Animal Crossing: New Horizons glitch lets you hide the UI whenever you want

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Ever wish you could enjoy the ambience of your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island without all the UI bits in the corners? An easy little glitch will enable the HUD-free vibes you seek.

The glitch uses your NookPhone's photo app, which automatically hides your user interface when you take pictures. The UI only disappears for a split second in normal operation, but you can extend it out for as long as you need. Here's a video showing how to make it happen.

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All you need to do to replicate the glitch yourself is open your camera app, then hit the "+" button to take a picture immediately after. If you did it right, the UI will remain hidden and you'll still be able to move the camera around, zoom in or out, apply filters, and make your character do Reactions as normal. Be sure to hit "+" right after opening the app - it can't be at the same time, and it can't be too long after. It took me a few tries to get the timing down right.

Once you're done, hit B a couple times to exit the camera app and everything will go back to normal. It's fun to set up live shots of your island's scenery, though you could also use it to create cinematic video clips with the Switch's share function.

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The creative applications for this could be endless. I hope they start using this for Animal Talking, that unofficial New Horizons talk show hosted by Rogue One screenwriter Gary Whitta. I also hope that if Nintendo patches this glitch out, it also adds a built-in feature to replicate the results.

While you're planning out your perfect in-game movie, you can use this fan-made Animal Crossing: New Horizons island planner to make sure you have the layout just right. 

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.