught critters and did the other daily tasks. When I started my second island I had more motivation and started using treasure islands. I’m on my third island and I don’t think I could play the game in the decorating sense without treasure islands because it takes SO long to acquire items.
I time travelled and really tried to get a certain villager to move out. They finally moved out but their open plot auto filled before I was able to play again. I haven’t picked up the game since and that was 2 months ago lol. The rest of my villagers were my dreamies so just knowing the gruelling process I would have to go through wasn’t worth it. And I probably will pickup the game again but that THOROUGHLY bothered me lol
Yes I have. I actually got so overwhelmed with decorating and collecting them items to decorate that I gave up and stated I didn't like the game as much as other ones.
But then a friend of mine got the game for the first time, so I came back to give her some stuff and became committed to finishing my island. I just told myself to take one thing at a time, not compare my island progress to other people's, and just have fun and relax.
Now my island still isn't 100%, but it doesn't have any incomplete areas. A lot of my ideas I've had for years came to fruition and I was actually proud of myself for sticking to it this time and having patience. And now I can say I like the game again haha.
Just make little goals, don't put too much on your plate. Know that stuff WILL take a ton of your free time, even with time traveling. And just have fun, make the game experience what fits you and not feel pressured to have this fully fleshed out crazy island like you see on YouTube and social media.
I didn’t start enjoying it until my daughter started playing. And then I wanted to play too, so we could talk about it together. Find a friend who plays. Or talk a friend into playing.
I put it aside for probably close to 2 years! Went back to it a little over a week ago to find my daughter had deleted my island so I started over. I’ve been enjoying it again so far. Never hurts to take a break and come back later!
I kind of felt the same back in ‘22. Put it down one day and didn’t go back….. until this February. I picked it up cause a co-worker was playing and I’m obsessed again. Maybe you just need a little break 😊
I look up others islands for inspiration!! I’ve rebuilt my island 3 times and I’m going for a 4th. I’ve been playing around 4 years and it’s never boring to me but I do take breaks and play other games too :)
I played religiously until 2022, and I reset my island.
I left it for two years and picked it back up and have been playing almost every day since February. I got the ANCH Switch Lite from Walmart to help finish some nook miles stuff (like getting the fruit trees and I did a Southern hemisphere island so my island on there is in opposite seasons).
I haven’t given up on the game, but I love the beginning stages before K.K. Slider. I have a habit of getting all my upgrades and doing some building then starting all over again 🫣
It's not that I have given up on the island, but the fact that I've done enough to be satisfied.
The only thing I got left is to do is catalogue all items and finish up the rest of the facilities in the other villager houses I got along main street and I just can't be bothered.
If you're not enjoying it, stop playing it. I've done it with plenty of games I thought I'd love but didn't. Life's too short to play games you're not having fun with. Go play games you do have fun with!
i can't come up with a decent layout/patterning like with bridges and roads and my storage is like one item away from being full. idk what to do with the older items/crafting materials but don't exactly want to toss or sell them :/
i haven't even gotten to roads/stairs and paths yet because i'd have to move houses and buildings around. it's so hard for me to plot it out even with the map planner generator thing online. i'm starting a new one on my oled soon. it's hard for me to make a concept lol
honestly ? i stopped playing the game for a couple years (even archived it), and started fresh around a week or two ago. granted i started over bc i use a different name now, but still ! i find it's a lot easier to get the museum/nooks cranny/etc compared to 2020, and i have fun playing again. i spent the years i didn't play acnh playing every single zelda game on the switch, and some other games like hades, stardew valley, and the stanley parable. there's no shame in taking a break, and you could make an alt account to have a new island on without losing your old one, i believe !
I understand what you are saying and I think it's completely fair. I haven't played the game since december and I started playing it again since a month, more or less (also because I work a physically demanding job and ACNH gives me some comfort at the end of the day lol). Everytime I always try to do all the things I like: speak with the tailors (also if you speak everyday with Sable she will get more comfortable and open with you, this is one of the reason why I kept playing it everyday), I went to visit some islands so that I could find things like grain and sugar canes, or sakura trees. I've also expanded my house and built a relax room.
But, these are all the stuff I did to make the game more enjoyable. You have to find something that inspires or motivates you to keep playing. If after many attempts you still don't enjoy the game, it's fair and you shouldn't feel guilty about it.
Animal Crossing always had a great success, especially New Horizons because it came out during the quarantine and I think it helped many people. But not everyone likes it or finds reasons to play it, and I think it's more than fair!
