How to Increase Friendships

Learn how to boost your friendships with villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Discover the friendship levels and the best ways to get closer to your island pals for special rewards!

Hey there! So, you're looking to make some real pals out of your island neighbors in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, huh? That's awesome! Building up those friendships is super rewarding. Not only do you get to see some really cool exclusive interactions, but when you become best buds, you'll even snag a unique photo of them with a personal note. It takes a bit of effort, but trust me, it's totally worth it to collect those special snapshots!

There are six friendship levels in the game, starting at Level 1 when you first meet a villager.

Friendship Levels Explained

• Level 2: You'll hit this level pretty fast just by chatting with your villagers every day. At this stage, you're still just friends, but you can start giving them gifts.
• Level 3: Congrats, you're now a good friend! Villagers might start trying to sell you items or even give you cute nicknames. Keep an eye out for them running up to you, eager to chat!
• Level 4: Things get interesting here! A villager might ask you to help them change their catchphrase. If you decide you don't like the new one later, don't sweat it – you can always ask Isabelle to reset it.
• Level 5: Best friend status unlocked! This is where the magic happens. Your villager will gift you a special collectible photo of themselves, complete with a personalized message on the back.
• Level 6: This is the max level! At this point, your villager might even ask to buy items directly from your inventory.

How to Boost Your Friendship

• Chat 'em Up Daily!: Seriously, just talking to your villagers every single day is the minimum you should do. It's not just for friendship points, either! You'll often find them crafting cool DIY recipes at home, and you can even earn Nook Miles through the Nook Mileage Program or Nook Miles+ errands just by chatting them up.
• Start Gifting!: Once you've chatted for a bit, you'll unlock the ability to give gifts. If you really want to speed things up with a specific villager, make it a daily habit to give them something nice. For the nitty-gritty on what to give, check out the Giving Gifts page.
• Play Doctor!: Sometimes, you'll find your villagers feeling a bit under the weather, looking all sick. Do them a solid and give them some medicine ASAP! They'll be super grateful for your kindness. If you want more details on handling a sick villager, click here.
• Party Time!: Don't forget your villagers' birthdays! Make sure you swing by their place when it's their special day. You'll get plenty of notice from the plaza billboard and Isabelle's island broadcast. For a deeper dive into birthday celebrations, head over to the Villager Birthdays page.

Want to Lower Friendship? (Or Just Know What NOT to Do)

Look, if you're somehow trying to *lose* friends on your island, here's how. Or, you know, just read this to make sure you're doing the exact opposite when you're trying to be a good neighbor!

• Ghosting Them: Walking into their house and then immediately walking out without saying a word? Yeah, that's a friendship killer.
• Being a Bully: Shoving them around or whacking them with your net? That'll make them upset, maybe even cry! Keep doing it, and your friendship score will take a serious nosedive.
• Gift Wrap of Shame: Giving them trash or, yikes, rotten turnips? That's just plain rude and will definitely lower your friendship rating.