Animal Crossing New Horizons Slumber Island Guide

The recent 3.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons introduces the exciting new Slumber Islands, giving players a fresh space to express their creativity. You can decorate up to three of these islands, either by yourself or with friends, without needing to buy extra hardware. This guide will show both new and experienced players how to unlock the Slumber Islands, customize them, and enjoy them with others.

How to Unlock Slumber Islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

To visit the Slumber Islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you’ll need a few things first. You must have an active Nintendo Switch Online membership and be connected to the internet. In the game, you also need to have already met Luna in a dream and waited at least one day after that first meeting.

If you’ve met all the requirements and updated to game version 3.0, you’ll receive a new message from Luna when you next log in. This message will tell you about a new area you can explore in the dream world.

Once you receive this letter, you’ll be able to visit the Slumber Islands, a dreamlike area. To get there, simply go home and lie down in any bed. Then, choose the highlighted “it’s slumber time” option to start exploring this new dream region.

Luna will now explain Slumber Islands, which connect the game online. Players can create their own island or visit islands made by friends. After this, whenever a player goes to bed at home, they’ll be able to access Slumber Islands using the familiar “time for bed” option.

How to Unlock Luna in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Okay, so if you want to find Luna in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there are a couple of things you need to do first. You gotta upgrade from that starting tent to a real house, and make sure you’ve got a bed inside. Also, you need at least five villagers living on your island before she’ll show up!

If you finish both tasks, you’ll get a letter from Luna delivered to you. The letter includes a special item called Luna’s Bed. To meet Luna for the first time, put the bed in your house and go to sleep on it.

Now, whenever you sleep in your game, you’ll be able to visit Luna in the dream world. But to actually use her services, you’ll need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription and an internet connection.

How to Use Slumber Islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Players can experience Slumber Island by creating their own island or visiting a friend’s. Any Animal Crossing: New Horizons player with a Nintendo Switch Online membership is able to host up to three different Slumber Islands.

You can build your own island by visiting the Slumber Island dream area and asking Luna to take you to “my slumber island.” Choose an available space to start building. If you already have three islands, you’ll need to delete one before creating a new one.

Players can choose to build islands of three different sizes: small, medium, and large. Each size offers four different map layouts, from completely flat to partially shaped terrain. Every island will also include a perfect copy of the player’s home. While the inside of the home remains unchanged, players can customize the exterior and move it around using Lloid and the “my house…” option.

Guests are welcome to arrange the furniture in the house however they like, but the homeowner has exclusive control over the lights and can also use the bird’s-eye view feature for furniture placement.

On Slumber Island, everyone starts with all the tools, furniture, clothes, plants, and landscaping permissions they have at their own island. Plus, you can see and interact with everything other players have brought with them. While you won’t be able to take items from other players, you can still use and play with anything they’ve placed on the island, even if you don’t own it yourself.

Because the island is essentially a dream, you can’t keep anything you find. Any bugs, fish, furniture, or clothing you collect will vanish when you wake up. This means your Critterpedia won’t be updated with new discoveries, new items won’t appear in your catalog, and any changes you make to your character’s appearance will be temporary.

Changing the Season and Time of Day on a Slumber Island

Slumber Island’s season will always reflect the season on your main island and can’t be adjusted. But, you can control the time of day and weather on Slumber Island by pressing the left arrow button on the left Joy-Con.

Placing Bridges and Inclines

Only the host of a Dream Island can build bridges and inclines. To do so, they need to speak with Lloid and choose the “bridges and inclines” option, then decide what to build. Lloid will then show them a list of available bridges and inclines for their island.

Once you pick an option, Lloid will give the host a construction kit for either an incline or a bridge. You’ll then be able to place that kit wherever you want the structure to go on your island. Lloid will automatically build it a few seconds after you place it.

Slumber Islands, just like normal islands, can have up to 10 inclines and 10 bridges. If you want to remove an incline, you’ll need to speak with Lloid.

Using Custom Designs on a Slumber Island

Visiting a Slumber Island unlocks new spaces for custom designs. Any patterns you add will be saved on that specific island, but won’t be available on other Slumber Islands.

While visiting Slumber Island, players won’t be able to directly access the custom design portal. Instead, you’ll be able to move designs you’ve saved on your main island to slots on the Slumber Island you’re currently on. To use a specific design on Slumber Island, be sure to save it to your home island first, then transfer it. Good news: you can still create your own designs using the custom design app!

Adding Villagers to a Slumber Island

One Slumber Island can hold a maximum of 10 villagers. Both the island owner and visitors can bring villagers to the island, but those villagers won’t have houses built there. You can only use villagers who have previously lived on your main island – this includes the original villagers, special Sanrio characters, the new Splatoon squirrels, and characters from the Zelda series.

How to Play with Friends on a Slumber Island

If you want to play with friends on Slumber Island, one person needs to create or select an island to be the host. Then, that player needs to talk to Luna on the island and choose the “invite others” option. From there, they can either invite specific friends or create a “Doze Code.” If you use a Doze Code, you can choose to only allow friends to join, or open it up to anyone – so make sure to select the right option!

When you invite friends to Slumber Island on Switch 2, you can choose between two types of games: a standard game for up to 8 players, or a larger game for 12 players. The standard game is open to players on both Switch 1 and Switch 2, while the 12-player game is exclusively for Switch 2 players.

Visiting a friend on Slumber Island is easy! Just enter the dream and choose “someone else’s island.” If your friend invited you through the game, select “find a friend’s island.” Otherwise, choose “search by Doze Code” and enter the code your friend gives you to visit their island.

2026-01-17 00:09