Game Settings

Overview

Animal Crossing: New Horizons runs on the Nintendo Switch family of consoles (standard Switch, Switch Lite, Switch OLED). The game uses a fixed 30 FPS target with dynamic resolution scaling to maintain performance. While the in-game settings menu is relatively simple, there are several system-level and in-game settings that can affect your experience. This guide covers all available settings—graphics, audio, controls, accessibility, language, network, and gameplay—with recommendations for different hardware configurations and usage scenarios (docked vs handheld).

Note: Because the game is a first-party Nintendo title, there are no advanced graphics toggles like anti-aliasing or shadows. The settings are designed to be user-friendly and are mostly about comfort and convenience.

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Graphics Settings

Brightness

• Location: Settings > Brightness


• Range: 0–5 (default 3)


• Effect: Adjusts overall luminance of the game world.


• Recommendation: Set to 3 for typical indoor lighting. Use 4–5 if playing in a bright room or outdoors. Use 2 if playing in a dark room to avoid eye strain.


• Misconfiguration tip: Too high brightness can wash out colors; too low can make night-time fishing or bug hunting difficult. Adjust while viewing a screen with both bright sky and dark grass.




Screen Shake



• Location: Settings > Screen Shake


• On/Off: Default On


• Effect: Controls whether the screen shakes when catching fish, hitting rocks, or doing other actions.


• Recommendation: Keep On for immersive feedback. Switch Off if you experience motion sickness or find it distracting.




Vibration



• Location: Settings > Vibration


• On/Off: Default On


• Effect: Enables HD Rumble when using Joy-Con or Pro Controller.


• Recommendation: Keep On for enhanced feedback (e.g., feeling the fish tug). Switch Off to save battery or if you find vibration annoying.




Camera Shake



• Location: Settings > Camera Shake


• On/Off: Default On


• Effect: Controls camera shake when walking over certain terrain or when a big fish is landed.


• Recommendation: Similar to Screen Shake – On for immersion, Off for comfort.

System-Level Graphics Considerations

Since ACNH does not offer resolution or performance modes, you can optimize your setup:

• Recommendation: For best visual quality, play docked on a 1080p TV. The OLED model's screen makes handheld mode look noticeably richer. There is no performance difference across models.


• Misconfiguration pitfall: Do not set TV Resolution to 4K in the Switch system settings if your TV supports it – ACNH will still render at a max of 1080p. The Switch will upscale, but that can introduce input lag. Keep system resolution at 1080p for optimal clarity.


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Audio Settings





Volume Sliders



• Location: Settings > Sound


• Sliders: Master, Music, Effects, Ambience, Voice (villagers' voices). Each 0–10.


• Recommendation:

- Master: 10
- Music: 7 (the hourly music is pleasant but can become repetitive)
- Effects: 10 (fishing, bug catching, tool sounds give crucial feedback)
- Ambience: 8 (wind, water, footsteps)
- Voice: 10 (villagers' animal sounds are charming)

• Misconfiguration tip: Many players lower Music to 5–6 to hear sound effects better (e.g., the bloop of a fish). Test during a fishing session.




Audio Output



• Location: System Settings > TV Settings (docked) or Handheld settings.


• Effect: Choose stereo or mono.


• Recommendation: Stereo for normal play. Mono if using a single speaker or if you have hearing loss in one ear.




Surround Sound



• Switch System Settings > TV Settings > Surround Sound: Auto, Multi-Channel (up to 7.1), or Stereo.


• Effect: ACNH does not support spatial audio beyond stereo. The game's audio mix is stereo, so surround sound settings will just downmix.


• Recommendation: Set to Stereo to avoid unnecessary processing.


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Controls Settings





Button Mapping



• Location: Settings > Controls > Button Settings


• Customizable actions: Swap A/B, X/Y, L/R with ZL/ZR. You can swap the function of the stick click buttons.


• Default: A=confirm, B=cancel, B to run, Y to open inventory, X for reactions, L/R for tools menu, ZL/ZR for camera rotate.


• Recommendation: Keep defaults – they are consistent with other Switch games. However, if you often accidentally press B when you meant A, you can swap them. Caution: Swapping A/B will affect all Nintendo Switch system menus, not just the game, because ACNH uses system button mapping.


• Misconfiguration pitfall: Changing button mapping in the Switch System Settings (Controllers and Sensors > Change Button Mapping) will globally remap buttons for all games. For ACNH only, use the in-game Control settings. Do not swap A and B using system settings unless you are prepared for the global change.




Stick Sensitivity



• No in-game setting – use system setting: System Settings > Controllers and Sensors > Stick Sensitivity (Normal or High).


• Effect: Affects camera panning speed and movement.


• Recommendation: Normal. High can make delicate movements (like positioning furniture) harder.




Motion Controls



• Location: Settings > Controls > Motion Controls


• On/Off: Default Off.


• Effect: Enables motion aiming for the slingshot and camera control.


• Recommendation: Off unless you enjoy it. Motion controls can be imprecise for slingshot target practice.




Touch Screen Controls (Handheld Mode)



• Location: Settings > Controls > Touch Screen


• On/Off: Default On.


• Effect: Allows tapping to open menus, select items, type messages.


• Recommendation: Keep On – extremely useful for naming villagers, designing patterns, and faster menu navigation. Misconfiguration pitfall: If you turn it off, you cannot use the on-screen keyboard (a minus sign). Leave it on unless you find accidental touches annoying.


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Accessibility Settings





Subtitle Display



• Location: Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles


• Options: On, Off.


• Effect: Shows text for villager dialogue and announcements.


• Recommendation: On, even if you have no hearing issues – it helps catch dialogue quickly when sounds are low.




Text Size



• No in-game text size slider – relies on Switch system font size? Actually Switch doesn't have global text scaling. ACNH text is fixed.


• Workaround: Use the Switch's Zoom feature (System Settings > System > Zoom – triple-click Home button). This magnifies the entire screen.


• Recommendation: If you have trouble reading small text (especially item descriptions in Nook Shopping), enable Zoom. Keep in mind it reduces your viewable area.




Colorblind Modes



• None. ACNH does not have colorblind filters. However, the game uses distinct shapes and symbols for most items (e.g., fish shadows, bug silhouettes). Color is used for flowers, fruits, clothing.


• Recommendation: If you have color vision deficiency, rely on shape recognition and use the Player Search app on NookPhone to identify villagers by name rather than color of clothes.




One-Handed Mode



• Not supported – the game requires both Joy-Con or a Pro Controller. No remapping to a single controller.


• Workaround: Use the Switch's button mapping to place essential buttons closer together, but you will still need two hands.




Hearing Impairment



• Subtitles (as above) cover all spoken dialogue. Sound effect indicators (fish biting, balloon descending) have visual cues – e.g., the fishing bobber splashing, shadows of balloons. No separate visual indicator setting.


• Recommendation: Keep subtitles on and increase Effects volume to 10.




Motor Impairment



• Auto-Run? No auto-run toggle. Holding B runs. You can enable 'Run on Default' by swapping B and A – but this will also swap confirm/cancel.


• Recommendation: Use the in-game "Button Settings" to swap A and B if B (run) is hard to hold. Alternatively, use a Hori Split Pad Pro for larger buttons.


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Language Settings





In-Game Language



• Location: Settings > Language (only available before loading a save? Actually you change language via Switch system settings: System Settings > System > Language. ACNH respects the system language.)


• Effect: Changes all text, UI, and some audio (villager voice lines change language).


• Recommendation: Set to your preferred language. Important: The language of your island name, character name, and custom designs is not changed retroactively. Villager names will appear in the selected language (e.g., "Tom Nook" becomes "Tom Nook" in English, "Tom Nook" in Spanish? No – proper names are the same across localizations, but some items/fruits have different names).


• Misconfiguration pitfall: Changing the system language will affect all games, not just ACNH. To keep ACNH in one language and other games in another, you must change the system language each time you switch games – inconvenient. Consider setting a second user account with a different language?




Text Language Specifics



• Chinese/Korean support: Full text support. If you set system language to Chinese (Simplified/Traditional) or Korean, you get that script.


• Regional variations: Some items have different names (e.g., the "Red Snapper" is "Tai" in Japanese). Not a bug.


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Network Settings





Online Play (Nintendo Switch Online)



• Location: Settings > Online Connectivity (in-game) and System Settings > Internet.


• Requires: Paid Nintendo Switch Online subscription for visiting other islands, Dream Addresses, custom designs upload.


• Recommendation: Keep internet connection active for automatic updates and custom designs.


• Misconfiguration pitfall: If you have a poor WiFi signal, you may experience disconnections during multiplayer. Use a wired LAN adapter (via Switch dock) for stable connection.




Local Wireless Play



• No special settings – just ensure both Switches are within 10 meters and not on different LAN segments.


• Recommendation: No changes needed.




Communication Settings



• Location: Settings > Communication


• Options: Allow voice chat? Voice chat is not supported in ACNH. Only text chat via NookLink app. This setting controls whether you receive messages from other players via NookPhone.


• Recommendation: Keep on if you play with friends. Off if you want peace.




Data Management



• Automatic Save: The game auto-saves every 3 minutes and when you open/close menus. No manual setting.