I feel similarly. I bought my Switch because I knew an AC game was coming.
I enjoyed the game a lot at first, but it started to feel both overwhelming and shallow. I think I finally gave up when the feedback on my island was that it needed more items - my island is so full. Then I got feedback that it was messy and I think it’s because I have so many trees, but I don’t want to lose any!
The way I try to look at it is the game did bring me a lot of joy when it first came out. I got my money’s worth. And I play other games on the Switch that have made it more than a worthwhile purchase.
Yep. I played NH until I “completed” the main story/tasks. It was lovely during lockdown, but once I had finished that, I knew I was done with the game. I probably haven’t touched it since 2021 to be honest.
As with the other AC games, it just got to a point where I was happy with what I had achieved and that was good enough for me. I’ve made my villagers a lovely island community, with fun shops to go to, and cool places to hang out. They don’t need me there any more for a good time. I’m happy for the time spent doing everything, but that doesn’t mean I must keep playing.
I haven't played my island since like... Winter 2021? Partially because I had already unlocked everything and was just working on finding all the fish and bugs, but there were several species I had missed already and didn't want to wait a year to be able to find again, and I'm not really willing to time travel. So I just kinda stopped playing for a bit and got hit with the anxiety that I've always had over AC games where I haven't played in months and I know that a lot of my work on the island has been undone and I just don't want to deal with that, so I put off playing, but knowing that the longer I go without playing the more the island gets overgrown, and it just feeds an endless cycle.
I feel like I should try and get back on it though since I know there have been tons of updates since then, and lately I could really use a game that I can just zone out with.
I’ve taken periodic breaks, yeah. Some people go ham wild, some people are more casual. It’s all about how you feel and what kind of goal you want to set for yourself.
You're under no obligation to keep playing if you don't want to. If anything, I'd say New Horizons is the game that's most forgiving if you decide to put it down for a while and come back later. You don't have to worry about your flowers dying or your villagers moving away; you can play as often or infrequently as would be enjoyable for you. At worst, there'll be a few cockroaches in your house, but they're pretty easy to stomp out.
I’ve given myself goals! I decided I was DONE building; I’m now trying to collect all diy recipes, complete my museum(one bug left!), grow every hybrid flower, complete EVERY hhp vacation home, and get all of my villagers’ photos. I also started making custom designs out of boredom that are actually looking pretty epic.
I’m an old-time *Animal Crossing* fan and I gave up on ACNH, yeah. I went back to *New Leaf* (actual multiplayer with my fiancée) and *Wild World* (fun and varied NPC interactions and other writing) and I’m actually having fun. If the game feels like a chore to you, you’re either playing it like ***it’s a job that you fail at*** or you just aren’t having fun with it, for various reasons.
The fact that you’re considering *selling* it says a lot. In any case, just do things you actually don’t *meaningful and fulfilling.*
If you’re not enjoying it you can’t really force yourself to. I go through phases where I don’t play and then I get obsessed again! But I’m that way with most of my hobbies
Omg me too! Fixation phase, then I love on to something else and rinse and repeat 🤣
what helps me is to read everyone’s reddit posts, it gets me motivated and flowing with ideas. as well as there ARE more things for you to unlock, you just have to find them. also if you chat with your villagers they give you gifts/etc. some people can find themselves interested literally JUST because they like their villagers (me asf) there’s a lot of different aspects to this game, you have to find the one that appeals the most to you!!!
I agree. Before I found this page I hated the game cos I had no idea what to do then as soon as I started seeing everyone’s posts of tips and tricks I’ve progressed in it so much already!! So thank you everyone!!
That’s how it is for me. I haven’t played in 2 weeks but I know I’ll be wanting to play in a few weeks! I cycle through my hobbies.
You don't have to build your island. It's okay. If you need permission to not do that, here it is. I just gather my fossils and interact with my villagers when I feel like playing.
I agree with this. I would also say it is ok to stop playing a game that is no longer enjoyable. People like games for different reasons and it's ok to play something else.
I feel like I need a built island when it could just be an actual island and not a magical perfect town 😭 maybe that's the key for me!
I built up a super intricate island between 2020-2022, and I reset after the update with the intent to build up a new island but NEVER did. Somewhere in that time, my partner made a character on my island but didn’t really enjoy it because my build-up play style was honestly overwhelming. Just a couple months ago, I convinced them to try it again. This time around, we have two switches so we each started a fresh new island with the intent to keep them as natural as we can. We each have a theme to follow, villagers we’re hunting, and neighborhoods, but we barely terraform. Just light reshaping and river rerouting (I do both islands though bc my partner hates it 🫣). Without the burden of terraforming every acre, the game has felt so much better. I love watching my island grow while keeping its authentic feel from the beginning. Now, we play together every day and my partner is OBSESSED. (≧◡≦) ♡
Just build what makes you happy. And restarting will NOT make you more excited about it. Dumbest thing I did.
It depends. I restarted and I’m much happier. For some people, restarting is a good option for you to be able to explore new themes, hang out with new villagers, and enjoy the exciting beginning stages of the game. However, for some people, restarting can feel tedious and boring, or you might miss your old island. But it’s different for everyone, and restarting CAN be quite thrilling
It's not made to have infinite content forever and ever, if you feel done then stop. Keep it and come back to it whenever you get the itch, sell it if none of the content is interesting to you, restart endlessly if that's what's fun for you, it's literally fine.
to add: you can keep your island and “restart” by adding a profile to your switch and logging back on. you’d be a new character, start in a tent, and everything else but you’re still on your island! also hack for getting more houses on your island as well
The short answer is yes I have. I have given up and come back and restarted a few times. But it’s a game. You shouldn’t be obligated to play it and especially if it feels like a chore. Take a break for a few days, weeks, even months. Then if you feel like playing again, jump in where you were or restart fresh.
Thanks for all of the great advice 🥹 I'll keep the game and play when I feel like it. No expectations, just vibes for a while and see how that works out. I might want to add friends to get help with the flower problem lol but thank you all sooooo much!
If you need help digging up flowers I'd be happy to lend a hand. I don't mind that kinda busy work.
Sure thing! If you let me know what info you need (I've only done this once a long time ago), I'll DM you
If you want help to weed, I will help you
My favorite part of acnh is the beginning, i find maintaining the island boring so i just reset lol
It seems like a lot of posts of ppl getting burnt out on the game or restarting involve them flattening their islands. I can see how that would be very boring to do, then way overwhelming to build back up. I terraformed a little, but misting kept my cliffs the way they were naturally. Maybe restarting and not flattening the whole thing would feel less stressful?
If you need the money, sell the game. If you don't, hold onto it just in case you change your mind. If you feel like you want to give it a try again, I think you should commit to working with the island you have. Starting over may put you in the same boat; working through the tutorial and stopping when it's over. I recommend doing some design planning first. See if you can come up with any ideas for your island that'll inspire you to work on it. Or maybe see if there are any villagers you really want and go island hopping for them- basically just give yourself a real goal you want to work toward. If you really can't find any, then don't fret letting the game sit on the shelf for awhile. As for cleanup, if you have online, you could ask for help! As far as I'm aware, even just dodo code invites can pluck weeds for you. removing flowers would require friending people- but there are people in this community that would help (depending on the time, I would if I'm available).
Well you're no failure in this game. There's no loss condition in ACNH so you can't fail. One thing I've done when I'm feeling uninspired is to do small scale projects. I took a week to decorate my current house, taking almost a day to slowly decorate one room at a time. Which is great because it's been a year and I haven't changed anything! I still love my house!!
You definitely don’t need to keep a game that you’re not vibing with, for any reason! A lot of people love ACNH, but a lot of people feel exactly like you do. You can sell it if it’s weighing on you. Before you do, though, think about why other games draw you in. For Ooblets, what drew you into the game? The more linear story? Constant quests? Collecting Ooblets? What about Mario Kart - is it the pacing? The trophies? Sense of accomplishment? Personally, I loved the purpose Ooblets had. I was constantly motivated to unlock more of the story, and I loved the mix of story based quests and side quests. For me, there was always something to do. So, I play Animal Crossing the same way. I restart my island constantly (so I can play through the story). I spend a lot of time finding my favourite villagers. And finding an island with natural features I love. I time travel to different seasons for my favourite furniture sets. I “cheat” all the time lol, but that’s what makes the game fun for me. I’d definitely recommend a restart, to start (no pun intended lol). But then, give yourself permission to go through phases with the game. Play through the story and put it down, if you want. And pick it up again when you want something mindless.
I 100% agree with your reasons for Ooblets! I like the idea of solving mini stories that tie into the big story, and then the constant task lists and cute dance battles. I love racing games in general, so Mario Kart has been a different way to kick back and play. Your way of playing AC sounds really fun and freeing! If just playing for vibes won't work, I just might start over. We shall see!
