Animal Crossing: New Horizons is better with friends. Whether you’re swapping non-native fruits, hunting for DIY recipes washed up on a beach, or exploring someone else’s island for terraforming inspiration, multiplayer is one of the most rewarding parts of the game. This guide covers everything: how to set up online and local play, how Dodo Codes work, what visitors can and cannot do on your island, and best practices for hosting and visiting in 2026.
ACNH’s multiplayer is genuinely low-stakes — Nintendo designed it so that visits feel safe and collaborative rather than competitive. Understanding the rules means you can get the most out of every session.
ACNH Multiplayer Modes Explained
There are three distinct ways to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons with others, each with different requirements and capabilities.
Local Wireless Play (Same Room, Multiple Switches)
Local wireless connects up to 8 players in the same room, each on their own Nintendo Switch. All players need their own copy of the game. One player hosts and opens their island via Dodo Airlines; others search for nearby sessions. No Nintendo Switch Online subscription required — just the local network. This is the highest-quality multiplayer experience because there is no internet latency.
Online Play (Nintendo Switch Online Required)
Online play lets you visit friends’ islands — or host visitors — from anywhere in the world via the internet. It requires a Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) subscription (approximately $19.99/year in the US). Up to 8 players can be on one island simultaneously: the island owner plus 7 visitors. Sessions are managed through Dodo Codes (see below).
Couch Co-op on a Single Switch (Party Play)
Up to 4 players can share a single Nintendo Switch, each using a Joy-Con. Secondary players join as “followers” and move around the island together with the lead player. However, secondary players have significantly limited abilities: they cannot terraform, open the full map independently, or trigger key story events by speaking to Tom Nook. This mode is ideal for showing younger family members the island or casual shared play sessions without needing multiple consoles.
How Dodo Codes Work
Dodo Codes are the gatekeeper mechanism for ACNH online multiplayer. Here is the complete breakdown of how they work and how to use them.
What Is a Dodo Code?
A Dodo Code is a unique 5-character alphanumeric code generated by Orville the dodo at Dodo Airlines airport. The characters are drawn from a limited set (no I or O to prevent confusion with 1 and 0). The code is only active while your session is open — once you end the session or close the airport, the code expires and cannot be reused.
How to Generate Your Dodo Code
- Walk to the Dodo Airlines airport on your island
- Press A to speak to Orville at the counter
- Select “I want visitors”
- Choose “Via internet” (online) or “Via local play” (same room)
- Select “Invite via Dodo Code”
- Choose your session type: Best friends only or Anyone with the code
- Orville will display your 5-character code — share this with your visitors
Session Types and Visitor Limits
| Session Setting | Who Can Visit | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Best friends only | Players on your Nintendo Best Friends list | Trusted trading, private sessions |
| Anyone with the code | Anyone you share the code with | Turnip trading, community visits |
The maximum capacity is 8 players per island (host plus 7 visitors). Visitors do not need to be on your Nintendo friends list to visit — just share the code. When you’re done, tell Orville to stop allowing visitors or simply save and close the game to end the session.
