11 Fun Ways To Hang Out With Your Mates In "Animal Crossing" That You Probably Didn’t Know About

They may not be there IRL, but this is the next best thing!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a great game where you can spend hours customising your island and getting to know your neighbours! But you might not know that it's also the perfect place to virtually connect with your friends and create your own fun together! Here are 11 ways you can enjoy the game with your pals:

1. Show off your personalised paradise by having your friends over for an island tour.

Nintendo

You know that every island is unique, so having guests over is the perfect way to see exactly what you’ve been up to and catch up. Just head to Dodo Airlines, accept visitors, send out your invites, and it’s hours of wholesome fun from there! No visit is the same, and the possibilities are endless — from visiting the museum together to watching the sunset in real time!

And admit it — you're kinda nosy and wanna see what they've done with their place too...

2. Help you and your mates get ahead by setting up a swap shop.

@pil3zofsmil3z

Just because they’re hanging out with you doesn’t mean you can’t progress in the game. Hosting a swap shop is a great way to upgrade your inventory. Just gather everything you don’t want, tell your friends to do the same, and have them over for some quality time and a good ole trading session!

3. Or join forces and work on each other's islands together!

Nintendo

Sometimes gathering that wood could benefit from another pair of helping hands, and you can chat away while you work to craft your island into your perfect world.

4. Use Nooklink to have a proper catchup while you play.

Nintendo

Nooklink has a full keyboard and a voice memo feature, so while you're giving your friends a tour or exploring their islands, you can chat to them in real time. It's almost like they're right there with you!

5. Get competitive with a game of hide-and-seek.

Nintendo

No one is too old for a wholesome game of hide-and-seek. Pick up a timer from Tom Nook's store to up the stakes, and the rest is history! Since you're always updating your island, there'll always be new hiding spots!

6. Or design your very own scavenger hunt and find out if your mates can rise to the challenge.

Nintendo

A plain old quiz on a video call is so last week. Hiding treasure on your island, writing clever little clues and and having your friends over for hours of fun is where it's at now. Why not create some sneaky decoys that'll throw them off the scent and make the game even more fun?

7. Throw a party!

@MegLegbird

It doesn't need to be someone's birthday to celebrate with your faves. Just clean up your island, plan some games, and head to Dodo Airlines and let your mates know about the invite-only event that's happening at your place! You can have eight people on an island at one time, which is more than enough to get the party started.

8. Wear matching outfits with your besties!

Emma / @emmacharIotte19

You can use existing codes or create your own custom outfits — so if you wanted to make a T-shirt with your mate's face on it and then...show up to his birthday party! We've got you covered! The possibilities are endless, but look at how cute those dungarees are!

9. Take things one step further and show off your unique ~lewks~ by hosting a fashion show.

Nintendo

Set a theme and create tributes to your favourite movies and celebs, or use the real-life catwalk for inspo — eat your heart out, Fashion Week!

10. Have fishing tourneys and bug-offs together!

Nintendo

We all know that entering a tournament is fun, but a tournament with friends takes things to the next level. Not only do you get to play along together, but you also get bonus points. Win!

11. And if you can't all play at the same time, stay connected by sending them a cute little letter!

Nintendo

Since you're playing in real time, your mates might not be on when you're having your own island adventure. But if you head to Orville's desk, you can send your friends notes and gifts to tell them you're thinking of them! I mean, who doesn't love getting mail?!

Animal Crossing is a fun, wholesome game for everyone to play and even more enjoyable with friends! Take a break and connect with your faves by playing Animal Crossing New Horizons on Nintendo Switch. You can find more information here.