How to Save in Animal Crossing

Saving a game doesn't have to be confusing—here's how to do it

By
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Senior News Editor, Fact Checker
  • Western Kentucky University
  • Gulf Coast Community College
Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.
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Updated on September 3, 2021
Reviewed by
Kayla Dube
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Reviewed by Kayla Dube
  • J. Everette Light Career Center
Kayla Dube has 4+ years' experience in videography and filmmaking. She frequently works in production with indie film companies.
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Game Play

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a relaxing game that lets you build your island paradise. However, it's time-consuming to create an island, and it's not entirely clear how to save the game (so you don't lose all your hard work). This article walks you through saving on ANCH and discusses the autosave feature.

How to Save on 'Animal Crossing: New Horizon'

If you've spent any time playing ANCH, you've likely already noticed there are no settings to tweak and no apparent way to save your game manually. If that gives you hives, we understand. But don't panic just yet. There is a way to save your game manually, and it's easier than you think.

When you're ready to save your game, all you need to do is press the — (minus) button on your left controller. When you do, the game will prompt you with a message like: "Are you ready to call it a day?" or "Ready to wrap things up for now?" Select Save and end or Yes to save and quit the game.

The saving dialog on ANCH.

The next time you open your Animal Crossing game, you'll start back at your home, and you won't lose any of your progress. But there are a couple of things to know about saving manually in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

  • You won't be able to save when you have friends visiting your island. You must wait for your visitors to leave before you can save. However, if your save menu is open, your friends can't leave, so you'll want to avoid having the save menu open while you have visitors.
  • You can't save without closing the game. You can reopen it immediately if you want, but you will need to close the game to save manually.

Have Animal Crossing: New Horizons Save Automatically

If you're not ready to quit the game, don't feel like you have to save continually. ANCH has an autosave feature you don't even have to activate. It just saves periodically the whole time you're playing. You may notice it's saving if you're watching your screen closely. If a save action is happening, you'll see a circular icon in the corner as its way of showing you.

The saving indicator on Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

If you are a creature of habit, you can manually save at the end of each playing session, though, so you're sure you're ready to go the next time you log onto your island.

FAQ
  • How do you add friends in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

    To become friends with others in Animal Crossing, go into Dodo Airlines and speak to Orville behind the desk. Tell him you want visitors. Then, after your buddies come to your island, you can go into the Nook app and select Best Friends List > select the player's name > Ask to Be Best Friends.

  • How do you swim in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

    If you want to go swimming in Animal Crossing, you need a wetsuit. You can get one from the terminal inside Resident Services. Once you're dressed for the occasion, head to the water and press A to jump in.

  • What is a bell voucher in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

    A bell voucher is a special item that turns Nook Miles into bells. You can buy bell vouchers from the terminal in Resident Services. One ticket costs 500 Nook Miles and is worth 3,000 bells when you sell it in the shop.

  • How to get turnips in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

    Daisy Mae sells turnips every Sunday morning. But, she only starts showing up after you unlock Nook's Cranny. She wanders the island, so you may have to explore a bit to find her.

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