Dream

A dream is an online feature in and  that allows players to go to sleep and have Luna take them to a static, "dream" version of another town. The player can upload a dream version of their town, which can then be visited frozen in the state it was uploaded in, including the time of year. The player can interact with dream towns by taking items, plucking flowers, cutting down trees, and more, but the actual town is not affected and any items are lost upon waking up from the dream. The player can interact with the town's residents (including villagers and other players) and enter their houses, but most other buildings and secondary areas such as Main Street are inaccessible.

In, dreams are accessed via the Dream Suite, a public works project that can be built on Main Street. While initially absent from, dreams were added in the 1.4.0 Free Summer Update Wave 2 and are accessed by lying down in any bed in the player's own house. Uploading and visiting dreams in will no longer be possible following the upcoming discontinuation of online services for the Nintendo 3DS in April 2024.

In
Once a day, the player can share a dream of their own town with other players by lying down on the couch. Luna will ask the player whether or not custom designs from the town can be taken by visitors; if the player allows this, Wendell will appear in dreams of the town to provide the designs to dreamers. Luna will then tell the player their town's Dream Address and pay the player 5,000 Bells.

The first time the player uploads the dream of their town, Luna will add the town's Dream Address to the player's Town Pass Card. After later updates, Luna will tell the player how many other players have dreamed of their towns. The player may also talk directly to Luna to have the dream of their town deleted.

Before the update, a Dream Address consisted of 12 digits; however, after update they now contain hexadecimal values. All towns shared before this update were removed.

In
After the player's tent upgrades to a house, the player can share a dream of their own island once a day with other players by lying down on any bed in their own house. Dream Addresses are prefixed with DA and follow a similar format to the Dream Addresses from (12-digit number). The player's Dream Address is added to their island map and passport once the dream is initially uploaded. After the dream's initial upload, and upon each subsequent update to the dream, Luna will mail the player a Dream Exchange Bell Ticket the following day, which can be sold at Nook's Cranny for 5,000 Bells.

Besides updating their dream and visiting other dream islands, the player can either delete the dream or set the dream to private, so that the Dream Address does not appear on the player's map or passport. Dreaming cannot be accessed when in multiplayer.

In
To begin a dream, the player must lie down on the bed and pay Luna 500 Bells. They may then choose to visit a random town, input the Dream Address of a specific town to visit, or search for a town. They may then choose to visit a previously visited town or a random town, or to input the Dream Address of a new town to visit. While dreaming, the player may walk around the town and perform actions just as they would in the real world, but their actions will have no effect on the town.

The dream begins with the player waking up in the bed, which has been transported to the dream town's plaza. Luna stands next to the bed until the player chooses to wake up. Players can freely borrow tools like a shovel and axe from Lloid to use within the dream. If the player lies on the bed a second time, they will leave the dream and anything they have in their pockets will be lost.

The player who uploaded the town can be found walking around. When spoken to, they will say their recorded greeting. If a villager that lives in the player's town also lives in the dream town, that villager may comment on how "it's nice that at least you're here!".

Several areas cannot be accessed from within a dream, and houses are the only buildings that can be entered. If the player attempts to go inside Re-Tail, a notice on the door says "Temporarily closed forever.", while The Roost's sign reads "Closed 24 hours.". The town hall is similarly locked, with a notice stating "The town hall will be closed today. Thank you for your understanding!" Main Street is also inaccessible as the level crossing barriers are permanently closed, and the campground is similarly barricaded from being accessed. The bulletin board only displays the town's name and Dream Address, with no other notices being shown.

Custom designs on display in the town, such as on the ground and within houses are always visible. If the player who uploaded the dream chose to allow sharing of their custom designs, Wendell can be found roaming the town and will provide a selection of these designs for the player to copy.

Upon returning from a dream randomly chosen by Luna, the player has the option to tell Luna that they had a nightmare. This will prevent Luna from sending the player to that town again.

In
When the player wishes to dream, Luna will ask them to provide a Dream Address or choose to visit a random island. Unlike the previous game, there is no charge for this service so dreaming is free in. If the player tries to input their own Dream Address, Luna will reject it, stating that she cannot guide the player to their own island "any more than [she] can divide by zero."

Unlike in, the player will not change into pajamas before dreaming, and will continue wearing the clothing that they had on beforehand. Clothes from Wand transformations cannot be worn as Luna also takes away the Wand, and must be taken off before dreaming. Beginning in the 1.5.0 Fall Update, players are able to view a list of dreams they have visited before.

While dreaming, the player may walk around the island and perform actions just as they would in the real world, but their actions will have no effect on the island. As in the previous game, the player will awaken on the bed having been transported to the dream island's plaza. Luna stands next to it until the player decides to wake up, holding an umbrella if it is raining. If the player lies on the bed a second time, they will leave the dream and anything they have in their pockets will disappear.

Lloid does not appear on the dream island unlike in New Leaf and thus the player cannot borrow tools. However, players can leave tools on the ground or on placed objects for the visiting player to pick up while on their dream island. Replacing the functionality of Wendell from New Leaf, the plaza contains a design kiosk that allows the player to browse the island owner's custom designs, including Pro Designs, and take them out of the dream.

Villagers living on the island can either be found inside their houses or wandering around the island. When spoken to, they will provide different dialogue then in the real world, often making jokes on the fact the player is dreaming. All players on the island can also be found wandering around, and when spoken to, they will reference the message in their passport, or if none is set, greet the player with a general "Welcome!"

During a dream, the NookPhone apps work differently, with only the Camera, Map, Chat Log, and Best Friends List retaining full functionality. The Custom Designs app will allow the player to wear their designs, but not edit or display them. If the player tries to call Rescue Service, the Operator will note the "Strange tunnels" and can only drop the player off at the plaza as a result. The Operator will not charge the player due to them not being able to choose where to be taken, though the Operator will complain about this. All other apps are completely unusable.

While dreaming, the player cannot learn DIY recipes, and any items that are picked up will not be cataloged. They also cannot enter Nook's Cranny or Able Sisters, and the message, "Due to unusual circumstances, we will be closed today." will be displayed if the player tries to enter either shop. The Airport can be entered, but Orville will simply tell the player to enjoy their visit, and will not offer to fly them to other islands or allow them to use the card stand. However, the museum still functions normally and as if the player were in another island's museum online.

If the player feels that the dream island violates Nintendo's terms of service this can be reported with the minus button, which will prompt Luna to immediately wake them up.

Official dreams
Several dreams have been created by or in affiliation with Nintendo and have been promoted as "official" towns for players to visit.