• Cloud Save: Requires Nintendo Switch Online + enabled in System Settings (System > Data Management > Save Data Cloud). Note: ACNH does not support cloud save backup for individual islands – you can only use the Island Transfer Tool to move your entire island to another Switch. Cloud saving is disabled for ACNH to prevent duplication glitches. Do not expect cloud recovery.


• Recommendation: Regularly use the Island Transfer Tool if you plan to move to a new Switch. Otherwise, rely on auto-save.


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Gameplay Settings





Time Settings



• Location: Settings > Time


• Options: Synchronize with Internet (default) or Manual Set.


• Effect: Determines whether the game's real-time clock matches your local time or a custom time.


• Recommendation: Use "Synchronize with Internet" for authentic experience. Use "Manual Set" if you want to play in a different season or time of day (e.g., night-time when you can only play in daytime). This is not considered cheating by Nintendo, but it's often called "time traveling."


• Misconfiguration pitfall: If you manually change time, avoid going backwards/forward large amounts quickly – it can cause turnip rot if you go backwards past a Sunday. Also, if you change time while playing with others online, your islands may desync. Reset to real time before visiting friends.




Island Backup & Recovery



• Location: System Settings > Data Management > Island Backup (only available if you have Nintendo Switch Online and enabled in the AC settings: Settings > Island Backup).


• Effect: Allows Nintendo to store a recent save of your island for recovery if your Switch is lost or broken.


• Recommendation: Enable it immediately. This is the only way to recover your island (aside from the Transfer Tool). Without it, a broken Switch = lost island forever.


• Misconfiguration pitfall: The backup is not automatic – you must manually trigger a backup via the title screen option "Island Backup" after enabling it in settings. Do this periodically (e.g., after major events).




Resident Representative



• No setting – the first player to start the game is the Resident Representative, with exclusive abilities (e.g., terraforming unlock, event triggers). You cannot change this after the fact. Only one character per Switch can terraform.


• Recommendation: If multiple people play on the same Switch, ensure the person most interested in development is the first to start the game.




Island Name & User Settings



• Location: NookPhone > Passport > Edit Profile


• Can change: Your title, comment, and island name? Island name cannot be changed after creation.


• Recommendation: Choose a memorable name for your island, as it appears in all communication and in the Dream Address.

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Recommended Settings Summary

For All Players (Baseline)

For Performance (if you notice lag/framerate drops – rare)

• Docked: Ensure no overheating; play in cool room.


• Handheld: Reduce screen brightness to save battery and reduce thermal throttle (unlikely but possible).


• No other performance settings.




For Best Visual Quality



• Play docked on a good 1080p TV.


• Use HDMI cable that supports 1080p.


• Avoid system-level resolution upscaling.




For Accessibility (Motor Impairment)



• Consider swapping A and B only if needed (aware of global impact).


• Use a controller with larger buttons (e.g., Hori Split Pad Pro).




For Hearing Impaired



• Keep subtitles On, Effects volume max.


• Rely on visual cues for fish/bug hunting.

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Special Attention Points During Setup

1. Island Backup: This is the most critical setting. Many players overlook it and then lose hundreds of hours after a system failure. Follow these steps:
- Open System Settings on Switch > Data Management > Save Data Cloud > Island Backup.
- Ensure it is enabled.
- Launch ACNH, at title screen press - (minus) button > Island Backup > Backup now.
- Repeat monthly.

2. Time Travel: While not a "setting" per se, the Manual Time setting can cause unintended consequences if not handled carefully:
- Never go backward past a Sunday when you have turnips – they will rot.
- Don't jump forward more than a few days at once if you care about weeds and villagers moving out.
- If you play online with others, match real time to avoid confusion.

3. Button Remapping: As warned, the in-game button remapping swaps only A/B and X/Y function, but these actions are also used in menus. If you swap A and B, confirm becomes B and cancel becomes A – this will confuse in other Switch apps (eShop, Home menu). Only use if you are willing to adjust globally or you exclusively play ACNH.

4. Console Language: Changing the system language affects all games. If you want ACNH in a different language than your other games, create a second user profile on the Switch with that language set. Then start a new island on that user (though you can't transfer progress).

5. Online Subscription: Without Nintendo Switch Online, you cannot access Dream Addresses, custom designs from other players, or visit random islands via the internet. Local wireless is free, but limited.

6. Touch Screen in Dock: Touch screen does not work when docked. Switch to handheld to use it efficiently.

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Conclusion

Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers a straightforward settings menu that prioritizes comfort over technical tweaking. The most impactful settings are those related to audio and accessibility. The system-level settings (language, button mapping, display) require careful consideration to avoid unintended consequences. By following the recommendations in this guide, you can tailor your experience to your hardware and personal needs, ensuring many peaceful hours on your island.

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Last updated: October 2023 – Settings are based on version 2.0.5. Nintendo may add new options in future updates.