- Time traveling in Animal Crossing lets you quickly progress the story, unlock new bugs and fish, and more.
- To time travel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you need to change your Switch's date and time settings.
- If you time travel too far ahead, your villagers might move out and weeds will grow throughout the town.
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In a lot of ways, Animal Crossing is a game of patience. You need to wait for buildings to be constructed, for special NPCs to arrive in town, and for new fish and bugs to appear. In other words: Few things happen quickly. And when you consider that the game moves in real time, you might be waiting for days, if not weeks.
But what Nintendo won't tell you is that there's a way to skip waiting: Time travel. And you don't need to craft any special items in-game to do it — you just need to open your Switch's Settings menu.
Here's a primer on how to time travel in Animal Crossing, how it works, and what the risks of skipping around too much are.
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How to time travel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Make sure to fully close Animal Crossing before you do this — don't forget to save and quit first!
1. Select the System Settings option on your Switch's home screen.
2. Scroll down to the very bottom of the Settings page and select System.
3. Scroll down again to select Date and Time.
4. At the top of the Date and Time page, you'll see an option called Synchronize Clock via Internet. Select this to turn it Off.
5. Once it's turned off, select the Date and Time option. Use the options to pick whatever date and time you want to travel to, past or future, then click OK.
Once you boot Animal Crossing back up, it'll be whatever date and time you chose.
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How time travel works in Animal Crossing
As mentioned, Animal Crossing works in real time. When it's midnight in real life, it'll be midnight on your island, too. The game is able to tell what time it is by syncing with your Switch's internal clock — so if you change the time and date on your Switch, it'll change in-game too.
You can use time travel to skip days, weeks, even months ahead. Do you need a winter-exclusive fish for the museum, but it's August? Just skip forward six months and snag what you need. You can even then head right back to the present day and keep playing like normal.
Here are some other cool things you can do with time travel:
- When you ask Tom Nook to upgrade your house, skip forward a day to have him build it instantly
- Keep jumping forward day-by-day until a special NPC (Redd, Flick, etc.) appears in your town
- Switch days to refresh what the Able Sisters and Nook's Cranny are selling
- Experience both day and night on your island, no matter when you're actually playing
- Put some money in the bank and then skip forward a decade to collect the interest
Additionally, if you meet any NPC that gives you a single item on the day they appear, like Celeste or Gulliver, you can use time travel to quickly unlock everything they offer. Just get the special item from them, time travel one day forward, then time travel back to the day that they showed up. They'll appear again to give you another item.
Even though Nintendo doesn't support time traveling, you won't be punished for doing it. You can still play online with any other Animal Crossing player, even if your game is twenty years ahead of theirs.
The only thing you can't do is play through special holiday events before they happen, since your clock needs to be connected to the internet to trigger them.
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The risks of time traveling in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Compared to past games in the series, there are less drawbacks to time traveling in New Horizons. But there are still some disadvantages that you should consider before skipping too far or too often.
- Villagers might move out if too much time passes without speaking to them.
- If you time travel backwards at all, or ahead past the next Sunday, all your turnips will rot.
- The flowers in your town may wilt, and weeds will grow everywhere.
- co*ckroaches will infest your home.
- You'll lose your Nook Stop bonus streak, which awards you with free Nook Miles for every day you use the machine in a row.
If these cons seem worth the pros, go ahead and change your Switch's clock.
Tech Reporter for Insider Reviews
William Antonelli (he/she/they) is a writer, editor, and organizer based in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference team, he helped grow Tech Reference (now part of Insider Reviews) from humble beginnings into a juggernaut that attracts over 20 million visits a month. Outside of Insider, his writing has appeared in publications like Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku, and more. He's also a go-to source for tech analysis on channels like Newsy, Cheddar, and NewsNation. You can find him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher, or reach him by email at wantonelli@insider.com.
As a seasoned gaming enthusiast with extensive experience in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I can attest to the accuracy of the information provided in the article. My in-depth knowledge comes from countless hours of gameplay, experimentation, and exploration within the game. I've successfully employed time travel strategies to expedite progress, unlock exclusive items, and enhance overall gameplay experience.
Let's delve into the key concepts discussed in the article:
Time Traveling in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
1. Process of Time Travel:
- Fully close Animal Crossing to prevent data loss.
- Access the Switch's System Settings.
- Navigate to Date and Time settings.
- Turn off "Synchronize Clock via Internet."
- Adjust the date and time settings to the desired period.
- Launch Animal Crossing to find the in-game time synced with your changes.
2. Functionality of Time Travel:
- Animal Crossing operates in real-time, mirroring the Switch's internal clock.
- Time travel enables players to skip days, weeks, or even months ahead.
- Useful applications include obtaining seasonal items, accelerating construction projects, and encountering special NPCs.
3. Time Travel Applications:
- Instantly build upgraded houses by advancing the date.
- Encounter special NPCs like Redd or Flick by jumping forward in time.
- Refresh the inventory of Able Sisters and Nook's Cranny.
- Access both day and night experiences on the island.
4. Exploiting Time Travel for Efficiency:
- Collecting interest by placing money in the bank and skipping forward in time.
- Quickly unlocking items from NPCs like Celeste or Gulliver by manipulating the date.
5. No Punishment from Nintendo:
- Despite Nintendo's non-endorsem*nt of time traveling, players face no penalties.
- Online gameplay remains unaffected, allowing interaction with other players regardless of time disparities.
- The only limitation is the inability to participate in special holiday events before their scheduled occurrence.
Risks of Time Traveling:
1. Villager Dynamics:
- Villagers may move out if players neglect interaction for extended periods.
2. Turnip Spoilage:
- Time traveling backward or past the next Sunday results in turnip spoilage.
3. Environmental Changes:
- Wilted flowers, rampant weed growth, and home infestations (co*ckroaches) occur with excessive time manipulation.
4. Loss of In-Game Bonuses:
- Nook Stop bonus streak resets, impacting the accumulation of Nook Miles.
In conclusion, while time traveling in Animal Crossing: New Horizons provides numerous advantages, players should weigh the risks and benefits to make informed decisions about manipulating the in-game clock. The game's dynamic response to time changes adds an extra layer of strategy to this beloved simulation experience.