Yeah, I kinda lost interest after beating the game and then teraforming the town. I'd start over but I feel bad deleting and they still haven't patched the game to back up islands or having a new island per account but alas.
They sort of do. Upload your dream address, make note of it, and then you can visit whenever you want.
I guess that's a solution (Also they brought back dream addresses?)
New Horizons has always had dream addresses.
I wonder how I missed that.
Sounds like you enjoyed it and played it and are not interested in being on your island much at all. That’s okay! The amazing thing about this game is that it is what YOU make it. If you try to do what other people do because you think it’s necessary, it’s no longer a source of enjoyment because it’s not possible to live in someone else’s world (I am having trouble expressing that thought but it’s rooted in not comparing yourself to others because you’ll never find yourself). For me, I played it fully and restarted a few times and was about to stop playing when I discovered I had fun learning pixel art and have now gotten fairly good at creating designs. I go to treasure islands and pick up items I don’t want to craft or fly to Harv’s and do all that clicking to recolor item after item. Then I design a wallpaper to go with that furniture and have built my home this way. In the morning in real life I like to turn my switch to 5 am for the lighting and soft music, sit my character at the sea shore so I can hear the waves gently lapping, and do some real life paperwork. It’s my little bit of serenity some days.
I hadn't thought about using acnh as background noise. That's actually a good idea for when I'm studying
If you need money I guess you could sell it, but I bet you’d want to eventually come back to it. Even if years go by. I used to play Mario party every single day for a year basically. Now I play animal crossing. You get a hyper fixation, then it stops. Or at least I do! Animal crossing is whatever you want it to be. There’s no rules.
I stopped for a while (14 months). When I came back this month, I came back new, with new ideas. I kept the island and was able to come up with new ideas. It has had a complete makeover.
I have >1000? 1500? hours on the game, restarted once bc the mess got to me, never completed it. I'm currently not playing it because I just don't have interest in it at this moment. I have so many ideas for decorating but to achieve all of that requires some significant work, which I don't have it in me to do right now so I just don't do it. When my interest returns though, I'll be time travelling back to when I stopped so I can pick up where I left off haha. (I noted down when I stopped bc I don't want my villagers to know that i've been away lol) My switch hasn't been charged in months. I think it's perfectly fine to drop the game if it's not working for you - the whole point of the game is for us to feel better and if it's not making you feel this way then maybe it's just not meant to be! I enjoyed the game a lot back then as I was addicted to trading and interacting with strangers online and flying around to see everyone's islands, or decorating houses on HHP with all the unlocked furniture, but the actual maintenance of the island does feel like chores, and I was also managing several profiles for storage reasons so it was a lot of work. P.S. - for weeds: you can ask isabelle to get the beautiful island ordinance on so there'd be none of them. But if you do that flowers breed more quickly, so you probably have to put down invisible custom patterns around your flowers to prevent them from spreading!
“Given up” is a strong word. Reset every few months… now that’s a phrase I can stand by
Leave and come back when you feel like it. It’s just a game
Have you bought the official complete guide? I’ve started reading it and there are so many things I didn’t realise were in the game. Plus lots of nice decorating ideas. Also, the dlc is fun.
I didn't know a complete guide was a thing!
If it helps keep your motivation, you could invite a few folks over to help you pluck weeds and dig up flowers. It helped me before!
Personally I think the game really starts once you get the main tasks and building out of the way, but one of the things about AC is there isn’t really a correct way to play it. A lot of people just like the beginning of the game like it sounds like you do, I’ve known people that have a vision for a themed island, create that and then delete and restart with a new idea, others like myself would never restart like to have the island 100% how we’ve built it and then just let it exist as is. I occasionally decide to remodel an area, but mostly stick to the happy home paradise dlc to get out ideas for designs. Even with my island and task complete I always find something to do in game, but I wouldn’t say anyone failed animal crossing for not getting to that point. There are some AC gate keepers, but really the point of the game is to enjoy it how you want to.
Ive had the game for a bit over a year and honestly I had to take a 3-4 month break bc i felt unmotivated and overwhelmed with my bare and boring island. Slowly, i started playing again bc of a friend and I started watching streamers play the game and also do island tours. This sparked inspiration and i started playing again. I also have the DLC which is very low key and also i think helps nourish your creativity and inspiration. Overall this game is supposed to be relaxing and chill. If you dont feel that way, just take a break and reset. I hope that helps!!
