Animal Crossing, the beloved social simulation game, has captivated players for years with its charming characters, relaxing gameplay, and the promise of building your own virtual life. A core aspect of this virtual life is, of course, having a place to call home. But can you actually “buy” a house in Animal Crossing? The answer is a bit more nuanced than a simple “yes” or “no.” Let’s dive into the world of Animal Crossing real estate and explore how you acquire and upgrade your dwelling.
Your Humble Beginnings: From Tent to Dream Home
Initially, when you arrive on the island in most Animal Crossing games, you don’t immediately get a house. You start with a tent. This is your starter accommodation, a temporary shelter that marks the beginning of your island adventure.
This tent isn’t just a basic placeholder. It provides storage, a place to sleep, and a base of operations as you begin collecting resources, befriending villagers, and exploring your new surroundings. Consider it your blank canvas, the foundation upon which you’ll build your dream island life.
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you receive your tent from Tom Nook, the entrepreneurial tanuki who oversees much of the island’s development. He provides it as part of the initial island getaway package. This package also includes a NookPhone, which is a crucial tool for accessing various apps and features that help you navigate and interact with the game.
Your tent is completely free of charge. This is excellent news since you will be broke from moving to a deserted island. You simply need to find a spot on the island where you want to pitch it, giving you your first taste of island customization and location planning.
Upgrading Your Living Situation: It’s All About the Loans
The tent is just the beginning. Tom Nook’s business model revolves around improvement, and he’s ready to help you upgrade from a tent to a proper house – for a price, of course. This is where the concept of “buying” a house comes into play. You don’t purchase a house outright with bells (the game’s currency). Instead, you take out a loan to upgrade your existing dwelling.
Your first major upgrade transforms your tent into a small, basic house. This is a significant improvement, offering more space and storage. It also unlocks further customization options, allowing you to personalize your home’s exterior and interior.
Tom Nook will politely tell you that there is a loan you need to pay off to convert the tent to a house. Once the loan is paid off, Nook happily sets you up for the next home upgrade.
The Loan System: How It Works
The loan system in Animal Crossing is integral to the gameplay loop. It provides a goal to work towards and encourages you to engage with the various activities the game offers, such as fishing, bug catching, selling items, and completing tasks for villagers.
The loans typically come with reasonable interest rates (or sometimes no interest at all, depending on the game), making them manageable to pay off over time. There’s no pressure to repay them immediately, allowing you to progress at your own pace. This relaxed approach is a key component of Animal Crossing’s calming and stress-free atmosphere.
Paying Off Your Debt: A Celebration of Progress
Paying off a loan in Animal Crossing is a rewarding experience. It marks a significant milestone in your island life and unlocks the next upgrade stage. Tom Nook is always happy to see you repay your debt, and he’ll readily offer you the opportunity to take out another loan for an even bigger and better house.
The process of earning bells to pay off your loan also encourages you to explore different aspects of the game. You might discover rare fish to sell, learn to craft valuable items, or become skilled at negotiating prices with the Nook brothers, Timmy and Tommy.
The most important thing to consider when paying back your debt is to sell anything you don’t want, need, or plan to use. If you have a surplus of wood, sell it. Bugs? Sell them. Fish? Sell them. Once you clear out your storage of unwanted items, you will be well on your way to pay off that loan!
House Customization: Making It Your Own
Once you have a house, the real fun begins: customization. Animal Crossing offers extensive options for personalizing your home, both inside and out. This is where you can truly express your creativity and create a space that reflects your unique style and personality.
Exterior Design: A Reflection of Your Style
The exterior of your house can be customized with different roof colors, door styles, and wall designs. You can also add decorative items to your yard, such as flowers, trees, furniture, and even themed decorations. This allows you to create a visually appealing and welcoming environment for yourself and your villagers.
The degree of exterior customization has expanded over the series, with recent entries offering more choices and flexibility. You can even relocate your house to a different part of the island, giving you complete control over its location and surroundings.
