11 best tips to help master Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch

Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch just hit its one-week anniversary, and I'm already obsessed with finding the rare fish, bugs and plants that populate the beloved franchise, especially online with friends. In fact, the slow-paced, anxiety-free island life simulator just might be the perfect antidote to the realities of social distancing and quarantine during the coronavirus spread.

I've already dug up a few nuggets of wisdom to make the game smoother and more rewarding as you build your life on the island, and I've added more each day as I've explored. If you're unfamiliar with the series, a little direction can help you navigate the game so you're not just collecting everything you see -- there's a little more structure than meets the eye. 

So here are a few tips and tricks for players of all kinds, whether Animal Crossing is already at home in your Switch or still on your personal horizon. I'll update this post as more tips come along.

Once you put these tricks into action, Animal Crossing: New Horizons will truly begin to open up to you. Keep discovering and crafting, keep chatting with your island friends and most of all, keep destressing while you do it.

Now you know how to jump start your island getaway in Animal Crossing, check out some other tips for getting the most out of your Nintendo Switch and the seven other games you need to play on the console.