You cannot evict a villager on command in Animal Crossing New Horizons: a villager only leaves after they ask you and you agree, or when a camper you invite to a full island takes their place. The one method that lets you choose exactly who goes is scanning a new villager’s amiibo at the Nook Stop, because amiibo campers let you pick which resident they replace. Below we cover how moving out really works, both campsite methods, how to make an unwanted villager likelier to ask, and the myths that do nothing.
This reflects version 3.0.3 of Animal Crossing New Horizons on Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Nintendo’s 3.0 update and its three follow-up patches list no change to how villagers move out.
How Moving Out Actually Works
- Villagers always ask first. One wanders around with a thought bubble over their head, and when you talk to them they say they are thinking of moving. Say yes and they pack up the next day (“in boxes”) and are gone the day after. Say no and they stay.
- Nobody asks until you have six villagers. Per the datamined community FAQ, move-out requests only start once six villagers live on the island.
- Some villagers are excluded. Per the community wiki, a villager cannot ask if they were the most recent to move in, the most recent to ask, have a birthday in the next seven days, or are in the middle of having their house relocated.
- Friendship tilts the odds. Per the datamined community FAQ, a villager’s chance of being the one who asks goes up the lower their friendship is with every player on the island, and goes down for each player they are close friends with.
Because the last villager to ask is excluded next time, turning down a villager you want to keep means a different villager gets the next chance.
Method 1: amiibo Campers (Choose Who Leaves)
This is the only method where you pick the villager who leaves.
- Fill your island to ten villagers. With an open plot, a camper simply moves into the empty plot instead of replacing anyone.
- Scan an amiibo at the Nook Stop in Resident Services: choose “Invite a camper,” then “Yes, I do!” and touch the amiibo to the NFC touchpoint, per Nintendo’s amiibo instructions. That is the right control stick on Joy-Con and Joy-Con 2.
- Complete three campsite visits on three separate days, crafting the item the camper asks for each time (per the community FAQ).
- Ask them to move in on the third visit and choose the resident they replace.
Per the community FAQ, campers can even replace your newest villager, who otherwise cannot ask to leave at all.
Method 2: Regular Campers (Random Pick)
A camper who shows up on their own can also push someone out of a full island, but you do not control who. Per the community wiki, the camper names a resident they heard is thinking of leaving, chosen at random, and that choice cannot be changed once it is made. It works if you would be happy losing any of several villagers, and it fills the plot with someone new in the same move.
Method 3: Wait for the Ask, and Tilt the Odds
If you have no amiibo, you are waiting for the unwanted villager to ask on their own. What actually helps, based on the datamined friendship formula:
- Keep your friendship with them low. Do not give them gifts or fill their requests. Friendship with you and every other player on the island counts.
- Build friendship with everyone else. Villagers with high friendship are less likely to be picked, which pushes the odds toward the one you want gone.
- Check the island every day. Move-out requests come through that thought bubble conversation, so you have to find the villager to answer. On the Switch 2 Edition, the megaphone lets you call a resident’s name through the console’s built-in microphone to find them quickly.
Some players move the console’s clock forward a day at a time (the community calls it time travel) to see more move-out requests faster. It works mechanically, but it is outside how the game is meant to be played, and it can spoil turnips you are holding.
Myths That Do Not Work
- Reporting them to Isabelle. No effect, per the datamined community FAQ.
- Talking to them until they get annoyed. Also no effect on move-out chances.
- Hitting them with a net or pushing them. Per the same FAQ, this lowers friendship points slightly, so it is not useless, but the effect is small.
- Leaving without permission. It never happens; villagers always ask first.
- Resetti’s Reset Service (version 3.0). Resetti clears furniture, flowers, and custom designs, not residents.
- Resort Hotel guests. Tourists from the 3.0 hotel are temporary visitors, not residents. They check out on their own and do not affect who lives on your island.
If you only dislike where a villager’s house sits, you do not need them gone. Tom Nook’s “Let’s talk infrastructure” menu, the same one covered in our bridge building guide, also handles layout changes.
After They Leave
Once a villager moves out, their plot sits empty. Fill it with someone you choose using the methods in our guide on how to get new villagers, such as a Nook Miles Ticket trip; the same tickets fuel our iron nuggets guide. While a villager is in boxes, a friend with an empty plot can visit and adopt them. If nobody does, per the datamined community FAQ they drop into a hidden move-out queue and can later turn up on the islands of players you meet online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you kick a villager out in Animal Crossing New Horizons? Not directly. The closest thing is scanning an amiibo villager into your campsite while your island is full, then choosing who they replace.
Why won’t my villager ask to move out? You may have fewer than six villagers, they may be your newest resident or the last one who asked, their birthday may be within a week, or they may simply not have been picked yet. High friendship also makes them less likely to ask.
Can I get rid of my newest villager? Only through a camper. The most recent villager to move in can never ask to leave on their own, but a regular or amiibo camper can replace them.
Does hitting a villager with a net make them leave? Only slightly. It lowers friendship points a little, which nudges the odds, but it does not trigger a move by itself.
Will villagers move out without asking me? No. Every move-out in New Horizons requires your agreement, whether the villager asks you or a camper names them.
What happens to a villager after they move out? A friend can adopt them while they are in boxes. Otherwise they leave, and their plot becomes free for a new villager.