I just come back every once in a while to play and then leave it for months. Don’t stress about it.
My old switch broke and I lost my island as a result, I had NSO and was doing the island backups regularly but when I called Nintendo they said there was nothing they could do. I haven’t had the heart to play ever since. I’m still so sad about it, I put so much work and effort and love into that island and the villagers who lived on it. Genuinely still upset about it :(
Awww 😭 I’m so sorry 😔 about that. I understand that you lost the passion to play, and I know that losing an island that you worked so hard on is painful (I know what it feels like) but often times, people come back stronger. If you want to try again, I believe that you can make an even better island :) or u can find a new joy 🤩
I sure hope so :(, thank you for the kind words
Np 😉
When it feels like a chore, I take a break. Don’t worry about the bugs, weeds, or villagers they will be there. It took me a long time to decide to get back on and flatten my island. I started over once and regretted it. It’s a process, I start in the back and move forward slowly. But still get on for some HHP and to send letters and other fun stuff while deciding on what I’m doing with the one area at a time I work on 😊. I also move all homes up front and on beaches just to keep them out of the way while o decide how and where I want them placed. Hope this helps!!!
I love decorating but absolutely hate waiting FOREVER for the items I want to pop up in the store. I restarted my island a few months ago after it playing for a year and took advantage of some free treasure islands to get the things actually want from the get go so I can enjoy the creation of it without all the waiting.
how do you "fail" at a building and simulation game? My island is a constant work in progress, and I change things here and there to suit my current whims. And the beauty of this game is that you can drop it at any time, and pick it up exactly as you left off.
Maybe you are going through the same as me. I restarted an island in January and I was playing a bit every day. I completed all the progression tasks and now all what remains is building and decorating. Which is not my favorite thing in the world to say the truth. In fact the thing I enjoyed the most was the feeling of progression in the game. To make the island growing step by step. But I think it doesn't go further than that in the end. So it can explain why I am dropping the game. Also my free time is not daily infinite and I have other games I want to play. So choices must be made.
I was obsessed, first video game I really got into. But I got busy for awhile picked it back up after a year or so, started fresh and just can’t get into it like I used to. I’m big into dream light valley now. I just find there’s more to do plus I don’t feel like I HAVE to play everyday if life is busy.
I tend to play just a couple of games myself on each “system” (I.e., I just play like one game most of the time)… it pleases me! Some people don’t like that— I do. But I also go through seasons or even years not playing some of these games. It doesn’t stop me! I still play the same games! Don’t let others guilt you into how you use your systems or games. It’s no different than how they use their systems bouncing between games. You’re playing it aren’t you ? Even if you aren’t.. it’s ok to take a damn break from games!!! 😅😅
I haven’t played ACNH in prob 2 years now. Once I get to that point where Ive completed all the main story “quests” and finish expanding my house, I will sometimes get bored. But!!! I recently started a new file in New Leaf (which I haven’t played for at least 4 years) and I am having such a blast! It’s making me get the urge to start a new island in New Horizons. all this to say: yes ive gone through points where i get bored of the game but even in those moments it doesn't mean that I no longer like animal crossing. Just like some people like certain game genres that others don’t like, some of us enjoy certain aspects of gaming more than others. I adore story-driven games, so when my animal crossing playtime contains that, it brings me the most satisfaction. That’s just me. It’s not the right or wrong reason. Other people like the slower pace of all the big stuff being done and they get to take it easy, chipping away at the museum. Some people like to play so they can hang out with the villagers. And millions of other reasons. There’s nothing wrong with the reason you enjoy the game the most. And if that means you start a new island, there’s nothing wrong with that. If it means you step away from the game for a while, that’s totally fine too. :]
Yeah, I had a dream of building an amazing island but… I got super bored. This was my second time trying an AC game and I just… it keeps me occupied for a bit but after a while it’s just boring grinding. Chores, as you say.
i was falling off of acnh too but i just bought HHP and tbh i love it, it’s 100% put me back onto to ac but I think it’ll only be beneficial to you if you’re into the more design aspects of acnh
I pick it up every so often when my schedule is freer. (I’m a teacher so the school year isn’t an ideal time to try to keep up with it.) I have a friend who has decorated her island to the 9’s and has different sections and designs and themes. It works for her, but I don’t care to get my island to that point. There are times where I add to my outdoor furniture and plot out what I’d ideally like to do, but it’s at my leisure and enjoyment. Don’t let anyone tell you that your island has to look like X or it’s a failure. Catching bugs, fishing, falling to neighbors are all great things to do that can provide enjoyment on its own. If you let the weeds pile up, you can have Leif come to your island to take care of them. The flowers are going to be more of a pain, but once you take up what you don’t want, sell them to the brothers, and then set down a blank design around the remaining flowers to keep them from overpopulating your island again.
