Gaming · Advice & Questions · Oct 20

I want to move my Animal Crossing character, but I'm our shared island's representative

Gaming

My sister pointed at the museum and said, "You're not taking all of this with you." I had only said I wanted my Animal Crossing character on my own Switch after moving out.

We share an island in New Horizons. I started it, so my character is the resident representative; she has since done much of the decorating. I thought I could move my house and leave her island as it was. [Nintendo says the representative can't be transferred individually; moving that resident requires transferring the entire island](https://www.nintendo.com/au/support/articles/how-to-transfer-an-individual-resident-to-a-new-island-animal-crossing-new-horizons/).

Both of our original-model Switch consoles are available, but we haven't started any transfer. The old one will stay at home with her. I don't want to treat being the first player as ownership of everything we made, and she doesn't want me to feel I have to leave my character behind without discussing it.

What should we decide before touching the transfer menus? The technical restriction has turned a simple move into a choice about whose progress and familiar place stay on which console.

Discussion

3 community replies

@JulesAfterDark

Pause the menus until you've both described the outcome you want. Your sister wants to keep the shared island on the console staying at home; you want continuity for your character. Those wishes are clearer than arguing over who started the museum.

@MorganSays

[Nintendo distinguishes an individual resident move from moving the representative with the whole island](https://www.nintendo.com/au/support/articles/how-to-transfer-an-individual-resident-to-a-new-island-animal-crossing-new-horizons/). Don't improvise a transfer on the assumption that the menu will split the island the way you originally imagined.

@TheoInTransit

The first-player role explains the software restriction. It doesn't decide which sibling has contributed more or should get the world. That is a separate conversation, and your sister's decorating belongs in it.

I want to move my Animal Crossing character, but I'm our shared island's representative

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