Bug

"I caught all the bugs! What do I do with this net now?"

- player

Bugs, also known as insects, are collectible creatures in the that can be caught with a Net. They can be donated to the museum (much to the dismay of Blathers), sold, placed in the player's home as a piece of furniture, or, only in, given to Flick to create models. Bugs can be found in various locations, including on and inside trees, on the ground, flying, on tree stumps, on flowers, on and underneath rocks, and on freshwater. Most bugs will be scared away if the player gets too close to them, with certain bugs (most notably rarer bugs) being scared away much more easily, requiring the player to slowly approach them with their net.

A large amount of bugs will only emerge during the summer months, and there are very few during the winter months. The most valuable bugs are the Giraffe Stag, Golden Stag, and Horned Hercules, which each sell for 12,000 Bells in. In all Animal Crossing games, if the player catches every bug, they will receive a Golden Net, which has a larger radius than the regular net, allowing bugs to be caught more easily.

In
A total of 32 types of bugs appear in ; however, because there is no museum in the game, they can only be sold or placed as furniture.

In
Eight more bugs were introduced in, making for a total of 40. Bugs new to the series include the Ant, Bagworm, Mosquito, Mole Cricket, Pill Bug, Pond Skater (later known as the Pondskater), Snail, and Spider. Additionally, bugs can now be donated to the museum. If the player catches all 40 bugs, they will be gifted a Golden Net by Tortimer and a butterfly ornament will appear on their house.

In
introduces another eight bugs to the series, including the Coconut Crab, Crab, Diving Beetle, Dung Beetle, Flea, Hercules Beetle (later known as the Horned Hercules), Hermit Crab, and Alexandra's Swallowtail Butterfly (later known as Queen Alexandra's Birdwing).

In
Nineteen more bugs make their first appearance in, while eleven do not return from , making for a total of 56. Bugs new to the series include the Agrias Butterfly, Atlas Beetle (later known as the Horned Atlas), Elephant Beetle (later known as the Horned Elephant), Emperor Butterfly, Fly, Fruit Beetle, Goliath Beetle, Honeybee, Lantern Fly, Monarch Butterfly, Moth, Oak Silk Moth, Peacock Butterfly, Rainbow Stag, Scarab Beetle, Scorpion, Tarantula, and Walkingstick (later known as the Walking Stick). Bugs that did not return from the previous game include the Bagworm, Common Dragonfly, Coconut Crab, Crab, Diving Beetle, Drone Beetle, Hermit Crab, Ladybug (although the Spotted Ladybug returns and is renamed to Ladybug), Mountain Beetle, Pine Cricket, and Purple Butterfly. Additionally, Alexandra's Swallowtail Butterfly has been renamed to Birdwing Butterfly, and the Flat Stag Beetle has been renamed simply to Stag Beetle. If the player catches all 56 bugs, they will be mailed a letter containing the Golden Net.

A bug-catching event known as the Bug-Off is introduced in, occurring on the third Sunday of June, July, August, and September. During the event players are tasked with catching bugs and bringing them to Tortimer, the host of the event, who will score them based on size and rarity. The ultimate goal is to obtain a higher score than the competing villagers before the event ends at 6:00 PM. If the player reaches third, second, or first place, they will receive a bronze, silver, or gold trophy respectively.

In
Eight more bugs make their debut in, with two not returning from and two returning from , making for a total of 64. Bugs new to the series include the Centipede, Cyclommatus (later known as the Cyclommatus Stag), Golden Stag, Miyama Stag, Petaltail Dragonfly, Raja Brooke Butterfly (later known as the Rajah Brooke's Birdwing), Violin Beetle, and Walking Leaf. The Bagworm and Diving Beetle return after being absent from, while the Cockroach and Stag Beetle do not return from. Like in the previous game, if the player catches all 64 bugs, they will be mailed a letter containing the Golden Net.

The Bug-Off returns from and is largely unchanged aside from it now being hosted by Nat and occurring on the third Saturday of June, July, August, and September.

In
All 64 bugs from return in, along with seven new bugs, and one, the Hermit Crab, returning from , making for a total of 72 bugs. The bugs introduced in are the Cicada Shell, Giant Cicada, Rice Grasshopper, Stinkbug, Tiger Beetle, and Wharf Roach. Additionally, the Atlas Beetle has been renamed to Horned Atlas, the Cyclommatus to Cyclommatus Stag, the Elephant Beetle to Horned Elephant, the Hercules Beetle to Horned Hercules, and the Walkingstick to Walking Stick.

The Bug-Off once again returns and is identical to aside from new prizes, items from the Insect Set. If the player speaks to Nat during a Bug-Off after catching all 72 bugs, he will reward them with the Golden Net.

In
introduces eleven new bugs to the series, with five not returning from and one, the Purple Butterfly (renamed to Great Purple Emperor) returning from, for a total of 80 bugs. Bugs new to the series include the Atlas Moth, Blue Weevil Beetle, Damselfly, Earth-Boring Dung Beetle, Giant Water Bug, Giraffe Stag, Madagascan Sunset Moth, Man-Faced Stink Bug, Paper Kite Butterfly, Rosalia Batesi Beetle. The bugs that have not returned from are the Fruit Beetle, House Centipede, Lantern Fly, Oak Silk Moth, and Petaltail Dragonfly. Additionally, the Bee has been renamed to Wasp, the Birdwing Butterfly to Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, and Rajah Brooke Butterfly to Rajah Brooke's Birdwing. If the player catches all 80 bugs, they will be sent a letter from the Farway Museum containing the Golden Net DIY recipe.

A special character introduced in is Flick, a visitor who can create models of bugs in exchange for three of a specific bug. He can also purchase bugs from the player for 1.5× their regular selling price.

Flick is now the host of the Bug-Off, which has been overhauled since. Players are now tasked with catching as many bugs as possible within three minutes, which can be repeated until the end of the event. Flick will reward the player with points based on how many bugs are caught per round, which can be exchanged for bug-themed furniture, clothing, or tools. Additionally, bugs can be sold to Flick during a Bug-Off for his usual 1.5× bonus.

List of bugs
The following is a list of every bug in the and each game they appeared in.

Trivia

 * In November 2021, Nintendo revealed in a fourth-anniversary tweet for that a total of 16.8 billion bugs had been caught by all players combined between the game's launch and its fourth anniversary.