Animal Crossing: New Horizons | How to Host a Pool Party

There is all kinds of stuff you can do in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. A lot of it is even baked into the game! But while Nintendo is releasing seasonal updates and adding more features, players are finding new ways to get around limitations they find. For example, you can have your friends over to your island for things like fireworks shows, meteor showers, and deep-sea diving. But what about simple endeavors like hanging out around a pool?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Pool Party Guide

So, there is a “pool” item you can get in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. But the use of that word is a real stretch – it’s barely big enough for one player despite having a ladder. It’s more of a decoration than an interactive thing. And there’s no way you can fit a group of friends in it (literally!). So if that doesn’t work, and you’re determined to throw an Animal Crossing pool party, what can you do?

Related: Animal Talking Fans Can Now Visit the Set in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Look no further than the more dedicated parts of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons community for answers. Folks have been getting the art of the digital pool party down to a science, complete with custom designs that are spreading as more and more people grow keen to the idea. It’s a little tricky and doesn’t work one hundred percent, but it’s darn close, and it makes for some awesome screenshots and video captures. Just check this example from Twitter out below, from whom the image at the top of the post comes:

Castaways new pool area 🏖 #ACNH #AnimalCrossing pic.twitter.com/loVdTresjH

— chlo 🍒 (@acnh_chlo) July 18, 2020

Most of the designs are made of actual items and objects you can get in the game, but to make larger pools that actually look like real pools, players have been getting clever and making water tiles in the custom design system. There are different ways to do the water, but here’s one popular example many players are using:

Customize your own pool with this “Water Pattern” by @star_sharks https://t.co/632m14jhBy#summer #acnh #acnhdesigns #acnhpatterns #acnhcodes #AnimalCrossingNewHorizons #どうぶつの森 #animalcrossing

— AC Pattern Gallery (@ACpatterngal) June 9, 2020

Other than that, you can have fun with it! One popular idea is to use the pool furniture item like those hot tub corners you sometimes see in bigger pools in hotels and stuff. Another cool idea we’ve seen is making a pool that overlooks a spot where you can dive into the ocean, allowing players to jump off and swim back to the party spot for some verisimilitude. Some super ambitious players are even leveraging the game’s terraforming feature to create infinity pools. 

Have you been using your creative muscles to achieve things in Animal Crossing: New Horizons that the game doesn’t provide otherwise? Do you already have a sick pool party setup you want to show off? Or is this something you never considered and are anxious to try for yourself now? Let us know over at the Prima Games Facebook and Twitter channels!