As fun as animal crossing can be, sometimes time is just not enough.
So if you’re curious about how you can change the time on your island, let me borrow some of your time (heh) and guide you to the hows and whats, and do’s and don’ts of time traveling.
It might be a little intimidating, but rest assured, it’s as easy as getting sea bass!
Quick Links
Steps for Time Traveling or “TT” in Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing has a clock system that uses your real-time. That means your game syncs with your Nintendo Switch’s time.
To change that, we only have to tinker with your game console’s settings a bit.
Step 1: Go to System Settings
In the home menu, you can see several icons under your row of games. Go to the little gear icon to access your System Settings.
Step 2: Scroll Down to System and Go to Date and Time
There’s a long list of System Settings menus on the left of the screen. But what we need, the System menu is at the bottom of the list.
Go all the way down and select it. It will show you a lot of important settings and features, like System Update and Language, but what we need is Date and Time, which is a little further down.
Step 3: Change Date and Time
We’re almost there! Turn off Synchronize Clock via Internet first in the Date and Time settings. If you want to easily change back to your current time, you can switch it on later.
After that, select Date and Time and change it to the date you like.
And that’s about it. The power of (ACNH) time is now in your hands!
Consequences of Time Traveling
Now that you can bend time in Animal Crossing, what are the repercussions of this? Let’s see how it can affect your game.
Can You Get Banned for Time Traveling?
To start off, no, you will not get banned in the game for time traveling.
Game director Aya Kyogoku and producer Hisashi Nogami have stated that the ideal way to play the game is by staying in your time. However, there are no rules against time traveling.
Is It Safe? What About Turnips and Weeds?
Don’t worry, your game won’t get buggy, but you might want to keep an eye on your turnips and island aesthetics.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Turnips can spoil when you go back in time. Even only going back a couple of hours can rot them instantly.
However, time-traveling forward within the week of buying turnips is okay, as long as you don’t time skip to next Sunday. Learn from my mistakes!
If you’re also concerned with weeds and random flowers popping up, keep in mind that you might find a lot of them after time traveling.
Weeds and flowers sprout every now and then, and for a well-gardened island, it helps to get rid of the random ones every day.
But if you’re skipping weeks or months due to time travel, they will accumulate without daily maintenance, and you’ll end up with them overtaking your island!
Is It Cheating?
The ACNH community continues to be divided about this, but it all boils down to personal preference and how you play the game.
Just be kind to your fellow players, no spoiling, and have fun!
Benefits of Time Traveling
Now that we know how to do it and what can happen when we time travel, let’s have a quick look at some of the uses and reasons why players time travel in the game.
Missed Events
Life can get pretty busy, and you might even end up missing your own birthday in the game!
Some players can’t play during the day as well, and it’s no fun if the shops are closed, and your villagers are deep in sleep already.
Getting Resources
Some crafting recipes require a lot of resources, and your rocks and trees can only provide a limited number of materials a day.
Time traveling to another day can reset the materials your rocks and trees can give.
Skipping Wait Times
A lot of actions in the game require waiting time, like setting up a bridge, moving houses, breeding flowers, and having a villager move out.
Getting Rid of a Villager
Speaking of a villager moving out, it might take a while for a villager to entertain the idea of leaving your island for good.
If you want to kick out a villager, you might have to keep jumping in time and hope that the speech bubble they have on them means they want to talk to you about leaving.
Campsite Luck
Jumping to days that the campsite gets a visitor might spawn your favorite villager! It involves a lot of patience, however.
Taking a Peek at Future Events
Some players are just super curious about future events in the game, and they will time travel to get event-themed items and recipes.
Armed with this knowledge, you should now be able to time travel responsibly and without any worries!
Remember your turnips, respect other players, and you should be good. Best of luck, time traveler!