Unchangeable Features | ACNH - Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)

This is a list of unchangeable elements of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which cannot be altered after you begin your save game. If you want to get an idea of what type of things are irreversible after starting Animal Crossing, please read on!

List of Unchangeable Features

Your Name Cannot Be Changed

Your character's name cannot be changed after it is set.

Your Birthday Cannot Be Changed

Your character's birthday cannot be changed after it is set. Birthdays are celebrated in-game, so you may want to set it to your actual birthday.

You Can Only Choose Your Hemisphere Once

One of the first choices you have to make is which hemisphere you will live in. You will not be able to change this later on in the game. This affects a variety of factors in the game, such as the appearance of seasons and what times of year Bugs and Fish appear in, so think hard about which hemisphere you want so that you don't regret it later!

Which Hemisphere Should You Choose?

You Cannot Move Resident Services

The facility where you can sell items and pay back your loan, Resident Services, cannot be changed. Although you are able to move placed Facilities such as the Museum and the Tailor Shop, the location of Resident Services cannot be changed from its initial position.

When you choose an Island at the start of the game, the choices will show the location of Resident Services as well, so make sure to choose an island with a good placement.

How to Choose the Best Island Layout

The Airport's Location and Color Cannot Be Changed

The airport's location will be permanently fixed after you start your game. If you have somewhere in particular that you'd like it, make sure to check its location when choosing the island's shape, as it will be visible on the maps of the island you select at the start of the game.

In addition, the Airport's color is randomly determined from the following options.

If there's a particular color of airport you'd prefer for your island to fit your ideal color scheme, it might be worth it to restart your game to try to get your favorite Airport color.

Your Starting Fruit

The starting fruit is whatever fruit is growing on your island in the beginning of the game, and it cannot be changed, or chosen by you.

As fruits other than your starting fruit can be sold for a higher price, we recommend getting a different starting fruit from your friends. This will allow you to visit each others' items and collect all the fruits; this won't be possible if you have have the same starting fruit.

How to Get All Fruits

You Cannot Change Your Island's Name

Once you've chosen your island's name during the introductory part of the game, you won't be able to change it again. Be sure to choose something you'll be happy to see time and time again, like one of our side-splitting puns!

Our Favorite Island Names

Estuary and Beach Shapes Cannot Be Changed

Though you will eventually be able to change the shapes of rivers and cliffs, you will not be able to change the shape of estuaries and beaches. Make sure you choose your ideal shapes, when you choose your island layout.

List of Changeable Features

Houses and Facilities

Although it will cost a sizeable chunk of cash, it's possible to change the locations of any building which you previously placed. This includes both yours and other Villagers' houses, as well as all Facilities other than Resident Services and the Airport.

What You Can Do After Upgrading Resident Services

Costs to Move Houses and Facilities

Your Face and Hairstyle Can Be Changed with the Right Item

For the first time in any game in the series, New Horizons allows you to use a Dresser Item in order to change your character's face freely, even after the game has started.

Since you can customize your character as you go, feel free to mess around with your face and find the one you like best!

How to Change Your Face and Hair

You Can Change Your Island's Shape

Through a new feature called Island Designer, you will be able to make paths as you please, and even build new rivers or cliffs. However, this feature is unlocked very late in the game, meaning that you shouldn't count on being able to reshape your island right away.

How to Use the Island Designer App

List of Unchangeable Features in Past Titles

All Grass is Triangular

In previous games in the series, the grass had a triangular or circular pattern depending on the island, which was set permanently at the start of the game and could not be reversed without restarting the save file. In New Horizons, however, the grass on all islands in triangular. There's no reason to try resetting your game to get a different grass pattern.

Piles of Snow Change Grass Shape to Round

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When enough snow has covered the grass, you will see the grass as patterns of round shapes on the snow.

Related Guides

All Tips & Tricks

Beginner Guides
Beginner's Guide to Animal Crossing New Horizons	Unchangeable Features
Choosing a Hemisphere	Best Island Layouts
What Should You Choose to Bring to the Island?	Picking an Island Name
Best Tent Location	How to Cross Rivers and Waters
How to Get Furniture and Materials for House Kits	How to Climb Cliffs