Animal Crossing: New Horizons is primarily a single-player game, but just like its predecessors, it has a ton of co-op and multiplayer options. There are tons of things you can do with your friends, either on your own island or visiting theirs. The game shows you how to do it all, but once you get together you might start to wonder why people try so hard to connect like this. Let's explain what to do with friends in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
What to do with friends
In case you're still working through the convoluted systems at the heart of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, check out our walkthrough. Once you are set and ready to go, you can join in and find that there are no new mechanics added when a new player arrives on your island. Pretty much all you've done is add someone else who can do the same thing as you. At least they can if you make them a best friend.
Once everything is set up and you're together on your own island or theirs, you're pretty much free to explore and do whatever you want. For single-system co-op, you have to stay on the same screen, so what you can do in this situation is much more limited. But with online and local play, new players have you not being able to pick up outdoor items and a few other small limitations.
So what to do with those friends you've worked so hard to find yourself with? Not a lot of specific activities, but the answer is really 'whatever you want to do'. I love going fishing with my friends, watching them ride big, or seeing their reaction when I pull my fifth macheral horse in a row. Exploring together can also be fun, or helping each other collect resources like wood and iron nuggets.
You can also share items, tools, and resources. One thing I have already set up is a group chat where we share turnip prices for the day. When someone has a big one we all jump in and sell everything we bought last Sunday. It's a great way to get together and celebrate our victory over the dreaded Market Stalk. It's also fine to go to a friend's island to sell your native fruit, or allow them to do the same. They sell for three times as much when sold elsewhere, so this is another great way to make lots of Bells.
Some events will allow interaction with other players, no doubt, but we'll have to wait for those to happen before we know for sure. Until then, the answer for what to do with friends in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is pretty much wide open. This may seem limited to some who expected a definite multiplayer mode, pitting players against each other or directing them to work together on the same task. But that's not how this series works.
