How To Delete Animal Crossing: New Horizons Island Save Data

So much of the charm of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is based around customizing your island. However, like all iterative processes, you may eventually reach a point where everything’s a bit too cluttered. When that happens, the best way to start fresh is to start over with an entirely new island. Here’s how to delete your island and start a new one in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

How to delete island save data in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The only way to delete your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is to delete your save data. Once your data has been cleared, your island will be deleted, along with everything on it. It’s a pretty drastic measure to take, but it’s the most direct way to begin a new island.

Here’s how to remove your save data and delete your Animal Crossing island:

1. Ensure that the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game software is closed
2. On your Nintendo Switch, head to System Settings
3. Open Data Management, then select Delete Save Data
4. Locate the entry for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, then select Delete All Save Data

Once that process is complete, every bit of your saved progress will be deleted. You’ll basically be starting an entirely new game. Your old island will be gone, and you’ll be able to start building a new one in an entirely different direction.

Unfortunately, there’s really no way to reset or restart your island in New Horizons, so to speak. It’d be nice, especially for players who are keen on shifting things around frequently. As things stand now, the only real option is to remove the island entirely and begin anew.

Swallow a brave pill: If you want to delete your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you’ll need to delete all of your save data. Doing so will effectively reset your game, allowing you to start an entirely new island. Your old digs will disappear, but you’ll gain a blank slate in return. And hey: If you’ve got some amiibo cards tucked away in a drawer, you’ve now got a new excuse to break them out start unlocking more content.