Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Custom Design tools let players express themselves better than the series has ever allowed, creating pixelated art pieces that can be turned into clothing items, placed directly on the ground, or used in a number of other creative ways. The internet is full of impressive Animal Crossing Custom Designs fans have uploaded and shared across social media, but the sheer number of these means it can be hard to find exactly the right one for a specific aesthetic.
Players have gotten progressively more creative with Custom Designs since New Horizons' launch in March 2020, with many finding ways to circumvent the game's customization limitations. After Nintendo introduced templates for umbrella and face cutout standee Custom Designs, for example, fans quickly found unique uses for them, making plenty of creative illusions to add to their islands.
Most Animal Crossing: New Horizons custom designs are fairly straightforward to use and install, but some are a little more complicated in their implementation. The most tedious are custom paths, as they require the player to place an image, tile by tile, on the ground to eventually create a full walkway. Some of the more creative Animal Crossing designs involve optical illusions, placing umbrellas or hats in the exact right position so they look like something they're not. The designs curated below are broken down into uses, giving each template a spotlight.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Best Custom Clothing Designs
New Horizons is full of new and fun clothing, but many fans enjoy the option to design their own. Custom Design clothing gives players the option of layering outfits, adding belts and other accessories, or creating costumes, letting them effectively bring other fandoms and themes into Animal Crossing.
These The Secret Garden-inspired dresses are a perfect addition to any island looking to complete a Cottagecore or a fairytale-themed aesthetic. It's a beautiful green and brown collection that's sure to make players feel like a classy forest fairy.
First appearing in Animal Crossing: Wild World, Celeste is the sister of Blathers, who runs the museum. This adorable balloon-hem dress is modeled after Celeste's red feathers and signature pink bow, for any shooting-star fans out there.
For those looking for something a little darker, these outfits are a great blend of elegant and mysterious. The starry dresses look like the ultimate moonlit stroll apparel, and with a matching coat, Animal Crossing players can feel like they are ready to cast a spell.
This line of cozy sweaters features many cute designs, all complete with cable-knit detailing. From an adorable fox's face to a dreamy moon, there is a sweater for every player here.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Best Custom Path Designs
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Terraforming feature allows players to change the layout of their islands by adding water, cliffs, and paths. The texture options for these paths mostly include different kinds of dirt and bricks, so if players want something a little different, they'll have to make it themselves - or take advantage of the plethora of options online.
For a sophisticated look, this cream brick path invokes the feeling of sitting in a Parisian café. The edges on this stone path makes it potentially great for a flower garden or as a walkway around a fountain.
Animal Crossing players who enjoy Halloween time might find this inky black brick path more alluring. The custom design has versatility in its application, as players can download all eight pieces of the path or just the three single slots that allow the design to be used as an overlay for the in-game paths.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Best Custom Market Stall Designs
A common fixture in any Animal Crossing: New Horizons island is a marketplace, made up of the customizable stall item and various trinkets to simulate the experience of shopping at a farmers' market or the like. Players have come up with all sorts of fun ways to use stalls, from cafés to fortune telling booths.
One of the more unique stall designs out there, this fairy lights pattern brings some whimsy to any market-like environment. Its light brown color, mixed with strategically placed baubles, makes the design look like the real deal.
A common design done very well, this cute Animal Crossing café stall design comes with the added bonus of matching shelves. The blue accents in the pattern pair nicely with the blue version of the Iron Garden Table and Chair.
This black and purple design makes for a great fortune-telling stall. The moon and star additions bring it all together to give the shop a solid mystical vibe.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Most Creative Custom Designs
When Nintendo itself doesn't provide, players sometimes have to turn to the internet. New Horizons lacks certain outdoor items that can make a space feel like more than just a park, and the color options for small, miscellaneous items are often lacking. Luckily, many fans have come up with imaginative ways to use the available templates.
These adorable cakes are actually hats; a common technique among Custom Designers, using hats as a stand-in is one of the most ingenious ways to get a specific design that doesn't exist in the game. Hat designs range from these tasty-looking cakes to grumpy toads that can be hidden in the woods.
Since the introduction of custom umbrellas, New Horizons players have been using the interesting shape to make all sorts of 3D-looking designs, including this adorable flower crate. The purple flower box could complete the look of any garden or farm.
These photo cutouts designed to look like swings are the perfect example of reimagining an item to be something it's not. Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have used these face cutout standees for all sorts of different backdrops, but these serene beach swings just might take the cake.