Board Game

The Board Game, also known as the Animal Crossing Board Game, is the main mode in. In the Board Game, one to four players scan an Animal Crossing amiibo figure and play as the corresponding character. The game takes place within a town, and the players roll a die to move across spaces, which have different effects. The goal is to earn the most Happy Points.

Gameplay
Before each game, the players can scan in amiibo figures; players can also play without amiibo as long at least one is using one. In games with less than four players, computer players use the avatar of a player character; this avatar is also used for non-amiibo players. The turn order is then selected, and the player chooses which month to play in, which determines which events occur during the game.

The Board Game has two main spaces: pink spaces and purple spaces. Pink spaces give either Happy Points or Bells, and purple spaces take away Happy Points or Bells. Each game begins at the beginning of the selected month, and each turn is a single day in the month; the game ends at the end of the month, meaning each game has 28 to 31 turns. Players also have the option to set a time limit of either 30, 45, or 60 minutes on the game, and to turn on hints that appear throughout the game.

Each player scans their respective amiibo figure to roll a die each turn, determining how many spaces they travel. When they land on a space, a scenario involving the player plays out, with the outcome either rewarding or removing Happy Points or Bells. In addition to scanning their respective amiibo figure, players can scan a resident's amiibo card to have them appear and roll a special die with only the number that is on the card; each player can only do this five times per game.

At the end of the game, the host counts the number of Bells each player has; every 1,000 Bells awards 1 Happy Point. The player with the most Happy Points wins, and the player can review statistics for each player, including the final number of Happy Points, number of spaces moved, number of pink and purple spaces landed on, profit made from turnips, and profit made from Katrina's tarot cards. After the game, each player's Happy Points are saved to their respective amiibo figure to level the character up.

After the player completes the Board Game for the first time, they unlock the ability to select the month the game takes place in; the game uses the current month set on the Wii U for the first playthrough. After a second completion of the Board Game, the plaza is unlocked, where the player can access minigames. After a third completion, the ability to customize the Board Game town is unlocked.

Visitors
Occasionally, a special character visits the town for a turn, turning certain spaces into special-event spaces.

Cards
Cards are items that give the player a unique ability in place of their standard die roll. They are received from Dr. Shrunk, Katie, and Redd when they visit town; if a player purchases a card from Redd, the card also has a usage cost. Each player can hold up to two cards.

Events
Various events occur throughout each month that change the game for one or two days. Some events only occur in the North American, European, or Japanese version of the game.

Stalk market
Each Sunday after the first week of the game, Joan visits and gives each player the option to purchase turnips with Bells; the first time she visits, she also gives each player 10 free turnips. Throughout the week, the player can sell them on each space, which each have a different price. Each Monday, the host tells the players which trend the stalk market is in for the week: steady, fluctuating, or crashing. If the player has turnips on a Saturday or the final day of the game, they are automatically sold at the space they land on, unless the stalk market happens to be closed on that day.

Gyroid Stamp Spot
On each corner of the board, there is a Gyroid Stamp Spot. If a player passes the spot, they will have one-quarter of a card stamped, revealing an image of a character, and the player earns Happy Points. Once all four sections of a stamp have been filled in, the card can be stamped two more times to add additional elements to the image. Once the stamp is completed, subsequent passes of the Gyroid Stamp Spot still give the player Happy Points. There are a total of 26 stamps, and they vary by month.
 * 1 stamp – 5 Happy Points
 * 2 stamps – 10 Happy Points
 * 3 stamps – 15 Happy Points
 * 4 stamps – 30 Happy Points
 * 5 or more stamps – 5 Happy Points

Board and town
There are eight possible board layouts, with each having different paths. One is chosen at random the first time the Board Game is played, and it cannot be changed afterward.

After the player completes three games, the option to customize the board-game town is unlocked. Before each game, the player can select the option on the GamePad. When customizing the town, the player can invite villagers to move in by scanning their amiibo cards, and spend Happy Tickets on new features.

Villagers
When moving in a villager, the player has the option to build their home on an open plot of land. If the amiibo card has home data on it, the house built will match the data on the card. If the maximum of eight villager houses are occupied, the player can replace an existing villager and house. If a villager already lives in the town, the player can build a new house for them.

Villagers appear throughout the town and in scenarios, and one villager is the host of each game.

Features
Features are similar to public works projects from. They can be built in exchange for Happy Tickets, and once built they can unlock new scenarios and paths on the board. Most features can be demolished once built, but some cannot. There are a total of 30 features:

Characters
Every character with an Animal Crossing amiibo figure is playable in the Board Game. Player characters are reserved for computer players and non-amiibo players, and they cannot be leveled up. Each amiibo character can level up by collecting Happy Points; each level-up unlocks a new outfit and emotion for that character.
 * Lv. 1 – Default
 * Lv. 2 – 200 Happy Points
 * Lv. 3 – 700 Happy Points
 * Lv. 4 – 1,500 Happy Points
 * Lv. 5 – 3,000 Happy Points
 * Lv. 6 – 7,000 Happy Points