In the newest installment of the long-beloved Animal Crossing franchise, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a large cast of villagers which range from the good to the bad, to the ugly. It’s easy to get stuck with one or two unwanted faces, which can be maddening when living so near them on a tiny island stuck in the middle of the ocean. Unfortunately, if you aren’t willing to spend a bit of cold hard cash, it can be a long and tedious process to rid yourself of such unwanted residents.
This is unfortunately in line with previous games in the series. In games like New Leaf and Wild World, the best methods were to ignore them completely and make sure to talk to all of your other residents in order to prevent your loved ones from moving out. This method seems to work in New Horizons as well, although it can take some time and is not a guaranteed way to send your unwanted animal neighbor packing.
The actual methodology is simple, however, make sure you talk to the invader at least once to introduce yourself and then never talk to them again. Even if the character in question runs up and begs to speak to you, you must harden your heart and not interact with them. The only time you speak to your villager is if you see them walking around with a thought bubble over their head. This is an indication that they might be planning on moving out.
Once you speak with them, the villager should mention they are planning to move out, and the player has the option to encourage or discourage them from leaving. It doesn’t seem that villagers will move out in New Horizons without the player encouraging them to do so, which is good news for those afraid of losing their favorites. This also means that this method is relatively risk-free, and much quicker when you opt to time travel.
If you want to skip all of the hustle and bustle, Nintendo has cleverly (or deviously) designed the game so that an Animal Crossing amiibo card villager can force an unwanted villager of your choice to move out. This method is guaranteed ane even simpler. All you need to do is invite the amiibo villager to your campsite using the Nook Terminal.
Once your desired resident arrives, visit the campsite and talk to them. They should eventually ask you to craft them an item. You must craft this item and deliver it to them before the end of the day, or you will have to start the process over. After three days of repeating this pattern, the villager will express the desire to move in and will let the player choose which current resident of the town would be “willing” to pack their bags.
There are several rumors and unconfirmed theories floating around due to the recent release date of New Horizons. Methods that are guaranteed to not work despite common misconceptions are: hitting your villager with a net, reporting the villager to Isabelle, and becoming good friends with the villager.
There is also a rumor floating around the community that if you enter and leave a villager’s house when they are home without interacting with them, it will speed this process along. The villager will be confused, and a question mark will appear over their forehead, indicating this is working. The idea is to raise a hidden “neglect” value for the villager, making them more likely to pack up. It is also a good idea to speak to all of your other villagers besides the undesirable one.
Currently, these are the known methods for getting a villager to move off your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Since the game is relatively new, it is possible that a new, better method will appear further down the line, or an update will be introduced to change this mechanic. Be sure to check back for future updates and New Horizons guides.
