Animal Crossing Nook Points explained

Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nook Points — (Image credit: Nintendo)

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there's a rather special currency called Nook Points that you might not know about. But, you don't earn them in-game. Instead Animal Crossing Nook Points are directly linked to the NookLink service within the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app available on Android and iOS devices.

But, once you get your head around how to earn some Nook Points, you'll be able to access exclusive in-game items. And who doesn't want more stuff on their island? As long as you're dedicated to the cause, you could find yourself earning Nook Points every single day. Here's a complete guide to Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nook Points, including how to earn them, what they're for, and how to redeem them for special Nook Inc. prizes.

How to earn Animal Crossing Nook Points

Firstly, in order to start earning Animal Crossing Nook Points, you'll need two things:

The Nintendo Switch Online app for Android or iOS
A Nintendo Switch Online membership

Once you've got both of those to hand, you're ready to begin. From there, just make sure that you sign into the Animal Crossing section - aka NookLink - of the Nintendo Switch Online app each day to earn a number of Nook Points. You'll need to hit the in-app Nook Points section in order to collect your daily points.

It looks like you'll earn 10 per day, but it's not clear yet whether there'll be bonuses for consistent check-ins or events for example.

Animal Crossing Nook Points Prizes

Now that you've started collecting Nook Points, you'll then (eventually) be able to redeem them for some exclusive items to utilize on your island. The selection of rewards on offer is currently quite limited, but if you are only able to earn 10 points per day, it's going to take you a while to earn enough points for all the items on offer. No time traveling options here folks.

Here are all the currently available Animal Crossing Nook Points prizes:

Nook Inc. poster (10 points)
Nook Inc. doorplate (40 points)
ACNH carrying case (60 points)
Timmy and Tommy's photo (100 points)
Tom Nook's photo (100 points)
Isabelle's photo (100 points)

Anything you buy using Animal Crossing Nook Points will be delivered to you in the mail within your Animal Crossing: New Horizons game automatically. You can also buy items multiple times if you have enough points to redeem.

It's not clear whether the range of items will ever expand beyond the six currently available, but seeing as Nintendo regularly introduce new items to the main game it isn't beyond the realms of possibility to think that the same may also apply to this new service.

For more Animal Crossing guides, check out the links below:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons tips | Animal Crossing: New Horizons fish guide | Animal Crossing: New Horizons bugs guide | Animal Crossing: New Horizons amiibo support explained | Animal Crossing Sanrio amiibo cards and items | Animal Crossing: New Horizons flowers guide | Animal Crossing: New Horizons sea creatures guide | How to improve your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island rating | Upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons events | Animal Crossing: New Horizons turnips | KK Slider secret songs in Animal Crossing | Animal Crossing: New Horizons golden tools | Animal Crossing: New Horizons secrets

Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.

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