Summary
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsoffers players more customization options than any of the series’ previous installments, and players have used that creative freedom to make some very impressive custom islands.Players have created themed environments, recreated famous fictional locations, and designed unique spacesthat they use for other forms of artistic expression. This makes hopping betweenislands inAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsan exciting experience, since there’s no telling where players will end up.
These creativeAnimalCrossingbuilds often use in-game items in unique waysto realize their visions. It’s impressive to see how players can completelyreshapeAnimal Crossing’s islandinto a completely different environment. Recreations are also some of the most impressive builds, since players are forced to get creative with the resources available inAnimal Crossingto try and replicate environments that weren’t hindered by the same restrictions.
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10This Gyroid Village Is A Tiny Island Within An Island
Created By Reddit User AlianovaR
For some reason, tiny recreations of things are just really cool to see. WhileAnimal Crossing: New Horizons’ islands are already a tiny recreation of a real town,one player decides to go just another step further and make a tiny town within their town. It is essentially like seeing a model within a model, and it really stands out as a unique bit of scenery for anAnimal Crossingisland.
Using tiny model houses and tiles with interconnected paths on them, Reddit userAlianovaRcreated a mini village within their village. However, they took things a step further, by populating the town with Gyroids and using small trees and flowers to simulate vegetation.The simpler map design is reminiscent of earlierAnimal Crossinggames, making this model town also serve as a great homage to where the series started, as well as a clear example of how far it has come in terms of customizable options.
9An Unnamed Island’s Downtown Has Been Turned Into An Urban Center
Created By Twitter User imotarez
WhenAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsplayers arrive at their island, it is about as far from a bustling urban center as one can get. It’s up to the player to add things to the island and attract more residents to come and live there. Because the island starts off so undeveloped, it is very impressive when players can convincingly create the feeling of being in a crowded city.
Twitter userimotarezhas shared videos and still images of the city street they created on their island inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons. Byutilizing plenty of neon lights, streetlamps, and some clever manipulation of the space’s elevation, the space really feels like the island has become a densely populated city. While all the “buildings” on the block aren’t actually accessible, the cleverly planned design still gives the feeling of walking down a street full of small shops. It feels similar to a theme park’s use of facades to create the illusion of a larger space.
8Tumbleweed Is An Old West Themed Island
Created By Twitch User alannah
Although it may not seem like it at first,Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ gameplay isn’t too far off from a sanitized version of America’s westward expansion. Similarly, players are creating a new settlement which slowly grows over time into a larger town. This makes this Wild West-themed island, Tumbleweed byalannahon Twitch, a perfect reimagining of anAnimal Crossingisland. The YouTubersparksbygave a great tour of this island, showing off its extensive theme and clever use of items to really make it feel like a small Western town.
Covering the ground in sand and removing most of the water from the island definitely helps sell this as a desert location. This is helped by the dusty orange sky and mostly warm-colored plants. Themed items like butter churners, covered wagons, and a lot of cacti give the whole island the perfect Western feel. The sight lines at the back of the island are well managed,creating the illusion that the player is on dry land. It’s not an island created in 2024, but it should inspire some great ones this year.
7This Halloween Themed Island Is Perfect For Fall
Created By Twitter User leafstools
Halloween is easily one of the most atmospheric holidays. In the US, it is usually accompanied by other typical fall traditions like corn mazes and hay rides. Twitter userleafstoolscombined these typical trappings of a fall fest with jack-o-lanterns and a witch’s cauldron to makethe ultimate autumn experienceon theirAnimal Crossingisland.
This custom island makes use of a variety of different pumpkin items, and plenty of hay bales to really capture that Halloween and harvest time feeling. They also put together a table where it looks like one could carve their own pumpkins, and a hay ride that players can sit on (though it won’t actually go anywhere). While the Christmas trees and reindeer may feel a little anachronistic for a Halloween theme, their colors actually work well with the rest of the items on display. Next Halloween, players should make sure to dress up and visit this island.
6Porthaven Is In An Overgrown Jungle Island
Created By Instagram User flynncrossing
A lot of coolAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsbuilds take the island that players start with and go in a completely different direction with it. Porthaven, however, takes the idea of a largely remote island and runs with it.This island is a massive, overgrown jungle, with nearly every inch covered by some sort of wildlife. Even near town there are tons of bamboo shoots, flowers, and tropical trees, making it feel like the village was very much built with the intention of keeping the natural world intact.
There are also a lot of great sights to see on this island created by Instagram userflynncrossing, like a tall bridge above the treetops overlooking a river, anda series of cascading waterfalls. The town’s museum is also cleverly concealed behind vegetation and some old statues, making it appear like an old ruin instead of a modern building. A lot of effort was put into Porthaven to make it feel like a truly untamed island, and it is beautiful to look at.
