Animal Crossing: New Horizons is providing a new, endlessly fun outlet for friends to stay in touch and hang out virtually.
Now, shaking trees and catching bugs with up to seven of your friends can certainly be fun, but it will get boring after a while. Why not shake things up a bit with some friendly competition? These island party games will keep you and your pals entertained for hours. Pick one person's island as the host and let the fun begin.
10 Bug Net Tag
Everyone has hit their villagers or friends with our bug net at least once, just to see what happens. That bug-catcher-turned-annoying-weapon in your pockets can become the perfect Tag tool if you get a little creative. The game is simple enough: run around and try to hit each other with your nets.
You can also kick things up a notch like this Twitter user, who adjudicated a match between two other friends as they tried to hit each other. The first person to get seven hits wins! Create a tournament and see which friend is the ultimate Bug Net Master.
9 Simon Says
This classic playground game can be played with the in-game chat feature, but you'd be better downloading the Nintendo Online mobile app and using voice chat. Here's how it works: one person acts as Simon and uses voice chat to direct their friends. Simon can say anything from "run in a circle" to "dig a hole" — be as creative as you like.
If everyone has unlocked the same Reactions from their hometown villagers, you can also use those. For example: "Simon says, 'clap!'" Your friends can then perform the Delight Reaction and stop whenever Simon says.
8 Musical Chairs
'Round and 'round you go. When the music will stop, nobody knows. All you need for this game is a bunch of seats — chairs or stumps that are easy to get on and off are great — and a music player or hand-held instrument. One person, most likely the island's owner, can be in charge of the music while everyone else races to find their seats.
Musical Chairs is one of the more popular island party games making its way across the internet, so there are plenty of variations. Some people upped the incentive to win by donating prizes, like in-demand housewares, high-value items, or bags of bells, to be awarded to first, second, and third place.
7 Treasure Hunt
Everybody's a winner in this game! As long as you find the treasure, that is. First, have everyone wait in one building while the host heads out with some goodies. Bury them all over the island. You can create various difficulty levels by burying items behind trees or buildings that require a bit of camera work to see.
To make the hunt even harder, you can design a custom pattern that looks just like those stars on the ground, or scan a QR coded design from the Animal Crossing Pattern Tool. Spread the design in various places on the ground and watch your friends get totally confused.
6 Island Maze
One somewhat frustrating mechanic that has long been alive in the Animal Crossing franchise is the lack of 360-degree camera angles when you're outside. You can't see the backs of buildings, trees, or other obstacles. You can actually use this small nuisance to your advantage when building a complex maze for your friends to work through.
Mazes can be created using fencing recipes or, if you have the Island Designer App, cliff terraforming. Hide dead ends behind trees so participants get confused when they can't move anymore. Alternatively, you can hide obstacles (or fun prizes to pick up, if you're feeling generous).
5 Hide and Seek
Here's another game where poor camera angles come in handy. Unfortunately, you can't get as creative with hiding spots as you could IRL, but Hide and Seek is still doable in Animal Crossing and totally fun with a big group of friends. Be sure to lay down some ground rules. Is it a total free-for-all, or is hiding inside buildings off-limits?
Hide and Seek can also be an interesting adventure if you have a completed or nearly-full museum. With so many rooms available, you're bound to find a good spot. The seeker should wait in one building or area, count to a number, and then announce via the in-game chat that they're coming.
4 Fishing/Bug Tourney
Once Nook's Cranny gets its shop upgrade, players can eventually find an antique-looking stopwatch in the cabinet. It's not just a decoration, it actually works! When the stopwatch is in your pockets, you can set a timer and it will automatically begin tracking the amount of fish and bugs you catch in the time frame.
Choose one person as the judge and let the tourney begin. Try to be the person who catches the most fish or bugs. The judge can also make it a bit more difficult by asking for a specific species within the time limit.
3 Resources Scavenger Hunt
Scavenging for resources is an integral part of Animal Crossing: New Horizons right from the get-go. There are the more common tree branches and wood, and the not-so-common iron and clay. We all need these resources for DIY recipes, so why not make a game out if it?
The stopwatch can be useful here, too. Once again, choose a judge, who will ask participants to find, say, 10 iron, 4 manilla clams, and 6 hardwood in three minutes. The first person to succeed wins! Prevent your friends from handing over items in their inventory by having them text a photo of their empty pockets before the timer starts.
2 Obstacle Race
Terraform your island into a giant obstacle course using the cliff and water permits. Use as much land as you'd like, but you should at least take advantage of the full width of the island for the hardest race. Use custom paths or designs as the start and finish line. Add holes to jump over, benches to maneuver around, and more.
Pit two or three of your friends against each other and make sure they have their pole vaults and ladders handy. The first one to reach the finish line wins! Just think, what would American Ninja Warrior do?
1 Murder Mystery
If you're feeling particularly creative, you can set up an intricate murder mystery using custom-designed blood splatters. Place whatever items you'd like at the "murder" scene, and user other items as clues all around the island. You can even leave a few hints on the message board at Resident Services.
Invite your friends over and let them solve the murder, solo or in teams! The murderer could be any one of you (think Clue) or even an unsuspecting animal villager. Was it Tom Nook by the museum with the party popper?