Interior Design: Creating Your Dream Space
The interior of your house is where you can truly let your imagination run wild. You can furnish each room with a wide variety of furniture, decorations, and accessories. You can also customize the walls, floors, and ceilings to create different moods and atmospheres.
The furniture and decorations in Animal Crossing span a vast range of styles, from traditional to modern, rustic to futuristic. You can collect these items by purchasing them from shops, crafting them yourself, or receiving them as gifts from villagers.
Happy Home Paradise: Unleashing Your Inner Designer
Animal Crossing: New Horizons introduced the Happy Home Paradise DLC, which expands the house customization options even further. This DLC allows you to design vacation homes for villagers on a separate island, giving you access to even more furniture, decorations, and design techniques.
The skills and techniques you learn in Happy Home Paradise can also be applied to your own home on your main island, allowing you to create even more elaborate and personalized designs. It’s a fantastic addition for players who enjoy the creative aspects of the game.
House Upgrades: Expanding Your Horizons
As you progress through Animal Crossing, you’ll have the opportunity to upgrade your house multiple times. Each upgrade adds more space and rooms, allowing you to create a more elaborate and functional home.
The Upgrade Process: A Gradual Transformation
Each upgrade typically involves taking out a new loan from Tom Nook and paying it off over time. The upgrades usually follow a logical progression, starting with adding a back room, then expanding the size of the existing rooms, and eventually adding second-floor and basement rooms.
The increased space allows you to store more items, display your collections, and create themed rooms. It also opens up new possibilities for interior design and customization.
The Final Upgrade: Your Dream Mansion
After several upgrades, you’ll eventually reach the final stage of house development. At this point, you’ll have a spacious mansion with multiple rooms, a large yard, and endless possibilities for customization.
This is the culmination of your efforts and a testament to your dedication to building your dream island life. You can now showcase your creativity and create a home that truly reflects your personality and style.
Storage Solutions: Keeping Everything Organized
Storage is an essential aspect of Animal Crossing, as you’ll accumulate a vast collection of items over time. Each house upgrade increases your storage capacity, allowing you to keep more items on hand.
You can also use furniture items, such as dressers and cabinets, to store additional items. Proper organization is key to managing your inventory and making the most of your storage space.
Beyond the House: Island Living
While your house is a central part of your Animal Crossing experience, it’s important to remember that it’s just one aspect of a larger, interconnected world. Your interactions with villagers, your exploration of the island, and your participation in events all contribute to the richness and depth of the game.
Building Relationships: The Heart of Animal Crossing
The villagers who live on your island are an integral part of the Animal Crossing experience. Building relationships with them is crucial to your enjoyment of the game. You can interact with them by talking to them, giving them gifts, and completing tasks for them.
As you build your relationships with villagers, they’ll become more friendly and open to you. They may even give you gifts or ask you to move in with them.
Island Exploration: Discovering Hidden Treasures
Your island is full of secrets and surprises waiting to be discovered. You can explore the island by walking, swimming, or using tools like the ladder and vaulting pole.
As you explore, you’ll find resources, catch bugs and fish, and discover new areas. You can also use the terraforming feature in Animal Crossing: New Horizons to reshape the island to your liking.
Participating in Events: A Festive Atmosphere
Animal Crossing is full of events that take place throughout the year. These events offer unique challenges, rewards, and opportunities to interact with your villagers.
Some events are based on real-world holidays, such as Christmas and Halloween, while others are unique to the Animal Crossing universe, such as Bug-Off and Fishing Tourney.
So, while you don’t technically “buy” a house outright in Animal Crossing, the process of upgrading your dwelling, taking out loans, and customizing your home is a central and rewarding part of the gameplay experience. It’s a journey of growth, creativity, and personal expression that makes Animal Crossing such a beloved and enduring franchise. The real value lies not in the purchase, but in the creation of a home and a community that you can cherish for years to come.
Is buying a house in Animal Crossing: New Horizons the same as in real life?
