Animal Crossing: New Horizons - How To Unlock The Island Designer App

You can customize your thriving village more than ever in Animal Crossing: New Horizons thanks to the Island Designer app. This upgrade to your NookPhone gives you almost total control of your island layout, allowing you to create paths, cliffs, and rivers wherever you want. It’s the best way to make your island truly unique, and it takes a long while to unlock.

If you’re a slow player like me, you might still need some time to unlock the last features in the game. You’ll eventually earn the Island Designer app after meeting K.K. Slider the singing dog — but he doesn’t appear until you’ve reached certain milestones. Wondering when you’ll get the all-powerful app? We can help with our quick guide.

More Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides:

How To Unlock The Island Designer App | Terraforming Guide

To begin terraforming your island and placing custom rivers, paths, cliffs and more, you’ll need to unlock the Island Designer app for your Nookphone. The app will unlock after you’ve met a few specific conditions.

You’ll need to build a permanent Resident Services building to get the Island Designer app! To do that, you’ll need to complete the following tasks:
- Build the Museum
- Build Nook’s Cranny Shop
- Invite 3 villagers to your island and build 3 homes.

Once all three villagers are moved in, Tom Nook will explain what he needs to build the permanent Resident Services building.

K.K. Slider will appear after you earn a 3-Star Island rating!
- Make sure to clean up junk, place lots of fences, and decorate your island with a variety of items. The more items — and less clutter — the better!

Tom Nook will appear outside your house after the first K.K. Slider performance. Talk to him to gain the Island Designer app!

K.K. Slider will appear every Friday — unless there’s a special event, then he’ll wait until Saturday. Using the Island Designer app, you can make an island that’s totally worth his weekly concert.