The latest game in the Animal Crossing series, New Horizons, takes players to a new setting in the form of a tropical island, where they’re tasked with the job of making it look appealing to visitors and new neighbors alike – but is it possible to play New Horizons without adding any new villagers at all? Each improvement players make brings more new faces to the town in the form of regularly appearing guests as well as additional villagers, which makes it hard to imagine what a completely empty island might look like.
During the early parts of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the player’s primary goal is island expansion. What starts out as a deserted island paradise becomes a must-visit destination as Tom Nook instructs players to build more houses, new amenities, and even invite Animal Crossing celebrities such as K.K. Slider to come visit the town. Having fewer or no island villagers seems antithetical to the point, but it’s also the kind of experiment that suits Animal Crossing’s try-everything gameplay style.
Islands in New Horizons can hold up to 10 villagers, most of which are gradually introduced to the game after players put down empty lots for houses. Others move in after the campsite is set up, effectively acting as part of the game’s tutorial section. Although many players have expressed interest in the direct opposite of an empty island – raising the maximum number villagers – others have instead looked toward the possibilities around creating a more isolated island community.
How Small Can New Horizons’ Island Villager Population Be?
The short answer is that Animal Crossing: New Horizons can’t exactly be played fully without adding any villagers to the island. The game always starts players out with two villagers, and beyond that, Tom Nook will require additional lots to be placed down in order to reach a 5-star island rating. However, beyond the starting villagers, other additions are entirely optional. Players should just be aware that they’ll miss out on most of the game’s other content if they don’t allow more villagers to move in. This is different from most previous Animal Crossing titles, however, which started players out in a town full of around 5 other villagers and would randomly move lots in automatically rather than allowing them to be directly placed by players.
This might be particularly useful for players who are looking to extensively customize their island. Although villager houses can be moved after being placed, it’s time-consuming and can prove difficult if the island is full of other structures. Having a mostly empty island would at least free up more space. That said, terraforming in New Horizons can’t be unlocked unless other villagers have been moved in, so New Horizons‘ most expansive customization options will be inaccessible for players who only kept their two starting villagers and never let more move in. Overall, while it is possible to have fewer than the maximum amount of Animal Crossing villagers on an island, it makes gameplay significantly more difficult and clearly isn’t what the developers intended.