What Visitors Can Do on Your Island
ACNH online visits are designed to be collaborative and generous. Here is what visiting players are fully able to do:
- Buy from Nook’s Cranny and the Able Sisters: Shop stock rotates daily and varies by island. Visitors can purchase furniture and clothing unavailable on their own island — one of the primary reasons people share Dodo Codes
- Pick up dropped items: If you place items in a designated trade area (such as near the airport plaza), visitors can pick them up freely. Gifting and trading works this way
- Talk to your villagers: Visitors can chat with your animal residents and may even receive random gifts from them
- Water your flowers: This is one of the most valuable multiplayer activities. Flowers watered by visitors from different islands have a higher hybrid spawn rate. Having 5 or more players water the same flower patch across consecutive days dramatically increases your chances of rare hybrids (blue roses, gold roses)
- Fish and catch bugs: Your island does not lose fish or bugs during visits. Resources regenerate at midnight regardless of how many visitors caught during the session. Fish and catch freely without worrying about depleting the island’s ecosystem
- Sell turnips at Nook’s Cranny: If your Stalk Market price is high, visitors can sell their turnips at your shop. This is the reason turnip-price Dodo Codes are shared so widely in online communities
- Participate in seasonal events: Visitors can take part in any active seasonal event on your island, including Bunny Day, Fireworks Festivals, and Toy Day
What Visitors Cannot Do
Nintendo built strong protections into ACNH to prevent griefing and accidental island damage. The following actions are restricted for all visitors:
| Restricted Action | Details |
|---|---|
| Pick up ground items without permission | Items already on the ground (fossils, DIY bottles) cannot be picked up — only items dropped by the host in front of the visitor |
| Terraform | The Island Designer app is locked to island residents; visitors cannot use cliffs or waterways tools |
| Move or demolish buildings | Island infrastructure management is host-only |
| Speak to Tom Nook to build | Major construction and story progression are locked to residents |
| Change the town tune or island flag | Administrative customisation is restricted to island owner |
| Dig up star fragments or buried bells | Ground-level collectibles cannot be excavated by visitors |
| Access the island map independently | Visitors can see the map but cannot set markers or use it for navigation features |
One important nuance: Best Friends (players you have specifically added to your Best Friends list in ACNH) gain a small additional ability — they can use tools like axes and shovels on your island. Only grant Best Friend status to players you genuinely trust.
Benefits of Visiting Friends’ Islands
Multiplayer visits have concrete gameplay advantages beyond the social element:
Non-Native Fruits
Every island starts with one native fruit (cherry, apple, orange, pear, peach, or coconut/pear depending on your hemisphere settings). Non-native fruits sell for 500 Bells each at Nook’s Cranny compared to just 100 Bells for native fruit. Visiting a friend’s island to grab a bag of their native fruit and planting it on your island is one of the best early-game Bell-earning strategies. A full inventory of non-native fruit can sell for 40,000 Bells or more.
DIY Recipes from Beach Bottles
Message bottles wash up on beaches containing DIY recipes. Your own island produces one bottle per day, but when you visit another island you can check their beach for a second bottle containing a different recipe. If you’re missing specific DIY recipes, visiting a rotating cast of friends’ islands is the fastest way to fill the gaps.
Villager Recruitment
When a villager on a friend’s island is “in boxes” (moving out), you can visit that island and invite the villager to yours. This is the primary method for acquiring specific desired villagers without spending hundreds of Nook Miles Tickets on mystery island tours. High-demand villagers like Raymond, Judy, and Marshal are frequently recruited this way. See our ACNH Villager Guide for a full breakdown of personality types and how to attract your dream islanders.
Nook’s Cranny Stock Rotation
Nook’s Cranny stocks 4 rotating furniture items daily, with each island’s selection independently randomised. By visiting multiple islands you exponentially expand your access to different furniture sets — especially useful when hunting for specific interior items or completing a design theme.
Best Practices for Hosting Visitors
Running a smooth, welcoming island session takes a little preparation. These habits make all the difference:
Set Up a Dedicated Trade Area
Designate a flat area near your airport for item exchanges — the airport plaza is ideal since visitors spawn there. Arrange items in neat rows and use custom signs (crafted from wood) to label prices, free items, or trading requests. A clear layout prevents confusion and keeps the session moving.
State Your Rules Upfront
Before sharing your Dodo Code, state your house rules: can visitors water flowers freely? Are they welcome past a certain fence? Can they shake fruit trees? Is the entire island accessible? A quick message in Discord or a Reddit post alongside your code prevents misunderstandings.
Guide Traffic with Fencing
Visitors cannot terraform but can walk anywhere that is unfenced. If your hybrid flower garden or personal villager area is off-limits, use fencing or hedges to physically block access. Visitors will naturally follow open paths.
Turnip Trading Etiquette
If you are hosting because your Stalk Market price is high (anything above 300 Bells is shareable), the community expectation is that visitors leave a tip of 10,000 to 100,000 Bells or a valuable item — a courtesy for saving the host time and Switch battery. Also: always close the game normally when done. Force-quitting after selling turnips resets your price and is widely considered bad etiquette.
