For some, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an introduction to Tom Nook’s domain. As such, you’re maybe not privy to the fact that your island’s development is susceptible to the whims of other residents. Even if you have your own Switch and don’t have to worry about younger siblings sucking up resources and jacking your furniture, sharing an island with a stumpy-legged bird that keeps calling you “Chick-a-poo” may not be a part of your ideal island experience.
It’s also possible that you accidentally let one of your neighbors set up her tent in a spot that would have been perfect for the museum (sorry Blathers). Either way, you can get rid of NPCs and secure your much-deserved peace and quiet if you so choose. If you’re trying to kick your SO off your island, you’ll probably have to just buy them a Switch. For everyone else, here’s how to get rid of those cute-at-first but ultimately pesky villagers.
Stop Talking to Them
Kicking residents off of your island takes some patience (and honestly a lack of empathy). There’s no sure-fire way to get rid of residents permanently, but one of the tried and trusted methods is to ignore your neighbors completely. If you don’t talk to the island’s other inhabitants, don’t read their mail, and basically treat them like ghosts, you may see them walking around with a thought bubble above their head. Now is the time to approach them.
They’ll tell you that they are thinking about moving out and that island life just isn’t for them. You can either beg them to stay or tell them good riddance. If you only want one person to leave, you can keep talking to the other residents to get a sense of how much your cold-shoulder technique is working.
Bludgeon Them In The Head
As it turns out, nets aren’t just for catching butterflies. Walk up to the villager you want exiled and start beating them over the head with your bug catcher. Once they’re sufficiently bruised, they’ll express how angry they are or storm off. It’s hard to tell if this technique actually gets people off your island, but there’s no way it makes them want to stay.
Ask Isabel to Kick Them Off
Once you’ve expanded your resident services and Isabel joins the staff, you can complain to her about other villagers. Every chance you get, tell Isabelle about why the other residents are bothering you. Again, there is no definitive way to tell if this forces villagers off the island for sure. According to USG, it took three straight days of complaining about a specific resident before they asked to leave.
Villagers come and go in Animal Crossing, but they’re one of the best parts of the game. The relationships you make with other villagers and some of the off-the-wall or incredibly thought-provoking things that spill out of their mouths are unforgettable. Yes, some of them may get in your way from time to time, but relationships are about give and take. And, in the end, Animal Crossing is about building a community. If you really need to execute the vision you’ve been calculating for the last eight years, try the cooperative route before you turn into the town bully. Or just play DOOM instead.
