Friend
Friends are a multiplayer feature in the Animal Crossing series that enables players to visit other players' towns over the internet. Two players can register each other as friends through a 12-digit friend code, and all games before Animal Crossing: New Horizons require having registered friends to visit towns online.
In Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players can register friends as best friends, which enables more communication features such as being able to send messages to each other even when not playing together.
Appearances[edit]
In Wild World[edit]
In Animal Crossing: Wild World, the player could receive their friend code by speaking to Copper at the checkpoint while connected to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The player's friend code is tied to their individual Nintendo DS; playing on a different system requires acquiring a new friend code. Having registered friends was required to visit other towns over the internet.
There is a friends menu accessible from the Touch Screen that shows the player's friend roster. It also shows the player's friend code and the players currently in their town, and it allowed them to enter other player's codes to register them as friends; up to 32 friends could be registered at once. Once a valid friend code is added, the player manually adds the friend's player and town name; when the other player does the same, the two would become friends upon visiting each other. A green circle icon is shown next to friends whom the player has visited, while an orange triangle is shown next to those whom they have not visited.
Following the discontinuation of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on May 20, 2014, online play and the ability to register friends in Wild World is no longer available through official means.
In City Folk[edit]
In Animal Crossing: City Folk, the player could receive their friend code by speaking to Copper at the checkpoint while connected to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Having registered friends was required to visit other towns over the internet, and it was the only way that multiple players could play in a town simultaneously. Players could also send letters to friends via WiiConnect24 until that service's discontinuation on June 27, 2013.
There is a friends menu that shows the player's friend roster. It also shows the player's friend code and the players currently in their town, and it allowed them type a comment for themself and enter other player's codes to register them as friends; up to 32 friends could be registered at once. Once a valid friend code is added, the player manually adds the friend's player name, town name, and comment; when the other player does the same, the two would become friends upon visiting each other. A heart icon is shown next to friends whom the player has visited.
Following the discontinuation of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on May 20, 2014, online play and the ability to register friends in City Folk is no longer available through official means.
In New Leaf[edit]
In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, friends were added through the Nintendo 3DS system software by inputting a friend code; players could also register other players visiting the same town as them as friends. Having registered friends was required to visit other towns over the internet.
While visiting a friend's town online, the player could tap a heart icon next to another player's name to register them as a best friend. If the other player did the same, they would become best friends. Once the player had registered one best friend, a new friends menu would be unlocked on the Touch Screen. From this menu, the player could view all of their best friends and choose to share their online status with them. Messages could be sent to any online best friend, or to all online best friends.
Following the discontinuation of Nintendo Network on April 8, 2024, online play in New Leaf and the ability to register friends on a Nintendo 3DS is no longer available through official means.
In New Horizons[edit]
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, friends are added through the Nintendo Switch system software, either by inputting a friend code or by adding users with whom the player has recently played online in any game. The player can visit any friend whose island gates are open by selecting "Via online play" while speaking to Orville at the airport. Unlike in previous games, having registered friends is not required to visit other islands online; a single-use Dodo Code can instead be used to invite anyone to the player's island.
The first time the player visits a friend's island online, Orville sends them the Best Friends List NookPhone app. This list shows all of the player's Nintendo Switch friends whom they have played with in New Horizons. From the app, the player can turn on or off the sharing of their online status, which can be viewed by friends. Additionally, the player can request to become best friends with any of their friends, which the recipient can accept or decline. Best friends can use shovels and axes on each other' islands, send messages from the Best Friends List app (either to a single best friend or all best friends), and send letters to each other. The player can also open their island gates exclusively to best friends.
Best friends can also be viewed and messaged via NookLink in the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app.
In Pocket Camp[edit]
Prior to the discontinuation of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp on November 28, 2024, players could add up to 100 friends by entering their 11-digit friend codes. The player could view the last time each friend was online, visit their campsite, view their Market Box, or help them at Shovelstrike Quarry.
Any registered friends who were online within the last 30 days before the game's shutdown were converted to Camper Cards if the player transferred their save data to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete.
Gallery[edit]
The icon shown when entering a friend code in City Folk
| Multiplayer | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||
