how to start over on animal crossing

3 min read 17-01-2025

Starting over in Animal Crossing: New Horizons can feel daunting, but it's surprisingly straightforward. Whether you're bored with your island's layout, want a fresh design aesthetic, or simply fancy a completely new experience, this guide will walk you through the process. This article will cover all the methods, from resetting your island to creating a brand new profile. Let's dive in!

Understanding Your Options: Resetting vs. New Profile

Before you begin, it's crucial to understand the two main ways to start over: resetting your current island and creating a completely new profile. Both options effectively give you a clean slate, but they differ significantly in what data is lost.

Resetting Your Island: Keeping Your Switch Data

Resetting your island essentially deletes your current island save data. This means your villagers, buildings, flowers, and everything else related to your island will be gone. However, your Nintendo Switch user profile remains intact. This is the best method if you want to keep your other game saves and online profile information.

Starting a New Profile: A Fresh Start on Your Switch

Creating a new Nintendo Switch profile is a more radical approach. This will create an entirely new profile on your console. All your game data will be separated. Your old Animal Crossing island will remain accessible if you switch back to your original profile.

How to Reset Your Island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

This method is the most common way players choose to start over. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Back up your save data: This is crucial! While resetting your island only affects that specific save, backing up your entire Switch's data is good practice. You can do this via a microSD card or cloud storage.
Open your NookPhone: Navigate to the "Settings" app.
Choose "Data Management": Within the settings menu, you will find a data management option.
Select "Save Data Cloud": This will allow you to save a copy of your island data to the cloud if you have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
Delete Save Data: In the data management menu, you can choose "Delete Save Data." This will completely remove your island save file, allowing you to start a new game when you load Animal Crossing.

Important Considerations:

Irreversible Action: Deleting your save data is permanent and cannot be undone. Be absolutely certain before proceeding.
No Undo Button: There is no way to recover a deleted save file once it is removed. Make sure you are prepared to lose all progress.

Creating a New Profile on Your Nintendo Switch

This method offers a more complete break from your old island. Here's how to do it:

Access the Switch Home Menu: Make sure your Switch is turned on and navigate to the main home screen.
Select "User": Located in the top right corner of the screen, this option allows managing user accounts.
Add User: Choose the option to add a new user.
Create a New Profile: Follow the prompts to create a new profile, selecting your preferred name and Mii.
Launch Animal Crossing: Start Animal Crossing and you'll begin a completely fresh game.

Important Considerations:

Separate Saves: All progress on the new profile will be completely separate from your original profile.
No Data Transfer: You cannot transfer data between the profiles.

Planning Your New Island Paradise

Starting over offers a wonderful opportunity to plan your dream island. Consider these factors:

Island Design: Sketch out your layout beforehand. Consider the placement of residential areas, shops, and key landmarks.
Villager Selection: Research villagers whose personalities and styles you enjoy.
Theme: Decide on an overall theme for your island (e.g., rustic, modern, fantasy).

No matter which method you choose, remember that starting over is about the journey, not the destination. Enjoy the fresh start and the opportunity to create the perfect island getaway!