How to show your abundant joy (or misery).
We all want to express ourselves with Animal Crossing emotes. Here’s how to get them unlocked.
If you’re anything like us, you’ve been having a whale of a time running in circles and hitting your friends with bug catching nets in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. What if you want to use those sweet sweet emotes your fellow islanders do though?
How to unlock emotes and reactions in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
You won’t be able to unlock these for a couple days. Here are the steps you’ll need to take.
Step 1: Buy Nook Miles Tickets. We’ve got tips on how to get them quickly on our Nook Miles page.
Step 2: Pop to Orville at the airport for a mystery tour. Once you’re there, you should find a potential villager who you can invite to live with you. After three villagers are ready to move in, Tom Nook will pull you for a chat in his tent.
Step 3: Find spaces for each of the three new houses on your island. Along the way, you should be able to unlock the ladder.
Step 4: After all three are placed, one of your existing villagers will notice you as you walk by. Look out for one of them running towards you with intent in their eyes.
When they do this, talk to them and you’ll be taught the first four emotes and reactions! Remember, if this is happening, you’ll want to avoid entering a building. If you do this, you’ll have to wait around for a little while for your villager to notice you again. Don’t worry though, it’ll still happen!
More essential Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides –
- 1. NookPhone – Animal Crossing New Horizons: NookPhone guide
- 2. Nook Miles – Animal Crossing New Horizons: How to get Nook Miles fast
- 3. Bells – Animal Crossing New Horizons: How to get Bells quickly
- 4. Holidays and Special Events – Animal Crossing New Horizons: Holidays and Special Events calendar
- 5. Feng Shui – Animal Crossing New Horizons Feng Shui – How to decorate your room
- 6. Daily Reset – Animal Crossing New Horizons – What time do new days start?
How to do emotes and reactions
Once you’ve unlocked the first few emotes, you’ll be able to access them by pressing the ZR button. Later in the game, once more reactions are unlocked, press Y when the wheel is up to view an inventory of all your currently unlocked ones.
That’s all for our emotes and reactions guide! You’ll be able to unlock more as you play, and as more villagers move on to your island.
While you’re here, check out more of our Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides – we’ve got advice on farming tarantula islands as well as some more mellow tips on a daily routine.