No, definitely not! While the process in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is called “buying” a house, it’s more accurately described as acquiring a larger, more customizable living space. Unlike real life, you don’t have to worry about things like down payments, mortgages with interest rates, property taxes, or competing with other buyers. Tom Nook, the friendly (but calculating) tanuki, handles everything. He essentially provides a loan that you repay over time.
The “house” acquisition process is structured around upgrading from a tent. You’ll pay Nook Miles (earned through completing various in-game tasks) for the initial upgrade to a basic house. Afterwards, you’ll be upgrading the house incrementally, paying back these loans in Bells, the game’s currency. Each upgrade expands your home, adding more rooms and customization options, but doesn’t involve the complexities and financial risks associated with real-world home ownership.
How do I actually start the process of getting a house in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
The very first step is progressing through the initial tutorial on your deserted island. Once you’ve completed the initial tasks given by Tom Nook, like collecting materials and setting up your tent, you’ll be able to speak to Tom Nook about upgrading your living situation. He’ll offer you the option of a house, explaining the costs and process.
This initial upgrade will cost you Nook Miles, which you can earn by completing various tasks and challenges listed in your Nook Miles app on your NookPhone. Once you’ve accumulated enough Nook Miles and paid off the initial upgrade, your tent will be replaced with a small house. Then the fun begins, as you will be able to pay off more loans in Bells to upgrade your house to a larger size and design.
What are the benefits of upgrading my house in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
Upgrading your house in Animal Crossing: New Horizons unlocks a plethora of benefits. Firstly, you’ll gain significantly more storage space. Your pockets are limited, so having a larger house allows you to store more items, furniture, materials, and clothing. This is crucial for crafting, decorating, and overall island management.
Secondly, upgrades unlock customization options. Each upgrade adds new rooms, allowing you to create different themed spaces within your home. You can also customize the exterior of your house, changing the roof, walls, and door to match your personal style. The larger your house, the more creatively you can express yourself and design the perfect island home.
What happens if I can’t pay off my house loan to Tom Nook?
Fortunately, there are no severe consequences for failing to pay off your house loan to Tom Nook in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Unlike real-life mortgages, there are no repossessions, interest charges that compound drastically, or credit score implications. Tom Nook is remarkably patient and understanding.
The primary consequence is simply that further house upgrades will be locked until you clear your current debt. You can take as long as you need to pay it off; there’s no deadline. This allows you to play at your own pace and focus on other aspects of the game without the pressure of strict repayment schedules. You can continue to enjoy the game and work towards paying off the loan when you are ready.
Can I move my house in Animal Crossing: New Horizons after I’ve built it?
Yes, you absolutely can move your house in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. However, it’s not free. Once you have progressed far enough in the game to unlock the Resident Services building upgrade, you will be able to speak with Tom Nook there to request a relocation of your house or any other villager’s house.
Moving your house will cost Bells, and the process takes one in-game day. After requesting the move, Tom Nook will provide a temporary plot marker that you can place anywhere on your island (that’s not already occupied by water, rocks, or other buildings). The next day, your house will be magically transported to its new location.
Is there a limit to how big my house can get in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
Yes, there is a maximum size for your house in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You can upgrade your initial tent into a house, and then expand it through several stages, each requiring payment in Bells. The final upgrade results in the largest possible house size, featuring six rooms: a main room, a left room, a right room, a back room, an upstairs room, and a basement.
Once you’ve reached this point, you cannot further expand the footprint of your house. However, the interior decoration possibilities remain virtually limitless. You can continuously redecorate and customize each room to reflect your changing style and acquire new furniture items throughout your gameplay experience.
Are there alternative living arrangements to a house in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
While the house provided by Tom Nook is the primary and most customizable form of residence in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there aren’t really alternative permanent living arrangements in the same way. You start with a tent, but that’s only temporary and you are incentivized to upgrade to a house.
However, you can customize the appearance of your house to resemble different architectural styles, and many players create elaborate outdoor living spaces around their homes to expand their available “living area.” While not a separate residence, these outdoor designs can functionally serve as extensions of your home, offering unique spaces for relaxing, crafting, and socializing with villagers.