Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (2024)

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons

If you are new to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and starting to build your own town. The first problem you meet would be the map layout options. In this Animal Crossing New Horizons Map Layout guide, we are going to cover the tips to choosing and planning a map on ACNH Island Planner, also list the Best ACNH Layout Ideas for your reference.

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (1)

How to Choose the Best Animal Crossing New Horizons Island Layout?

When we start Animal Crossing New Horizons on Switch, we will get to choose the layout of our

island. Timmy and Tommy offer up four unique and randomized island maps to choose from. Which map you should choose to start building my Island in Animal Crossing New Horizons?Actually to choose your ideal island maps, the below elements you should take into consideration from primary to secondary:

  • Resident Services Location

  • Rocks Location

  • Airport Location

  • Cliff Slopes Location

  • Rivers Location

  • Number of Ponds

  • Starting Fruit

  • Starting Villagers

Related Read:

  • ACNH November Update 2021 - New Events, Items, DIYs, Critters

Top 10 Best ACNH Island Layouts - The Most Used Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons

Although we can say there is no ‘best’ island layout, among the many ACNH island layout options, the following 10 are the most popular for some reasons:

Top 10 Best ACNH Layout - Resident Services in the center of the map, easy to live

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (2)

Top 9 Best ACNH Layout - Simple tributary of the river, wide space in the east

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (3)

Top 8 Best ACNH Layout - Wide space in the west side, easy to live

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (4)

Top 7 Best ACNH Layout - Three areas divided by the river are very wide

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (5)

Top 6 Best ACNH Layout - The wide northwest area occupies half of the map

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (6)

Top 5 Best ACNH Layout - With heart shape lack, equal areas divided by rivers

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (7)

Top 4 Best ACNH Layout - River occupies the least land, wide space in the east

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (8)

Top 3 Best ACNH Layout - Wide & spacious area around Resident Services

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (9)

Top 2 Best ACNH Layout - Resident Services in the center of the map with wide space around

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (10)

Top 1 Best ACNH Layout - With star shape lack, wide & spacious space around Resident Services

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (11)

Animal Crossing New Horizons Island Map Choosing Guide: Which Layout To Choose?

It doesn't really matter which map we choose at the beginning of the game, even if you pick out an island and later down the line decide you no longer like it, because now we have the option and ability to terraform our island and completely redesign the lad whenever we like. However, there are a few things you should know before choosing a map despite being able to terraform most of your buildings later.

1. River Exits

It turns out that the mouths of rivers, or where the rivers exit the land and enter the sea cannot be moved or terraformed. These are typically surrounded by a few rocks as the beach widens and the river water exits, unfortunately, these are in fact permanent fixtures and is worth remembering this when choosing your island map because you'll have to live with the locations of these exits unless of course you delay your Island and start over. The good news is there are a few options surrounding these features. The map will always have two River exits and one of those exits will always be to the south which also happens to be on the opposite side of the map to the airport. The second exit will then be on either the east south or west sides of the map. So although the position of these exits some will be high towards the back, others will be lower towards the front, it's important to remember you'll need to decide whether you want a map with East and South River mouth.

Animal Crossing New Horizons Island Map - East River Layouts

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (12)

Animal Crossing New Horizons Island Map - West River Layouts

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (13)

Animal Crossing New Horizons Island Map - South River Layouts

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (14)

2. Resident Services & Airport

As soon as we land on a new island, we will have an introduction at the Residence Services Center and Airport, which will become an important part of our island life. These areas will eventually become the Town Hall to where Tom Nook and Isabel reside, and somewhere events like bug offs and fishing Tony's are held. We can choose where to place buildings (any home or shop) such as the Museum or Able Sisters anywhere we like, and even relocate them later down the line if we want to. Unfortunately, Resident Services and Airport cannot be moved in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. At the beginning of ACNH you can choose where to place Resident Services and Airport, but, after that, it can’t be moved again. Neither its starting nor upgraded iterations can be relocated, so here’s hoping that your initial placement isn’t too terrible.

So when it comes to selecting your island map you need to think a little about where you want things to go such as your house future, villager houses, other buildings, and even roughly where you're going to want paths. Because when you start developing your island and linking things up with paths or designing the outside features like rivers and cliffs, the residence services area could be in the way.