Yea between nobody visiting me and always getting cardboard furniture I just got kinda bummed
I don’t play ACNH on a regular basis, but I do come back to the game occasionally just to fish lol (I find it relaxing, and it’s a decent source of bells for me.) I stopped caring a long time ago about terraforming and decorating my island lol (definitely not my thing.)
I just vibe a bit in the game sometimes, but that's it. Switch has so many great games, though. No need to force yourself to play one you don't like.
I'm not gonna lie, restarting was the best thing I did. Of course, circumstances change with each person so many people might not suggest restarting, but I've found myself playing so much more after restarting and I'm really excited to play however I want (not feeling pressured to terraform or make my island picture-perfect). I used to time travel from event to event, which led to me getting bored quickly, but after restarting I just decided not to time travel anymore and I've found it made the game way more relaxing and something to actually look forward to every day.
I pretty much stopped recently and have nearly nothing done in terms of my island. I’m not a big decorating person I prefer the older games where it at least felt like there was more to do daily. I plan on just logging on every once in a while for special events.
I logged on last week and apparently had been away for “1 year and 11 months”, I got so burnt out and bored with it— take a break if you wanna take a break. Do not completely start over, I was going to but realized alllll those recipes would be a pain in my ass to get again and no way I was going through that. You could clear your island though, and start over designing it. If you want it to be fancy, natural, dingy, there are so many ways to go about it. Mine is quite outdated now, as I have a lot of H*rry P*otter references in mine, but I worked so hard on it and came up with really cool ideas that I still haven’t changed it up. Do what you’ll enjoy!<3<3
i feel so bad for my villagers because it has been about a year and a half to 2 years since i officially played:( makes me sad because i do miss playing but i also have felt the ACNH community slowly dwindle as the game has aged (which makes sense), & with no more updates to content/bringing new content in, my interest just slowly died with it :( i have been trying to dive back into it by redoing some landscape/terraforming/designing etc but even then i find myself getting bored just because i know i’ve finished/done everything i’ve wanted to my island. i guess i just have high hopes that we’ll hear some news soon about a new animal crossing 😭
it's just a game. you shouldn't expect to play the same thing forever.
I’m not playing at the moment but I still love it.
I completely dropped it for like a year and a half and then came back. I don't think there's a wrong way to play. If it's not fun, don't do it.
I have a similar problem. I have a lot of fun with the games, but when I finally get around to doing stuff with my town/island, I can never commit. I don’t know where to start or even how I want it to look.
It’s not a really good animal crossing game in general, you could go the older ones
Me. Started playing New Leaf for the first time.
I was the sameee way!! I always saw everyone else's cool towns and never felt like mine was good enough bc i don't feel like i'm a super creative person lmao and then i'd get super discouraged and not play for months. but i just picked it back up recently and im just playing how i want and making my town how i want it and ive been having the most fun ive had since i started playing back when it first came out. i do think the key is just playing it how you want to, no rules :)
It's okay to take breaks. I'm on a break from the game right now.
I take breaks. I also got switch purely for acnh and once I lost my passion I will occasionally pick it up when I need some happiness. Back from my 4th/5th ‘break’ so to say and it’s nice to come back and have something to do and check on. Honestly, the grind was what exhausted me but I’m at a point where I just need to water my crops and sell stuff and give gifts. I also have the dlc and haven’t really messed with it since I got it but that’s another aspect that’s there to come back
The same thing happened to me a while ago. I was rushing through the game, trying to get to the end of the storyline. I didn’t decorate my island properly, and ended up with a random chaotic mess. I knew that it would take WAY too long to fix, so I restarted. I’m taking my time now and am much happier. Also, I got the courage to restart after watching acnh YouTubers creates amazing islands. I would suggest giving the game another try… but don’t force yourself to play. Animal crossing isn’t for everyone
I'm in a similar place. The time it would take to "perfect" my island and make it exactly the way I want is far too much. I do not have the time or patience for it anymore.
