Custom paths can give an island a softer, more playful look, whether you want a flower-lined walkway, a cozy cottage feel, or a bright route through town. Browse designs in the in-game Custom Designs Portal, or import certain older designs with NookLink. The best choice depends on how its colors, scale, edges, and motif look alongside your island’s surroundings.
Where to find custom path designs
Open the Custom Designs app and use its Custom Designs Portal to browse designs other players have shared. Nintendo’s instructions say the portal requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership; the page reports the relevant update was available on April 29, 2026. Nintendo’s Custom Designs Portal instructions explain access through the app.
Search for a look that fits your island rather than choosing a design by its thumbnail alone. For an adorable path, you might look for soft colors, flowers, stars, stepping stones, or a storybook-style motif; those are aesthetic ideas, not categories or recommendations published by Nintendo.
How to choose a path that suits your island
Compare a few designs before settling on one. These practical checks can help you spot a design that will work in the area you have in mind:
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![Animal Crossings New Horizons - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ErvUL40zL._SL160_.jpg)
- Build your community from scratch on a deserted island brimming with possibility; Create your personal getaway and customize your character, home, decorations, and even the landscape itself
- Collect materials to construct everything from furniture to tools. Then, use what you create to give your island a personal touch
- Watch as the time of day and seasons match real life—even your hemisphere. Each day holds potential for surprises and discoveries
- Get to know the island residents, garden, fish, decorate, hunt for fossils, and more.
- Show off your paradise – play on the same system with a total of 4 people, or play together online or over local wireless for fun with up to 8 players
- Palette: Check whether the colors complement nearby buildings, flowers, and other decorations.
- Scale: Consider whether the pattern looks clear at the size you expect to use it, rather than too busy or too sparse.
- Edges and corners: Look for designs with pieces that appear to transition cleanly where a path turns or ends.
- Motif: Match the pattern to its setting—a rustic look for a garden area, for example, or a brighter one near shops.
- Contrast: Make sure the path stands out from the ground around it enough to be easy to see.
Preview a design in the part of your island where you want it before planning a larger route. A pattern that looks charming on its own may not suit the surrounding colors or layout.
Importing older designs with NookLink
NookLink provides a separate QR-code import route. Nintendo documents importing QR codes for custom designs from Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer; this is not the same as browsing the Custom Designs Portal. Nintendo’s setup instructions use the Nintendo Switch app, a Nintendo Account, and NookLink settings in the game. Nintendo’s NookLink instructions describe the setup and import process.
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- Share Your Paradise - Show off your island utopia to family and friends - or pack your bags and visit theirs.
- Get Building - Experience a robust new crafting system - collect materials to construct everything from furniture to tools!
- Create Your Perfect Getaway - Craft everything from tools to creature comforts as you create and customize your island community.
- Explore Your Island - Collect bugs, decorate your paradise throughout the day, or enjoy sunset on the beach while fishing in the ocean.
- Play Together - Up to eight players can reside on an island; four residents of the same island can play together simultaneously on a single system.
Nintendo lists a compatible smart device, persistent internet access, and a Nintendo Account among NookLink requirements. Nintendo Switch Online is required for certain Nintendo Switch app features, so check Nintendo’s NookLink and app requirements for the applicable details.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Ground placement and online sharing
The available Nintendo instructions cited here do not establish exact steps for placing a design on the ground, how placement behaves across different terrain, or whether a particular path works with a given surface. Avoid assuming that a design’s appearance in a preview confirms how it will behave on your island; check it in the game before committing to a full layout.
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- Take in-game photos of your designs and add them to your portfolio. Show them to other characters and you may get more requests to create vacation homes. Share the photos with other players using the in-game Showroom in the Happy Home Network app and they can tour your personally-designed resort islands or go tour theirs for some relaxation and inspiration.
- Purchase the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise DLC from Nintendo eShop, or download and play it as part of an active Nintendo Switch Online plus Expansion Pack membership at no extra cost.
Nintendo notes that other players may see custom designs and other user-created graphics during online play. Follow Nintendo’s Community Guidelines when creating or sharing designs.
Creating designs in the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Nintendo describes mouse controls for creating Custom Designs in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. That information is specific to design creation in that edition; it does not establish different ground-placement behavior for paths. See Nintendo’s Nintendo Switch 2 Edition page for its edition information.
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