How to Kick Out Villagers | Getting Rid of Villagers Guide | ACNH - Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)

Kick out and remove or replace villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) by time traveling or having a campsite visitor replace them! Read our guide below to learn the best methods for getting rid of neighbors you don't like!

Fastest Way to Kick Out Villagers

How to Kick Out Villagers with Time Travel

This method requires you to time-travel. If you do not wish to do so, then read the other methods below instead.

Step	Direction
1	Choose which villager you want to move out.
2	Skip time 15 days ahead. (Skipping more days will give the same result)
3	Check if there's a villager with a thought bubble above their head.
4	If there isn't any villagers with thought bubbles, repeat from step 2.
5	Check if the villager with the thought bubble is the one you want to move.
6	If not, set back the time to 4:59 AM then save the game.
7	Watch the daily broadcast at 5 AM then skip the time to 1 PM*.
8	Check which villager has the thought bubble again.
9	If it's the right one, talk to them and encourage them to leave. If not, repeat from step 6.
10	They will be in boxes the next day, and will leave the island the day after that.

You don't necessarily need to skip to 1 PM, but we recommend it as it's the time most villagers are outside.

Keep in mind that this method may take anywhere from minutes to hours, as the villager who gets the thought bubble will be random.

Time Traveling Guide

Step 6 can be any time

The point of step 6 is to reset the game and get to the broadcast as fast as possible.

How to Make Villagers Leave Without Time Travel

Talk to Villagers to Moving Out

This method takes longer than the method above, as you do not need to time-travel.

Step	Direction
1	Choose which villager you want to move out.
2	Check if any villagers have the thought bubble, and if yes, check if it's the right villager.
3	If not, check all your villagers again the next day
4	Once you get the right villager to think about moving out, don't stop them and encourage them to move.
5	The villager will be in boxes the next day, and will leave the island the day after that.

Keep in mind that the thought bubble state lasts 3 to 5 days.

1. Find the villager who is thinking about moving

Sometimes, you can find random villagers wandering around outside deep in thought, with a thought bubble above their head.

If you ignore it and continue to check the following days, there's a chance the thought bubble will transfer to another random villager.

If you want to kick out a specific villager, wait until they have the thought bubble. Anyone can think about moving out, regardless of your friendship level.

2. Talk to the villager with the thought bubble

If the villager you want to leave appears with a thought bubble, talk to them to check if they want to move out.

If they do, choose the option that doesn't stop them and encourages them to move out!

Advice	When aiming for a villager to move out, ignore all thought bubbles from other villagers. If you accidentally talk to a different villager and they talk about moving out, the move out thought bubble will disappear and you'll have to wait for it to come back.

Note that the thought bubble doesn't always mean that a villager wants to move out. It can also be other things, like wanting to give you a gift!

3. The villager will prepare to leave

The next day Isabelle will mention that the villager will move out in her broadcast. The villager will have boxes inside their home, and this is the last chance to speak with the villager.

At this time, other players can invite that villager to their island, given that they have a vacant plot on their island.

The day after that, the villager will have moved out, and the house plot will be on sale.

How to Replace a Villager Using the Campsite

The following methods are used to swap with a villager if you already have a maximum of 10 villagers.

Take note that these methods will only replace a villager, and will not let you have a vacant house plot.

Replace a Villager with a Camper

This method doesn't require time-travelling, but you can do so to skip ahead to when you have a visitor in the campsite. Otherwise, you just have to wait for it to happen randomly!

Step	Direction
1	Wait until you get a visitor at the Campsite.
2	Talk to them until they want to move in.
3	If they choose the wrong villager to kick out, reset the game and try again.
4	If they choose the right villager, agree with them.

Replace a Villager Using amiibo

This method requires you to use an amiibo. Unlike with the method above, you can choose the villager to kick out.

Step	Direction
1	Call the amiibo to the Campsite via Nook Stop.
2	Give the villager the DIY item they are asking for.
3	Repeat steps for 3 days. On the last day, ask them to move.
4	Select the villager to swap with. The villager selected will be in boxes the next day.

Tips and Tricks When Getting Villagers to Move Out

Villagers Thinking Can Only Happen Outside

Thought bubbles only occur to villagers if they are outside. It does not happen when they are inside their homes.

We recommend looking for villagers around the time when they are all outside, which is around noon.

Villagers Will Not Move Out Without Permission

Unlike previous Animal Crossing games, villagers will not move out on their own.

They will always consult the player, giving you the choice to have the final decision if they will move out or not.

Even if your favorite villager wants to move out, just tell them not to go when they ask you!

How to Get a Villager to Think About Moving Out

A Villager is Randomly Chosen Over Time

You can easily find a villager with a thought bubble above their head when you time travel.

Our walkthrough team confirmed through time travel that thought bubbles will appear again after two weeks. The explanation is listed below.

Make Villagers Move Out With Time Travel

Time Travel Method
Step	Direction
1	Change the date 2 weeks forward, and look for a thinking villager.
2	Change the date one day at a time until the thinking villager is the one you want.
3	Talk to the villager and say goodbye.
4	If thinking villagers stops appearing for 2~3 days, repeat from step 1.
Additional Information
The dialogue won't appear if events like the Fishing Tourney is happening. It can reappear the day after events and onwards. Villagers inside their homes won't have the move condition. The condition can remain with 1 villager for 2~3 days. We recommend waiting until after you've unlocked Island Designer.

You can use Time Travel to make the move out condition appear more easily.

It's possible to keep changing the dates to give a different villager the condition instead, so you can keep changing the dates until the villager you want to move out gets it.

The condition moves on randomly, however, so you might have to try several times before you get the villager you want.

Bullying Villagers Can Possibly Decrease Friendship

In previous games, you could evict residents by annoying and bullying them. This included pushing them into pitfalls, whacking them with a net, and other actions to decrease friendship.

However, it seems that doing these things will have no effect on a villager wanting to move out. It will just make them angry for a while!

It's also very likely that their friendship does decrease but, again, it won't have any effect on them moving out!

Can You Evict Villagers through Isabelle?

Complaining Does Not Make Villagers Move Out

It seems that discussing a resident with Isabelle only resets the character, removing custom design clothes, removing user-inputted nicknames, and catchphrases (greetings).

This does not make them move out.

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