Use the Best Friends Feature Selectively
Best Friends gain additional tool access on your island. Only elevate someone to Best Friend status if you have a history of positive interactions — on Discord, Reddit communities, or repeat trading sessions.
Switch 2 Multiplayer Improvements in 2026
With the Nintendo Switch 2 launching in 2025, ACNH multiplayer has seen infrastructure-level improvements for players on the new hardware:
- Lower latency: Online island visits are noticeably smoother on Switch 2 due to improved networking hardware and Nintendo’s expanded online server capacity
- Easier group sessions: Nintendo’s improved friend-party system makes it easier to coordinate multiple players into a single island session, with a lobby-style waiting area before island entry
- GameShare compatibility: Switch 2’s GameShare feature allows nearby players to join your island session without owning a copy of ACNH, lowering the barrier for local casual play
- Cross-generation compatibility: Switch and Switch 2 players can still visit each other’s islands with full functionality — no compatibility issues between hardware generations
ACNH itself has not received a new content update beyond version 2.0. These improvements are hardware and network infrastructure changes rather than game updates.
ACNH Trading Community Culture
The Animal Crossing online community is one of the friendliest in gaming. Here’s where the action happens:
- r/ACTrade and r/acturnips (Reddit): Active communities for item trading, Dodo Codes for high turnip prices, and DIY recipe exchanges. Read the subreddit rules before posting — each has specific flair and format requirements
- Nookazon: A fan-built marketplace for ACNH items, villagers, and DIY recipes. Think eBay for island goods, with Bell prices and Nook Miles Ticket valuations
- Discord servers: Real-time Dodo Code sharing for high turnip prices (often 400+ Bells), rare villager moving-out alerts, and seasonal event coordination. The ACTrade Discord is among the largest
- Star fragment exchanges: Players with active meteor showers share their Dodo Codes so others can come wish on stars and collect fragments. Coordinates on Twitter and Discord in real time
- Villager trading: Moving-out villagers, especially rare personality types like Cranky and Snooty or high-demand characters like Raymond, are traded actively. Nook Miles Tickets and rare items are common exchange currencies
ACNH is also a fantastic game to play with a partner or family member given its gentle pace and collaborative mechanics — well worth exploring even if you’ve never played a life sim before. For the broader category, our Best Life Sim Games 2026 guide covers the full genre landscape. If you’re looking for games to share with a partner specifically, our Cozy Games for Couples list has hand-picked recommendations designed for two.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Nintendo Switch Online to play with friends?
Yes — a Nintendo Switch Online subscription is required for internet-based multiplayer. Local wireless play (same room, separate Switches) does not require NSO. Couch co-op on a single Switch also does not require a subscription.
Can strangers visit my island without a Dodo Code?
No. Your island is private by default. The only way strangers can visit is if you share your Dodo Code or open a session set to “Anyone with the code.” Dream Addresses (the DA:XXXXXXXX codes) allow visiting a snapshot of your island but in a read-only dream state — not a live interactive session.
What happens to a visitor’s progress when they leave?
Everything saves automatically. Items picked up, Bells earned, fish caught, and DIY recipes discovered on your island stay with the visitor permanently. Villager recruitment (inviting a moving-out villager) also completes correctly when the visitor returns home.
Can I visit my own second island or a second account’s island?
No. ACNH does not support online cross-island visiting between two accounts on the same Nintendo profile or the same console. You would need a completely separate Nintendo Account, Nintendo Switch Online subscription, and copy of the game on a different Switch.
How many people can visit at once?
A maximum of 8 players can be on one island simultaneously — the island owner plus 7 visitors. In local wireless play the limit is also 8. In couch co-op (single Switch Party Play) the limit is 4 players sharing one screen.
Sources
- Animal Crossing Wiki (animalcrossing.fandom.com) — confirmed multiplayer mechanics, Dodo Code system, visitor permissions
- Nintendo Life — Switch 2 online improvements, NSO pricing and subscription tiers