Fan-made Animal Crossing site makes sharing designs easy

And someone's created a companion app for fishing.

News by Emma Kent Former Intern and Reporter

Updated on March 31, 2020

You're a few days in, the Able Sisters have set up shop, and it's time to get some fancy threads in your Animal Crossing: New Horizons town. But where can you find new custom designs?

If you want to download some lovely designs into your game, chances are you'll be looking through Twitter and Reddit for ideas. New Horizons allows players to upload their work and share it via codes - but there's no official database either in-game or online allowing players to browse through everything and select designs they like. So, naturally, a fan is here to help.

Last night Reddit user plump_tomato shared their work-in-progress database called Nookpedia, and it's already received a significant amount of attention. Users can upload screenshots of their codes and name their designs so other users can find them with the search bar and filters. And, if you want a complete lucky dip, you can simply browse through the custom design pages until you find something you like. I've already spotted several stylish Mulan pieces, and contributed my own Fire Emblem: Three Houses Dimitri cosplay.

The database has been so popular, in fact, that the site has been struggling to keep up with demand - but seems to be working again after the owner upgraded the server.

"I figured that now would be a good time to post this as everyone is starting to unlock the Able Sisters", plump_tomato explained. "I didn't know this was going to blow up so quick."

As a word of caution, I was able to upload a design to the database almost instantly - so there's a chance a few NSFW designs could end up on there before being taken offline. A little bit of fiddling is also required to get upload a screenshot, as you'll have to upload from Switch to either Facebook or Twitter, then save the image to upload on Nookpedia. The website is currently fairly basic, but it seems like the design will get better over time, as plump_tomato is working on features such as the ability to save favourites.

Meanwhile, if you're still searching for that sturgeon, there's an app for that. ACNH Travel Guide is an unofficial companion app to the game which allows players to easily look up fish, bugs and fossils - including where to find them. You can also keep tabs on your own progress by entering which critters you've found, and look up which ones you still need to find this season.