Best New Ways To Play Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Here are some of the best new ways to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons thanks to recent updates and additions to the game.

1. Explore Using First-Person Camera Mode

A major new feature that arrived in the 2.0 game update was the first-person camera mode. This lets you experience your island from a brand new perspective and appreciate finer details.

Toggle into first-person by pressing down on the right control stick. Walking around your island and interacting with villagers in this immersive view makes it feel like a brand new game.

2. Cook Recipes Using Fresh Ingredients

Cooking was also introduced in the big 2.0 update, bringing a whole new crafting system. You can catch fish and gather produce ingredients across your island and combine them into delicious recipes.

Experiment with different ingredient pairings to cook up appetizing dishes and baked goods. You can consume them yourself or gift cooked ACNH items to villagers to improve your friendship.

3. Grow and Harvest Crops

Plant a garden using the new farming mechanics. Start with a wheat field, tomato patch or potato crop, water daily, and wait for your harvest. This satisfying new mode of play lets you cultivate from seeds to bountiful fresh veggies.

Use your harvested ingredients to cook tasty new recipes. You can even start your own pumpkin patch to carve jack-o-lanterns in October!

4. Customize Using Partition Walls and Columns

Take home customization to new levels using the partition walls and pillar ACNH Items to design amazing interiors.

Partition walls allow you to divide rooms and create hallways in your house. Pillars and columns enable architectural detail. These additions vastly expand your decoration possibilities.

5. Design Facades with Counters and Storefronts

Makeover the exterior of your island buildings by adding counters, shop counters, and storefront ACNH items available with the update.

Whether you want to create an outdoor cafe, restaurant patio, ice cream stand, general store, or other themed facades, the options are now endless for custom exteriors.

6. Hang Ceiling Decor and Lighting

Outfit your home's ceiling with the first ever overhead items in the game. Chandeliers, pendant lights, and hanging plants can now suspend from above.

Look up to appreciate how ceiling decor transforms the whole ambiance of a room. Using these items opens up many new interior design possibilities.

7. Design Vacation Homes

The addition of Paradise Planning to the DLC allows you to design vacation homes for villagers outside your island. This addictive new mode functions like a home design simulator.

Meet client needs by selecting their favorite styles and decor. Use provided items to create your dream vacation home layouts for each client.

8. Try On Clothes Before Buying

A game-changing shop upgrade is the clothing change room. Instead of guessing how clothes will look on your character, you can now try them on before buying!

Browse the shop's offerings and take them for a test run. Change room mirrors and greater customization freedom make shopping a more user-friendly experience.

9. Experience Group Stretching

Villagers now invite you to participate in occasional group stretching sessions. Stand in place and press A as prompted to perform stretches together.

It's a simple addition but makes your islanders feel more alive seeing them exercise and invite you to join. It's a refreshing break from the usual daily routines.

10. Appreciate New Reactions

Dozens of new reactions were also introduced for your character to express themselves in fun ways.

Try out knee bends, hand signs, DJ motions, yoga poses, and other reactions. They let your personality shine through and are great for sharing screenshots!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons continues improving with exciting new gameplay additions. Utilizing all the fresh features keeps the experience feeling new again. Experiment with these new ways to play to reignite your passion for your island getaway!