Read this Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch (ACNH) guide on how to get villagers you want! Learn how to get specific villagers to come and how to choose, including personalities!!
Table of Contents
How To Choose Villagers You Want
| Recommended Articles | |
|---|---|
 How To Get Rid Of Villagers | Mystery Island Tour Villagers Guide |
| Campsite Villagers Guide | How To Get Villagers You Want |
How To Get Villagers You Want
Three Main Methods
There are 3 main methods to getting a specific villager that you want (we'll call this process Selection for short from now on). How you go about selecting will differ for each method.
Selection Of The Initial 2 Villagers
When you first arrive on your deserted island, you will be accompanied by two animals. These two are not fixed (though their personality is), which means that you can try to get a specific one by resetting the game over and over.
Selection Of Fixed In-Game Event Villagers
| Conditions | Details |
|---|---|
| ▼Begin The Game (2) | ・Two villagers will be on the island when you arrive ・Can select for Sisterly or Jock villagers |
| ▼Do The Resident Services Event (3) | ・Finish the event where you build 3 houses for villagers ・Prepare furniture for the villagers ・There are some limitations on personality type for these 3 (see below) |
| Build The Campsite (1) | ・Invite after building the campsite ・Personality is fixed to Smug ・Cannot select due to the game autosaving |
Villagers That Arrive Alongside Events Can Be Selected For
To a certain extent you are indeed able to "choose" what villagers you get during the above fixed in-game events. If you're set on getting a certain resident (who fits some of the above personality limitations), you can get them even during an early stage of the game.
Selection After The 7th Villager
Unlike the 6 villagers that join you as a part of fixed events, numbers 7 through 10 can be freely invited onto your island. There are various methods of doing this, each with their own way of getting specific villagers to appear.
▼Check below how to choose villagers you want from the 7th onHow To Choose Your Starting Villagers
Check After Arriving On Your Island
| Step | Process |
|---|---|
| 1 | Start the game |
| 2 | Choose the layout and hemisphere of your island |
| 3 | As soon as you arrive, check which 2 villagers you got |
| 4 | If you're unsatisfied, reset the game and try again |
You can find out what villagers you got as soon as you arrive on your island. Once you arrive, if you're not happy with your results, immediately reset the game and try again.
| Fixed Personality Types | |
|---|---|
| Jock | Sisterly |
Choose Layout First
At the beginning of the game you'll be asked to choose your island layout. This means that it will be extremely difficult to get the ideal Layout, Fruits, and Villagers. You'll likely have to sacrifice something here, so make sure to decide your priorities before you begin.
Check Out The Island Layout Guide HereVillagers You Can Choose At The Start
Jocks ♂
| Rory | Tad | Buck |
| Bud | Tank | Kid Cat |
| Bam | Sterling | Flip |
| Scoot | Hamlet | Pierce |
| Kody | Teddy | Axel |
| Bill | Sparro | Biff |
| Rowan | Sheldon | Iggly |
| Samson | Antonio | Lyman |
| Mac | Coach | Sly |
| Snake | Sprocket | Kevin |
| Louie | - | - |
※The above are all characters we've either confirmed ourselves or seen in official videos!!
Sisterly ♀
| Phoebe | Renee | Shari |
| Tammy | Hazel | Pashmina |
| Canberra | Flo | Katt |
| Rocket | Sylvia | Agnes |
| Mira | Deirdre | Diva |
| Muffy | Frita | Plucky |
| Cherry | - | - |
※The above are all characters we've either confirmed ourselves or seen in official videos!!
How To Choose The 3rd To 5th Villagers
Resident Services Event Timing
| Step | Overview |
|---|---|
| 1 | Build Nook's Cranny |
| 2 | Talk to Tom Nook Build one bridge on the island |
| 3 | Set up the plots and make the necessary furniture for the 3 new villagers |
| 4 | Start the selection process after you've finished everything above |
For your 3rd to 5th characters, it's possible to try to get certain characters while you're still in the process of doing the event (after you finish it, you obviously can't do this.) You'll have to do this process for each villager one by one until you get the one you want!
Personality Is Determined By Order
| ① | ② | ③ |
|---|---|---|
| Lazy | Peppy | Normal |
The number on the side of the plot will determine the personality of the villager you're going to get. #1 will always be Lazy, #2 will be Peppy, and #3 will be Normal!
