Deserted Island

The Deserted Island is the primary setting of, replacing the town the player lived in in previous games. The game begins with the player buying a ticket to a "deserted" island along with a group of other NPC villagers. The island bears a resemblance to Tortimer Island of the past games. The island starts with two NPC villagers and no buildings except Resident Services and the Airport, replacing the Town Hall and Train Station/Town Gate of previous games. Additional villagers can move in once the player fulfills certain requirements, and additional buildings like the Museum, Nook's Cranny, and Able Sisters can be built.

The player that creates the island gives it a name, which cannot be changed, and chooses its layout from 4 options. The player that creates the island is named Resident Representative, a role similar to the Mayor in. Only the Resident Representative can build additional facilities in town or move buildings. Only one island can be created per Nintendo Switch system, with separate user accounts using the same save file but playing as different villagers. Up to four human residents and ten animals can live on a single island.