How to stop villagers from moving out in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Meg Bethany Koepp

If you accidentally told your favorite villager that they should move out in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, don’t cry yourself to sleep just yet – there’s actually a way to reverse their decision in the game.

We all know the pain of having an adored character ask to move out. Luckily, you can deny their request and ask them to stay, but sometimes, a slip of the finger means you pick the wrong dialog choice.

There’s an intricate method to reverse their decision to move out that’ll make your favorite villager have a change of heart, Phantom Thieves style. Reddit user ‘Deenew‘ is the genius behind the method, so kudos to them.

How to stop a villager from leaving in Animal Crossing

Gone are the days of accidentally sending your favorite villager off to another town.

If a character is set to move and you don’t want them to, here is what you need to do:

  • Make sure that you don’t time travel or shut your system off until tomorrow – it needs to be the same day they ask to leave. 
  • Create or load up a second character on your island. If you have to make one, don’t worry as you can delete their house (and entire existence, in fact) afterward so there’s no permanent damage done.
  • Once that’s done, use your second person and run around town until you see the desired villager with a speech bubble over their head. They’ll ask if they should move, and you can tell them to stay this time.
  • You’ll know the trick has worked when you return to your main character – simply walk around until you find them, and they should automatically ping for your attention.
  • The villager will tell you that they’ve had a change of heart and are no longer moving meaning you no longer have to mourn over their departure.

That’s everything you need to know about stopping villagers from moving out in Animal Crossing New Horizons! Check out some other guides below:

How to get an Axe in Animal Crossing New Horizons | Best games like Animal Crossing to play on Switch Animal Crossing turnips guide | Animal Crossing flower guide | How to get Gold Roses in New Horizons | How to get Gayle in Animal Crossing | ACNH art guide | Best way to plan your island layout | How to get Ruby in Animal Crossing New Horizons | How to get a villager to move out | How to restart your New Horizons island | Stop villagers moving out | Animal Crossing New Horizons Villager gift guide

About The Author

Meg was Weekend Editor at Dexerto before leaving us in April 2022.