Selection Process
- 1. Decide the location for the house
- 2. Prepare the furniture necessary for each number house
- 3. After you've made all the furniture and placed it, save
- 4. Talk to Tom Nook
- 5. Go back to the plot and check the name of the villager set to move in
▲Save the game after placing all the furniture necessary for the houseAll You Can Check Is The Name
You won't be able to see the appearance of the villager in this case, you can only find out their name here!
Save Close To The Resident Services
Every 3 minutes the game will autosave, which means that if you're not fast, the game could save and you'll lose your chance to reset for another villager. After talking to Tom Nook, immediately run to the plot to check the name. You'll need to finish this process within 3 minutes, so saving closer to the Resident Services is a good idea to cut time. It might also be a good idea to put the house itself close to the Resident Services building too.
Mystery Tour Recruitment Fixes A Villager To A House
If you had already recruited a villager while on a Mystery Island Tour (prior to building the plot!), then you won't be able to do this resetting process to get a different villager for that one particular house.
How To Choose After The 7th Villager
Ways To Recruit Villagers
| Method/Place | Things To Note |
|---|---|
| Mystery Island Tour | ・Villagers spawns are random ・If you're at the cap (10), villagers won't spawn |
| Campsite | ・Villagers don't visit regularly ・Can recruit even when at cap (10) |
| Amiibo | ・Can recruit specific villagers ・Need to own the appropriate amiibo card |
| Other Players' Islands | ・Need a plot of land for sale ・Can only recruit villagers who plan on moving out |
Need To Set Up An Available Plot
For villagers after your 7th one, you'll need to talk to Tom Nook to set up a new house for villagers to live in. If you don't do so, you won't be able to recruit new ones!
Mystery Tour Villager Recruitment (Roulette)
| Before Resident Services Event | ・Peppy, Lazy, Normal types appear ・Villagers you recruit will come live in the plots you set up |
|---|---|
| After Resident Services Event | ・All personality types appear ・Don't spawn if you're at the cap (10) |
Personality Types Change According To Your Progress
The villagers which appear on Mystery Island Tours will change according to your in-game progress. If you go on the tour prior to completing the Resident Services Event with the 3 houses, you'll only be able to get Peppy, Lazy, and Normal type villagers. After you complete this event, all 8 personality types will become available.
When Capped, Have A Villager Leave
When you're at the maximum number of villagers (10), Mystery Tour Islands won't spawn villagers. However, if you have one of your villagers move out, their house will become a vacant lot and you'll be able to find villagers on Mystery Tour islands during that period.
Find Out How To Get Villagers To Move Out HereSelecting Villagers Via The Campsite
| First Time (6th Villager) | ・Smug personality only ・Cannot reset to choose a different character |
|---|---|
| Second Time & On | ・All personalities appear ・Personality types you don't already have are more likely to appear |
Can't Choose The First Time
The villager that first visits you when you set up your campsite is fixed because the game will save during the event. You'll have no choice but to recruit the Smug animal that you get here in order to complete the event.
Personality After The First Time Is Random
After your first time, the personality of animals that visit your campsite will be random. While testing this we noticed that Cranky and Snooty types were particularly common, so we believe that personalities which are not common on your island are more likely to appear here!
Campsite Villagers Are Irregular
After completing the initial event, the arrival of villagers to your campsite is random. We found that a character came about 1-3 times a month. It would take a lot of time to get a specific villager using this method.
Recruiting Via Multiplayer
"Come live on my island!" / "I don't know..."
| Conditions | ・There is an available plot of land on your island ・The other villager is about to move (has their boxes packed up) |
|---|
By using Multiplayer, you can recruit villagers from the islands of other players. However, the character will have to be in the process of moving, with their boxes all packed up (this is the day before they finally leave the island). Additionally, you'll need to have an empty available spot on your island to invite them to live in. This will of course require other players to coordinate with.
Find Players To Recruit Villagers From On Our Forums!Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch - Recommended Articles
April Updates
| April Update Related Articles | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.10 Update | ||
| May Day | Museum Day | Wedding Season |
Essential Guides
| All Fish List | All Bug List |
| Sea Creatures List | Villager Tier List |
| All Villagers List | Mystery Island List |
| DIY Recipes List | DIY Materials List |
Must Reads For Beginners
| Beginner Guide & Tips | |
| Points of No Return | Beginning Questions |
| Best Island Layout | Best Tent Location |