5Cabbage Island Is The Setting For A Story
Created By Instagram User cabbageisland
Cabbage Island, fromcabbageislandon Instagram andByronon YouTube, has the vibe of a small rural town, giving it a similar cottagecore appeal to something likeStardew Valley’s Pelican Town. There are farms, market stands, and even a horse-drawn carriage driving straight down the middle of the road. Buildings also seem simpler, often having wooden or bamboo flooring to really give the entire town a more rustic feel.
Aside from having crafted a unique and interesting island,its creator has also used the island to create some short filmsset in the game. Players following along with the story Byron has created will likely be even more excited to check out and explore Cabbage Island. Having a narrative and characters that players are familiar with adds even more life to Cabbage Island than was already hinted at by the well-done designs. Creators using video games for multiple forms of artistic expression is always a great reminder of just how flexible the medium is.
4One Animal Crossing Player Painstakingly Recreates Legend Of Zelda Locations
Created By Reddit User Naydinfar-Crossing
One fun trend inAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsis players recreating iconic locations from other games or media. One great example of this is Reddit userNaydinfar-Crossing’s many recreations ofTheLegend of Zeldalocations inAnimal Crossing. This player often posts side-by-side comparisons of the locations from the original game and their versions,which are always strikingly similar,despiteAnimal Crossing’s limitations.
Instead of having one dedicated island that stays the same, it seems as though Naydinfar-Crossing isn’t afraid to redesign large sections of their island to get the perfect shot. One impressive example of this is their recreation of the floating landmasses fromThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which required a lot of changes to be made to the elevation of their island. Approaching new recreations on a project-by-project basis like this allows for great attention to detail and really makes these custom islands stand out. Another pre-2024 creation that has stood the test of time.
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3Explore The Wizarding World On Ascendio Island
Created By Instagram User anaskye.acnh
Another stellar recreation of other fictional works is Ascendio Island, a custom-madeHarry Potter-themed village inAnimal Crossing.Not content with recreating one or two iconic locations from the Wizarding World, this island’s creator - Instagram’sanaskye.acnh- made almost every iconic location from the franchise. There are stores like the Leaky Cauldron and Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, andeven iconic vehicles like the Night Bus and the Hogwarts Express.
ManyHarry Potterfans have chosen to avoid interacting with the series in any way that directly contributes money to J. K. Rowling, to avoid supporting her transphobic views. Fan-made projects like this are an excellent alternative for fans looking to get theirHarry Potterfix without showing support for its creator.
The most impressive part of this build is Hogwarts itself, which incorporates some very clever uses of player homes. The castle’s Great Hall is recreated in a large outdoor area, with customized houses being sprinkled throughout the castle grounds. Entering one brings players to recreations of classrooms, dormitories, or memorable locations like the Chamber of Secrets. This is a very creative use of space, allowing for more room around the rest of the island for other locations. Any players wanting a full tour of Ascendio Island can check out this comprehensive look from YouTuberKatie Cozyway.
2One New Horizons Player Recreated The Mario Kart 8 Animal Crossing Stage
Created By An Unknown Player
Thanks to the popularity ofAnimal Crossing, it has crossed over into other Nintendo franchises, likeSuper Smash Bros.andMario Kart.Mario Kart 8includes a course that leads players through anAnimal Crossingvillage. This crossover has now been brought full circle by an anonymousAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsplayer who recreated the course on their own island.
If you know who created this Mario Kart island, please let us know in the comments!
The course includes coins, Koopa shells, and a few cars to make it look like someone is mid-race as players run through. Though the course isn’t an exact one-to-one recreation, due to scale, it is close enough for players familiar with theMario Kartstage to immediately recognize the racetrack. A player who discovered this island, Twitter userPishPawshART, posted their run along the course, and the code needed for other players to visit Lamasery Island and see it themselves. Players should go check it out, andrace around thisMario Karttrackfor themselves.
1Kazahana Island Has A Variety Of Locations Inspired By Japan
Created By Reddit User JimPaulPerez
It’s rare to see an island inAnimal Crossingthat makes more efficient use of space than Kazahana Island by Reddit userJimPaulPerez. Not content with simply creating a single location inspired by Japan,this island’s creator made more than 10 distinct locations. Some highlights are the floating village, the central market, and a series of bridges crossing over a tiered waterfall in the center of the island.
The island combines actual water with ground tiles that look like water to create the illusion of an island that is segmented into many tiny areas. While it is possible to walk over these water tiles, that isn’t really a downside. If anything, it’s a benefit, as players can get close-up looks at all the great detail that was put into making the many different parts of the island. ThisAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsvillage has the feel of a meticulously constructed model set and is just as thrilling to examine and discover how it was put together.