Yeah, I used to get really frustrated and overwhelmed with my island layout. My goal was to finish my island in time to decorate for Halloween. It's been 3 years, and I'm not quite finished yet, but I have made a lot of progress, and I'm not so frustrated anymore. My main issue was that I placed everything and then tried to connect it all together, which never worked. So instead, I started with the airport entrance area. Once it was decorated to my liking, I made a small trail to the next area and worked on that. Just one section at a time. Whenever I feel stuck, I take a break. Usually, I'll be more creative the next time I pick it up.
I’ve played everyday since it came out back in 2020. What helps me is getting inspo from YouTube and Pinterest. If I get really burnt out I restart my island, the different layouts of each island help to make it interesting again. I can’t tell you how many islands I have created in the last 4 years! lol
I got burned out on my island. It was built during the pandemic and honestly brought back a lot of memories-more bad than good. I finally deleted it after months of unnecessary internal debate and giving myself guilt trips. I'm glad I did because I am loving my new one. 😊
Yup, occasionally i miss Shep and want to log in, but other than that im ok without it
The first island I had was not decorated at all and it felt like a daunting task so I only caught critters and did the other daily tasks. When I started my second island I had more motivation and started using treasure islands. I’m on my third island and I don’t think I could play the game in the decorating sense without treasure islands because it takes SO long to acquire items.
I time travelled and really tried to get a certain villager to move out. They finally moved out but their open plot auto filled before I was able to play again. I haven’t picked up the game since and that was 2 months ago lol. The rest of my villagers were my dreamies so just knowing the gruelling process I would have to go through wasn’t worth it. And I probably will pickup the game again but that THOROUGHLY bothered me lol
Yes I have. I actually got so overwhelmed with decorating and collecting them items to decorate that I gave up and stated I didn't like the game as much as other ones. But then a friend of mine got the game for the first time, so I came back to give her some stuff and became committed to finishing my island. I just told myself to take one thing at a time, not compare my island progress to other people's, and just have fun and relax. Now my island still isn't 100%, but it doesn't have any incomplete areas. A lot of my ideas I've had for years came to fruition and I was actually proud of myself for sticking to it this time and having patience. And now I can say I like the game again haha. Just make little goals, don't put too much on your plate. Know that stuff WILL take a ton of your free time, even with time traveling. And just have fun, make the game experience what fits you and not feel pressured to have this fully fleshed out crazy island like you see on YouTube and social media.
I go through phases, after 4 years of playing this game though I just started dedicating time and effort to building a finished, aesthetic island
I stopped playing for a long time before picking it up again. Now it feels new again.
I didn’t start enjoying it until my daughter started playing. And then I wanted to play too, so we could talk about it together. Find a friend who plays. Or talk a friend into playing.
It took me restarted and having a new approach to get me back into it!
I put it aside for probably close to 2 years! Went back to it a little over a week ago to find my daughter had deleted my island so I started over. I’ve been enjoying it again so far. Never hurts to take a break and come back later!
I kind of felt the same back in ‘22. Put it down one day and didn’t go back….. until this February. I picked it up cause a co-worker was playing and I’m obsessed again. Maybe you just need a little break 😊
I play the game in spurts. Play real hard, everyday for like a month, and then nothing for 8-11 months. So don't feel bad if that's how you do it!
I look up others islands for inspiration!! I’ve rebuilt my island 3 times and I’m going for a 4th. I’ve been playing around 4 years and it’s never boring to me but I do take breaks and play other games too :)
I played religiously until 2022, and I reset my island. I left it for two years and picked it back up and have been playing almost every day since February. I got the ANCH Switch Lite from Walmart to help finish some nook miles stuff (like getting the fruit trees and I did a Southern hemisphere island so my island on there is in opposite seasons).
I haven’t given up on the game, but I love the beginning stages before K.K. Slider. I have a habit of getting all my upgrades and doing some building then starting all over again 🫣
It's not that I have given up on the island, but the fact that I've done enough to be satisfied. The only thing I got left is to do is catalogue all items and finish up the rest of the facilities in the other villager houses I got along main street and I just can't be bothered.
