Animal Crossing: New Horizons is finally here, but we all know the experience is more fun when you party with friends in co-op. The game knows this too and encourages you to start your New Horizons multiplayer experience as soon as the opening ceremonies are over.
There are actually multiple ways to do this, and we've got you covered with this New Horizons multiplayer and co-op guide.
We cover how to play co-op, how to access local multiplayer and online multiplayer, and how to talk in voice and text mode while doing so.
How to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons Co-Op
Co-op, also known as Party Play, is the easiest multiplayer mode to get started in New Horizons, but it's also the most limiting. While eight people can live on an island in New Horizons, only four can play co-op simultaneously on the same system.
The first thing to do is obviously to have more than one player living on the island.
The first Switch account that settles on an island is the official representative, which is New Horizons' version of a mayor. Others who join can leave the island if they wish and do not have the same decision-making powers as the representative.
After a second person joins the island, Tom Nook gives you the Call Islander feature for the NookPhone. It doesn't matter who gets it first, because it's automatically installed on every islander's NookPhone.
How to play together
When you want to play together on your island, fire up the NookPhone and choose the Call Islander option. It sends out a call for other players to join in the fun, but whoever makes the call is the leader of that co-op session.
Those who aren't the leader can still fish and catch bugs, but what they pick up goes into the recycling bin for now. They also cannot enter buildings, buy things, or pick up items like fruit. Since New Horizons co-op isn't split-screen, everyone else has to follow the leader as well.
If you want to change the identity of the leader, you can easily do so by shaking the Joy-Con or using the Call Islander app again.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Local Multiplayer
If you have friends nearby, you can opt for New Horizons' local multiplayer feature. You don't need to connect to the internet for this, which also means you don't need a Nintendo Switch Online membership for local multiplayer.
But you'll want to make sure your friends aren't too far away to keep the connection as stable as possible.
To start local multiplayer, go to the airport on the island. Talk to Orville at the front desk and he'll ask you what you want to do. Choose whether you want to visit someone else or invite people to your island, then select Local Multiplayer.
It goes without saying, but make sure your friends coordinate this too. You don't all want to try to visit someone else's island, after all; one of you must greet visitors.
Orville will look for nearby referral systems welcoming visitors. Choose the right one from the list that appears, and away you go. Some have recommended that it's best to stagger arrivals as well (i.e. have one player at a time and another). Otherwise, it could overload the connection and cancel everyone's flights.
Since you're all playing on your own screens in New Horizons local multiplayer, you don't have to worry about following the person acting as the host. However, unless you're registered as a best friend in the NookPhone, you can't use your shovel or ax while visiting someone else's island.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Online Multiplayer
New Horizons online multiplayer works almost the same as local multiplayer. Talk to Orville, decide whether to visit or host visitors, then choose online play as an option. Since you're connecting to the internet, this option requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
You will also have to choose from friends saved in your friends list. If you want to visit or invite someone, you have not registered as a friend, you will choose the Code Dodo option. This gives you a random code to use (or your non-friend to use) and lets you hang out together anyway.
However, you will need a different code for the next visit, as this is a one-time thing.
Voice chat and text chat in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
If you're playing online, you can also take advantage of the Nintendo Switch Online app to use voice chat and text chat. Remember to download it from the App Store or Google Play first.
For voice:
- Open the Switch Online app
- Choose voice chat
- Choose new horizons
- Make sure everyone is running the app and voice chat is open
For text:
- Open the Switch Online app
- Choose New Horizons corner link
- Use chat keyboard
- Make sure your friends do the same
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That's everything you need to know about Animal Crossing: New Horizons multiplayer and co-op, but be sure to also check out our growing collection of Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides, including:
