Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the few games that follows a 24-hour format, as every minute that passes in real time is a minute that passes on a player's island; but what if a player were to stay up for 24-hours straight?
There are plenty of critters to catch in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including seasonal bugs and fish, but many are only available during the later hours of the day. For example, the Man-Faced Stink Bug is only active from March to October, between the hours of 7 PM to 8 AM. Theoretically, if a player were to stay up for 24 hours straight, they could make a serious dent in adding some of those seasonal bugs and fish to their museum, getting everything they needed during the day and making the most of the nocturnal creatures as well.
Although Nook's Cranny and the Able Sisters close down until 8 AM and 9 AM respectively, leaving late-night shoppers in the lurch, there's still plenty for night owl Animal Crossing: New Horizons players to do. Sticking around for all 24 hours of the New Horizons day would certainly allow players to maximize their time on their island, though staying up for 24 hours straight doesn't seem to have any special effects.
What Happens After Staying Up For 24 Hours In Animal Crossing: New Horizons
As much as it might seem like a monumental challenge, staying up for 24 hours straight in Animal Crossing: New Horizons seems to have no special effect, beyond likely sapping the player of their energy. It would give them plenty of time to talk to all of their villagers, complete any requests, and check out all of the available items at Nook's Cranny and Able Sisters, but there is almost no in-game effect. The one exception is that such an ambitious player would get the next daily announcement at the earliest possible opportunity, rather than at the moment they first boot up the game. But this doesn't happen at 12 AM, and anyone who simply got up early enough (or went to bed late enough) would have the same opportunity.
While a player's real-life day may metaphorically reset at midnight, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons will likewise move from one date to the next, the game doesn't ascribe much weight to this particular temporal divide. Instead, it asks players to wait to properly start a new day at 5 AM, with Isabelle in Resident Services popping up to deliver her usual daily announcements. Once she's finished informing about special visitors, upcoming meteor showers, or any other events for the day, players are simply set loose in the world again, with the added benefit of store stocks, rocks, holes, trees, and other such resets getting their daily refresh.
While Animal Crossing: New Horizons could use new content to keep dedicated players interested, and self-made challenges like staying up in-game for 24 hours straight won't be realistic options for everyone, those who attempt it will likely come out the other end with their villager's pockets stuffed full of cash (and bragging rights) from fish and bugs, and their island looking gorgeous from top to bottom