3. Land Outlets

Based on the maps, we know the majority of maps have a little outlet of land or land extension that extends the grass from the ground level out across the beach and right out to sea. Now although probably a very tiny detail is something to remember when selecting our maps because it will always look like that no matter how we change our part layers over time. Of course, the upside is there are a few options surrounding this piece of land. It will appear on either the east or west side of the islands, and it's positioned along the coastline can vary, on some maps, it can be towards the rocks at the back of the island, and on others, it can be more central or towards the bottom beach.

4. Forth Cliffs

As you know multi-layered towns are returning to new horizons, which is a huge fan favorite. We can now have up to four layers which consist of the ground level - the first cliff, second cliff,

third cliff, and forth cliff. In fact, at the beginning of the game’s release, the fourth cliff was forbidden to enter which says is too dangerous to climb up there. However, the methods of glitching to the 4th cliff tier were discovered by players, so you can explore the forbidden lands of that highest 4th level peak on your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island, even decorate there with ACNHfurniture items, trees, bushes, and flowers. So if you choose your map based on the position of rocks or even a pond and waterfall you like, it could be useful to know if you want to add this additional layer you'll need space to do so. What’s more, it is vital that the slopes are in an easy to access area.

5. The Dock

Just like a few other features on the new horizons island map, there are a few more including the dock, some large rocks, and a private beach. Although these three features are somewhat unrelated, they are all permanent fixtures and cannot be terraformed or move later. The dock will either be located on the east or west side of the island, and always position towards the south. The location of this could have an impact on the development of your island, if you were planning on having a lot of villagers living by the beach for example. Furthermore, the private beach cannot be moved, but its location will vary, sometimes it's more sensual, other times it appears closer to the shores on the edges of the island map. So if you have some grand ideas for terraforming cliffs or if you're planning on having lots of pathways at the back of the island the location of the private beach could be important when choosing your map.

Best ACNH Island Layouts Guide & Top 10 Best Island Layouts In Animal Crossing New Horizons (2024)

FAQs

Which is the best island layout Animal Crossing? ›

Which is the Best Island Layout? Okay, so, here comes the kicker, the thing that in your heart of hearts you probably know is coming: in Animal Crossing New Horizons there is no 'best' island layout that you absolutely must choose. In fact, pretty much every island is equal.

How many Animal Crossing layouts are there? ›

Choose Your Island Layout

At the start of a new game, you will be given a choice of 4 possible layouts to choose from.

How should I design my island Animal Crossing? ›

Natural look either one works but it's important that your home area feels personal to you it has to

What should I name my island? ›

Nature-themed island names
  • OceanBeach.
  • Coral Reef.
  • Atlantis.
  • Hawaii.
  • Maldives.
  • Pearl Cove.
  • Milky Way.
  • Moonlight.
25 Jan 2022

How do I get a rare island Animal Crossing? ›

ACNH Rare Island Finding Trick - How To Increase Kapp'n Boat Tour Rare Island Rate in Animal Crossing?
  1. Keep Resetting As Soon As You Land. ...
  2. Close The Game Before Kapp'n Finishes His Dialogue Upon Arrival To Reset. ...
  3. Increase Rare Island Find Rating With Good Luck. ...
  4. Check Your Luck from Katrina.
22 Apr 2022

Can you move the plaza in ACNH? ›

Nintendo has allowed players to alter and customize the island by moving certain buildings around. However, this feature doesn't apply to certain buildings like the Airport, Plaza, and Resident Services. Players have to reroll the entire game to get the desired layout.

How many trees should I keep in Animal Crossing? ›

Ideally you want 17 regular trees in town to maximize harvesting of bells and furniture. 10 will have bells. 5 usually have bees.

Can you get a bigger island in Animal Crossing? ›

Players are able to customize their own islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but there are limits to how big one can get. It is impossible to increase the size of the islands, but increasing the height of an island is possible through the usage of cliffs.

What is the secret beach for in Animal Crossing? ›

The secret beach is always located on the northern shore of your island. If you run along the tall cliffs at the back, you'll be able to see a small sliver of sandy ground. This beach is where Redd's Treasure Shop will randomly appear once per month.

How do you fully upgrade your island? ›

We'll walk you through it.
  1. Pay off your Deserted Island Getaway Package. ...
  2. Upgrade from a tent to a house. ...
  3. Invite three new villagers to your island. ...
  4. Get Nook's Cranny on your island. ...
  5. Place a bridge on the island. ...
  6. Stake out land for three new villagers. ...
  7. Wait for all three villagers to move in.
25 Oct 2021

How many decorations do you need for 5 Star island? ›

A score of at least 665 in the Development category and 450 in the Scenery category is required to achieve a 5-star island rating.

What are tiny islands called? ›

These tiny islands are often called islets. Islands in rivers are sometimes called aits or eyots. Other islands are huge. Greenland, for example, covers an area of about 2,166,000 square kilometers (836,000 square miles).

Are there any real deserted islands? ›

There may be as many as a couple million uninhabited islands in the world. Sweden, for instance, counts 221,831 islands within its borders, and only 1,145 have people living on them.

What should I name my school ACNH? ›

School Names For Animal Crossing
  • Aftermidnight School.
  • New Leaf Academy.
  • Animal Cross High.
  • Riverblossom Hills School.
  • Bellview Elementary.
  • Clover University.
  • Hazel Heights High School.
  • Grumpy Villager School.

Why is there no villager on Mystery island? ›

Once a stranger is located on a Mystery Island and invited to move in, no further Villagers will spawn on Mystery Islands until a space is freed up once more.

What are the island secrets in Animal Crossing? ›

Animal Crossing: Hidden Details Everyone Missed About The Island
  • 15/15 Nook's Cranny Is Always Seasonally Decorated.
  • 14/15 Villagers Are Weirded Out By When You Watch Them For Too Long.
  • 13/15 Rainy Season Means Umbrellas And Raincoats For Everyone Except The Amphibious Villagers.
  • 12/15 Kapp'n Brings his Family To Brewsters.
12 Oct 2022

Who is the most rare character in Animal Crossing? ›

Octopi are the rarest villager species in New Horizons. Although they have been represented in every title in the franchise, there are only three different octopus villagers who have appeared in New Horizons, namely, Octavian, Marina, and Zucker.

Can you move Tom Nook's building? ›

Speak to Tom Nook inside Resident Services and tell him "let's talk infrastructure". When in this list, you can tell him that you "want layout changes". Say you want to move a building, and you'll get to choose from a list of existing structures, including any Villager houses, the Museum, Nook's Cranny, and so-on.

Can you ever move the town hall in ACNH? ›

All players have to do is play New Horizons using a modded Switch console. Once they have access to a modded version of the console, they can opt for one of two programs using which they can relocate Resident Services and the Plaza in the game, namely NHSE and Poker. NHSE stands for New Horizons Save Edit.

Can you move the airport in Animal Crossing? ›

The airport and resident services are permanently fixed in place. So whatever location those spawned on your island, they are stuck there. A big complaint we've heard in the animal crossing community is that your resident services are too close to your airport so it's hard to design and terraform an entrance.

How many trees do I need for a 5 Star island? ›

If your island has over 220 trees, Isabelle will tell you there is an “overabundance of trees.” Chop them down to reach 219 trees or fewer.

Can you lose your 5 star rating Animal Crossing? ›

If you have over 220 trees on your island, over 15 loose items lying around your island, or a “very messy map”, you will lose your 5 star rating.

How many trees do I need for a 3 star rating? ›

Furthermore, players must have planted at least 100 plants and approximately 200 flowers on their island to achieve a 3-star rating. Here are all the steps Animal Crossing players must follow to have a 3-star rating for their New Horizons islands.

How many houses can u have in Animal Crossing? ›

Features keep unlocking in Happy Home Paradise until you make 30 different homes. After you unlock a new remodeling technique, you can use them in your own home back on your island (and eventually, in your villager's houses back home).

Can you change the shape of your island Animal Crossing? ›

The main function of the Island Designer app is that it allows you to shape your island however you want. This means you can build cliffs and rivers. Just head into the app and select the 'water-scaping permit' for water structures, and the cliff-scaping permit' for matters related to land.

How old are villagers in ACNH? ›

Lazy villagers, normal villagers, and smug villagers are 22, 23, and 24. (All listed in order.) I found this age for them as lazy villagers mention reckless driving, normal villagers mention cooking and calling people, and smug villagers pursuing jobs and business.

Is KK Slider a cat? ›

Exclusive to Nintendo stores!

K.K. Slider is the coolest cat around (which is no mean feat for a dog).

How long can your island name be? ›

First up, the restrictions. You've got a 10-character limit on the name of your New Horizons island, which includes spaces.

What should I name myself in Animal Crossing? ›

  • Alice.
  • Andie.
  • Aurelia.
  • Aurora.
  • Brinley.
  • Calliope.
  • Cecelia.
  • Cleo.

How many trees should I keep in Animal Crossing? ›

Ideally you want 17 regular trees in town to maximize harvesting of bells and furniture. 10 will have bells. 5 usually have bees.

Where should I put my tent in Animal Crossing? ›

There isn't a particularly strategic place to drop your tent. If you're in love with fishing, consider placing your tent near the beach or a river. If you want to have a spacious garden or backyard, put it in an open area.

Can I change my island layout in Animal Crossing? ›

Once you've picked your island layout, you cannot change it. You can alter elements and even move water and land once you get the Island Designer permit however, so you will be able to further customize later down the line. Because of this, don't worry too much about what layout you pick initially.

Can you get a bigger island in Animal Crossing? ›

Players are able to customize their own islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but there are limits to how big one can get. It is impossible to increase the size of the islands, but increasing the height of an island is possible through the usage of cliffs.

How many trees do I need for a 5 Star island? ›

If your island has over 220 trees, Isabelle will tell you there is an “overabundance of trees.” Chop them down to reach 219 trees or fewer.

Can you lose your 5 star rating Animal Crossing? ›

If you have over 220 trees on your island, over 15 loose items lying around your island, or a “very messy map”, you will lose your 5 star rating.

How many trees do I need for a 3 star rating? ›

Furthermore, players must have planted at least 100 plants and approximately 200 flowers on their island to achieve a 3-star rating. Here are all the steps Animal Crossing players must follow to have a 3-star rating for their New Horizons islands.

Where should I put my villagers homes? ›

Villagers' houses are placed on cliffs of different levels, and ramps and stairs are used to create the initial entrance. The multi-layer design with two rows side by side is the best solution, which not only adds real and natural beauty to your island but also facilitates the access of every villager and visitor.

Does your house go where your tent is in Animal Crossing? ›

Short answer: yes, you can. Although you'll have to wait a bit! Unlike previous games in the series, it's entirely possible to relocate your abode (and other buildings for that matter) later in the game.

Can I move blathers tent? ›

Can You Move Blathers Tent After Placing It? If you decide to leave your tent somewhere you regret, you can relocate it once the Resident Services center has been upgraded. In New Horizons, you'll have to pay 30,000 Bells to relocate your lot, which is quite a bit more expensive at first.

What happens to Happy Home paradise if I restart my island? ›

Restart the game again, when you walk out of your home, Tom Nook will call you on the phone and ask you to meet someone new at the airport. There you will meet Lottie and be asked to join the Happy Home Paradise team. You'll also see the Happy Home Paradise delivery in your mailbox.

Can bridges move inclines? ›

Bridges and inclines cannot be moved after setting up their construction kits, so choose their location carefully.

How do you get to 5 Star island in ACNH? ›

The score is based on a number of criteria including plant life, furniture placement around the island, and other factors. A score of at least 665 in the Development category and 450 in the Scenery category is required to achieve a 5-star island rating.

How many houses can u have in Animal Crossing? ›

Features keep unlocking in Happy Home Paradise until you make 30 different homes. After you unlock a new remodeling technique, you can use them in your own home back on your island (and eventually, in your villager's houses back home).

How old are villagers in ACNH? ›

Lazy villagers, normal villagers, and smug villagers are 22, 23, and 24. (All listed in order.) I found this age for them as lazy villagers mention reckless driving, normal villagers mention cooking and calling people, and smug villagers pursuing jobs and business.

Does Animal Crossing map bigger? ›

The island is estimated to be 27% bigger than the one in New Leaf. One of the big differences is that we have a beach on all three sides of the map to explore, rather than just to the west and the south. The map must be significantly bigger as Resetti's new job will be to rescue players that get lost.

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