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Animal Crossing: New Horizons has 417 villagers in its version 3.0 roster. That count, reported by the community-maintained reference Nookipedia, is for New Horizons—not the entire Animal Crossing series. The roster includes 18 new villagers and returning characters; Nookipedia also says 73 villagers from earlier games do not appear in New Horizons.
Below is the scope of that roster and the ways to encounter or invite a villager, including how to invite a specific character with compatible amiibo.
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What counts as a villager in New Horizons?
A villager is a character who can live on your island as a resident. That is narrower than every character who can appear in the game: service characters, visitors, and characters who appear for a separate activity do not automatically count as island villagers.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsNookipedia reports 417 villagers in New Horizons version 3.0. Its count is specific to this game and includes 18 villagers new to New Horizons alongside returning villagers. It is not a count of every character in the franchise. The same roster reference says 73 villagers who appeared in earlier Animal Crossing games do not appear in New Horizons.
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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
For the complete name-by-name roster, use Nookipedia’s New Horizons villager list. Nintendo’s game page describes “over 400 characters” in its Happy Home Paradise context, which is separate from Nookipedia’s exact 417-villager roster count.
How can you get villagers to live on your island?
The available route depends on your island’s progress, whether you have an open plot, and whether you want to encounter someone at random or target a supported amiibo character.
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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.
| Route | How it works | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Mystery island | Use a Nook Miles Ticket at the airport to visit an island; a villager may be there to invite. | Encounter is random, and this route depends on being at the relevant stage of island progression. Nintendo Life’s guide describes the route. |
| Open land plot | Once you can sell land, an available plot may be filled by a new resident. | You need to have reached that progression stage and have an open plot. The arriving character is not necessarily one you selected. Nintendo Life covers plot-based arrivals. |
| Random campsite visitor | After building the campsite, a visitor may arrive; you can try to persuade them to stay. | This is another random route, and the campsite must be available in your progression. Nintendo Life describes campsite visitors. |
| Compatible amiibo | Scan a compatible amiibo at Resident Services to invite its character to the campsite. | This lets you target a supported character, but a single invitation does not guarantee a move-in. Nintendo Support says repeated campsite invitations and interaction are required. |
Nintendo Life’s January 20, 2026 guide says early island progress calls for three new villager invitations. That is progression context for that stage, not a universal requirement for every save or a limit on the full roster.
How to invite a specific villager with amiibo
- Go to Resident Services and use the Nook Stop terminal.
- Select Invite a camper, then scan a compatible amiibo figure or card as prompted.
- Visit the campsite and interact with the invited character. If you want them to move to the island, repeat the invitation and interaction process as needed.
Nintendo Support states: “If you want the character to move to your island, you will need to invite them to the campsite multiple times and continue interacting with them.” The support instructions cover Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch OLED systems. Nintendo also points players to its Animal Crossing amiibo catalog; compatibility varies, so do not assume every amiibo figure or card invites a villager.
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![Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JAzQozLgL._SL160_.jpg)
- 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.
Animal Crossing amiibo have other uses, too. Nintendo documents inviting characters to The Roost and using amiibo at Photopia; those appearances are separate from inviting someone to live on your island. A coffee visit or photo session is not a move-in.
Does every Animal Crossing character appear as a villager?
No. The 417 figure is the version 3.0 New Horizons villager roster, not a series-wide character total. Nookipedia identifies 73 villagers from earlier installments that do not appear in this game. And a character appearing as a visitor or in a service or feature does not by itself make them an island resident you can invite to live there.
Keep Kapp’n’s boat tours separate from villager hunting: Nintendo’s update explainer describes the tours as trips to remote islands, but does not identify them as a method for finding villagers. Similarly, the Roost and Photopia are distinct amiibo interactions rather than resident-recruitment routes.
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