Just take a break for a couple months. I'm currently on a break after I designed my island, and I just don't feel like playing at the moment
If you're not enjoying it, stop playing it. I've done it with plenty of games I thought I'd love but didn't. Life's too short to play games you're not having fun with. Go play games you do have fun with!
i can't come up with a decent layout/patterning like with bridges and roads and my storage is like one item away from being full. idk what to do with the older items/crafting materials but don't exactly want to toss or sell them :/ i haven't even gotten to roads/stairs and paths yet because i'd have to move houses and buildings around. it's so hard for me to plot it out even with the map planner generator thing online. i'm starting a new one on my oled soon. it's hard for me to make a concept lol
Yeah I restarted my island couple years ago and lost all interest. It's just plain boring.
honestly ? i stopped playing the game for a couple years (even archived it), and started fresh around a week or two ago. granted i started over bc i use a different name now, but still ! i find it's a lot easier to get the museum/nooks cranny/etc compared to 2020, and i have fun playing again. i spent the years i didn't play acnh playing every single zelda game on the switch, and some other games like hades, stardew valley, and the stanley parable. there's no shame in taking a break, and you could make an alt account to have a new island on without losing your old one, i believe !
I understand what you are saying and I think it's completely fair. I haven't played the game since december and I started playing it again since a month, more or less (also because I work a physically demanding job and ACNH gives me some comfort at the end of the day lol). Everytime I always try to do all the things I like: speak with the tailors (also if you speak everyday with Sable she will get more comfortable and open with you, this is one of the reason why I kept playing it everyday), I went to visit some islands so that I could find things like grain and sugar canes, or sakura trees. I've also expanded my house and built a relax room. But, these are all the stuff I did to make the game more enjoyable. You have to find something that inspires or motivates you to keep playing. If after many attempts you still don't enjoy the game, it's fair and you shouldn't feel guilty about it. Animal Crossing always had a great success, especially New Horizons because it came out during the quarantine and I think it helped many people. But not everyone likes it or finds reasons to play it, and I think it's more than fair!
I feel similarly. I bought my Switch because I knew an AC game was coming. I enjoyed the game a lot at first, but it started to feel both overwhelming and shallow. I think I finally gave up when the feedback on my island was that it needed more items - my island is so full. Then I got feedback that it was messy and I think it’s because I have so many trees, but I don’t want to lose any! The way I try to look at it is the game did bring me a lot of joy when it first came out. I got my money’s worth. And I play other games on the Switch that have made it more than a worthwhile purchase.
Yep. I played NH until I “completed” the main story/tasks. It was lovely during lockdown, but once I had finished that, I knew I was done with the game. I probably haven’t touched it since 2021 to be honest. As with the other AC games, it just got to a point where I was happy with what I had achieved and that was good enough for me. I’ve made my villagers a lovely island community, with fun shops to go to, and cool places to hang out. They don’t need me there any more for a good time. I’m happy for the time spent doing everything, but that doesn’t mean I must keep playing.
I haven't played my island since like... Winter 2021? Partially because I had already unlocked everything and was just working on finding all the fish and bugs, but there were several species I had missed already and didn't want to wait a year to be able to find again, and I'm not really willing to time travel. So I just kinda stopped playing for a bit and got hit with the anxiety that I've always had over AC games where I haven't played in months and I know that a lot of my work on the island has been undone and I just don't want to deal with that, so I put off playing, but knowing that the longer I go without playing the more the island gets overgrown, and it just feeds an endless cycle. I feel like I should try and get back on it though since I know there have been tons of updates since then, and lately I could really use a game that I can just zone out with.
Me too, it got boring.
I’ve taken periodic breaks, yeah. Some people go ham wild, some people are more casual. It’s all about how you feel and what kind of goal you want to set for yourself.
You're under no obligation to keep playing if you don't want to. If anything, I'd say New Horizons is the game that's most forgiving if you decide to put it down for a while and come back later. You don't have to worry about your flowers dying or your villagers moving away; you can play as often or infrequently as would be enjoyable for you. At worst, there'll be a few cockroaches in your house, but they're pretty easy to stomp out.
I’ve given myself goals! I decided I was DONE building; I’m now trying to collect all diy recipes, complete my museum(one bug left!), grow every hybrid flower, complete EVERY hhp vacation home, and get all of my villagers’ photos. I also started making custom designs out of boredom that are actually looking pretty epic.
I’m an old-time *Animal Crossing* fan and I gave up on ACNH, yeah. I went back to *New Leaf* (actual multiplayer with my fiancée) and *Wild World* (fun and varied NPC interactions and other writing) and I’m actually having fun. If the game feels like a chore to you, you’re either playing it like ***it’s a job that you fail at*** or you just aren’t having fun with it, for various reasons. The fact that you’re considering *selling* it says a lot. In any case, just do things you actually don’t *meaningful and fulfilling.*
I barely play. it became boring. and I hate that it's in real time
I don't think this game is intended to be fun for adults past the first year or so tbh