Star fragments are the key to creating beautiful, space-themed items. Whether it’s for a star fragment lamp or a zodiac item, where there’s a shooting star there’s an opportunity to get star fragments.
How do you get star fragments in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
There are three ways to organically receive star fragments in ACNH:
- Wishing upon stars
- Receiving them from Celeste
- Washing up on Star Fragment Island
So let’s get into it.
Meteor showers mean shooting stars, and shooting stars mean star frags.
Whenever you see a shooting star, make a wish (keep reading to find out how). A wish is an extra opportunity to receive a star fragment, which will wash up on your island beaches the very next day.
As well as wishing upon stars, you can also receive frags from Celeste, Blathers’s sister. First, you’ll need to have received all of her DIY recipes (like Celeste’s Rocket DIY, which we love!), after which she’ll start gifting you star fragments on her next visit.
But if you want to maximize your chances, take Kapp’n tours until you anchor onto star fragment island. This special island has a constant meteor shower to help you frag farm, but remember to visit between the hours of 7pm and 4am!
So you know how to get frags, but how do you actually wish upon a star?
How to wish upon a star in Animal Crossing
Playing with the sound up makes this task a lot easier as you’ll hear a twinkling of a shooting star amongst the Animal Crossing gameplay music.
Tilt your screen to look up at the sky and, as the shooting star crosses the screen, press ‘A’; this will trigger your character to wish upon the star. When the wish is successful, you’ll see the shooting star get bigger and glow yellow.
Shooting stars often happen in quick succession, so keep your screen tilted upwards after the first star to wish on the following stars.
Remember: you can’t wish upon a star when you’re sitting or wielding tools/accessories. Stand up and unequip-held items once you hear that twinkle of a meteor shower.
What happens if you wish on a shooting star?
So you know how to wish upon a star, but what does it mean once you’ve done it? Well, the following day check your shores for star fragments.
There are three types of fragments, and some are rarer than others. You can receive:
Star fragments (yellow): these are the most common frags, which sell for 250 bells
Large star fragments (blue): these are rarer than your typical star frags and worth a profitable 2,500 bells
Zodiac-related fragments: you’ll receive zodiac frags according to what day and month you’re playing:
- Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
- Pisces (February 19-March 20)
- Aries (March 21-April 19)
- Taurus (April 20-May 20)
- Gemini (May 21-June 20)
- Cancer (June 21-July 22)
- Leo (July 23-August 22)
- Virgo (August 23-September 22)
- Libra (September 23-October 22)
- Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
- Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
- Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
How many star fragments can you get in one night?
There is a maximum amount of star fragments you can get in one night; no matter how many shooting stars you wish upon, the max frags you’ll get the next day is 20 star fragments.
If you have visitors on your island also wishing upon shooting stars, you can expect up to 20 additional fragments to wash up on your island the next day. However, your guests will need to wish on 100 stars in order to get the full 20.
Can you get star frags any night?
Unfortunately not; just like in the physical world, shooting stars are irregular and unexpected.
You’ll be in with a chance of getting star fragments during meteor showers and random bursts of shooting stars. However, even if Celeste is on your island or Isabelle announces a meteor shower when you boot up the game, seeing shooting stars isn’t guaranteed.
Stay aware whilst playing between the hours of 7pm and 4am on clear or mostly cloud-free nights, as you never know when the twinkling sound of a star might glisten through your switch’s speakers!
Do star fragments disappear in ACNH?
Star fragments don’t disappear, but they do only show up the day after you wished on the star; a new day on your ACNH island technically starts at 5am, so don’t leave it too late before booting up the game and picking up your frags.
You will have to wait for star fragments to appear throughout the day. don’t get disheartened if you sit down to play ACNH but see minimal – or no – fragments on your beach.
To minimize the spawn time of your frags, go into a building to help refresh the beaches. Picking up shells after wishing on stars before you quit the game can also help minimize the time you have to wait for frags to span.
Getting and using star fragments
Stay vigilant for shooting stars on clear nights, even if Isabelle hasn’t said there’ll be a meteor shower. You never know when you might hear the twinkle of a shooting star and get the opportunity to receive star frags!
With varying frags up for grabs, including big money bell zodiac ones, it’s well worth your time to wish upon as many stars as you can.
Whilst they don’t disappear, be sure to check your beaches as soon as possible the next day so you can pick up the frags.
It’s as easy as wishing on a star!