clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

How to unlock reactions in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The best way to communicate in-game is using emotes!

If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

An Animal Crossing character stands with a wheel of different emotions around her Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Julia Lee (she/her) is a guides producer, writing guides for games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Genshin Impact. She helped launch the Rift Herald in 2016.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Switch allows players to express themselves using cute reactions.

Randomly, one of your villagers may shout your name and run up to you as you walk by. After doing this, they’ll teach you reactions. The first time they teach you reactions, you’ll learn Joy, Delight, Greetings, and Surprise. After that, they’ll start teaching you a random assortment when they approach you.

To perform an emote, press ZR to open up a wheel menu. You can reassign what reactions appear on the wheel using the X button, and you can open a full menu of all your reactions with the Y button.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has 44 reactions to collect, and there’s even a Nook Mileage task that rewards you with Miles and titles for collecting them.

Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for Patch Notes

A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon