Feeling burnt out or overwhelmed after playing Animal Crossing? You’re not alone. A lot of ACNH players are feeling the effects of fatigue from the responsibilities and daily tasks of island life.
From the need to attain perfection to wanting to complete the game, most of us experience burnout from time to time. But if you’re looking to reduce the burnout and find your love for the game again, we’ve got you!
How do you stop burnout in Animal Crossing?
Prioritize tasks you enjoy
Sometimes the responsibilities of everyday island life can become overwhelming (just like in our physical life!). Rather than going through the motions and checking off tasks from your daily routine to-do list, step back from responsibility and only do the things you like!
Whether it’s fishing, collecting rare DIYs, or visiting Mystery Islands from the airport or Kapp’n’s boat, taking part in the activities you actually love doing in Animal Crossing can bring back your spark for the game.
The moment a task feels overwhelming or stale, divert your attention to another part of island life that’s more fun!
Slow down your gameplay
Animal Crossing has always been a slow game; the point was never to race through it to get that five-star island, complete your list of collected bugs & fish or become best friends with your favorite villagers in record time – it’s always been about enjoying the journey.
There’s a reason that certain NPCs only show up once a week (or in the case of Redd, whenever they feel like it!) – it’s to slow your play, keeping the steady pace of island life.
Time traveling, playing for hours on end without a break, and trying to complete countless tasks in the quickest time possible defeat the point. Games are a form of entertainment, so take the slow route and enjoy each moment and detail of Animal Crossing gameplay.
From a picturesque sunset to the brightness of a shooting star mid-prayer, there are beautiful moments sprinkled throughout Animal Crossing gameplay if you take the time to notice and enjoy them.
Take a break from playing ACNH
Sometimes, the best medicine is rest. There’s no harm in taking a break from play. Remember there’s a life outside in the physical world: there’s beauty in sunrises, sunsets, and small moments, just like in Animal Crossing!
Get some fresh air, take the time you need, and come back to the game when (and only when) you feel renewed and ready to plunge back into island life.
Take a break from island comparisons
Whilst social media has brought players together in their love for their game, it’s also created a space where island comparison and envy are all too accessible.
Remember that your island is yours. It’s yours to create, design, and nurture. You don’t have to follow any rules or themes, you can have no theme if you want!
So rather than trying to get the perfect cottage core-themed aesthetic or tropical island vibe, look at your island and plan it to be your dream island.
Whether that’s full of cedar trees, void of trees, or chocked full of every fruit tree the game has to offer – your island is yours, so take the pressure off of yourself and create it in your image.
Connect with other players
Animal Crossing was created with connection at its heart, so use these sociable features of the game to reduce burnout.
Playing as part of a community can be a lot more fulfilling than playing in isolation. Motivating each other through plateaus, sharing DIYs / trading, and finding fun in the game during periods of burnout are all part and parcel of the joint experience.
Stop aiming for perfection
In many ways, ACNH simulates a second life, albeit one lived on a faraway island with animals as neighbors. As is the case with regular, physical life, striving for perfection can become an unattainable, miserable task.
Putting pressure on yourself to design the perfect island, have the most bells, or make the most friends can become an all-encompassing feat that sucks the fun out of the game. Rather than giving perfection so much power, go back to basics.
Remember why you’re playing the game: for fun!
It’s not about “beating” the game or living the “best” life on your island; the game is what you make of it! So remove the external pressures of what is “expected” or “right” and play how you want to play.
Remember that games get old
If you’ve wondered whether Animal Crossing will ever get boring, the answer is simple:
Yes.
One day we’ll all get tired of this game. That day might be tomorrow or 5 years from now, but it will happen. Our expectations of games, their stories, and their features will increase, and our current games will become tired and stale.
There will probably be newer versions of an Animal Crossing game in years to come, but it will be a while – most likely when a new console is released – until that day comes. Nintendo confirmed that November 2021’s 2.0 update was the last of the major free & paid updates, so we shouldn’t expect any more significant arrivals or additional features.
We’ll naturally ask and expect more from game developers as tech progresses, but rather than holding onto our games with a white-knuckled grip, let’s enjoy them to the fullest now so we can eventually remember them with nostalgia and warmth (like we do with Animal Crossing: New Leaf).
A word of caution: don’t flatten your island!
You might be looking for a fresh start, or to do something impulsive to get your spark back for the game… but whatever you do:
DON’T. FLATTEN. YOUR. ISLAND.
You’ll increase your workload and sense of responsibility, isolating you from social activities (whether that’s with in-game neighbors or friends from islands afar)!
How to deal with Animal Crossing: New Horizons burnout
As the age-old cliche says, it’s about the journey, not the destination, and Animal Crossing is much the same.
There are many parallels between our physical life and Animal Crossing, so approaching them both with the same eyes can do you the world of good.
To get that spark back for the game, try to reduce your sense of responsibility and engage in tasks you genuinely find enjoyable.
Remember that at the end of the day, it’s a game; when you’re not having fun it’s time to put the Switch down, take an Animal Crossing break, and go find enjoyment in the physical world.
When you return, your villagers will be there waiting for you with open arms when you get back!