As players recruit or welcome new villagers to their islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it will become clear that they each have a different personality and favorite hobby. Some players will get along with villagers of certain personalities over others, and villagers may also experience conflict with one another as their personalities clash. This can help keep the game immersive and can lead to some interesting stories for players.
There are so many unique villager characters in the game, but they will all align with one of eight possible personality types, and each will have a favorite hobby out of the six possible varieties. This guide will explain all possible villager personality types and hobbies in the game and will discuss villager compatibility based on personality type.
All Villager Personality Types in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons align with one of eight possible personality types. These are:
- Normal
- Lazy
- Peppy
- Jock
- Cranky
- Snooty
- Sisterly
- Smug
Personalities are slightly more complicated than they seem. Each personality type has two sub-types that affect a villager's preferred hobby and vocal tone, allowing for even more unique combinations. For example, a Cranky villager who is sub-type A will like Nature as a hobby and have a normal vocal pitch, while a Cranky villager who is sub-type B will like Education or Music as their hobby and have a low voice.
Personality types affect how villagers interact with the player and with one another. It also affects other details, such as when a villager wakes up in the morning and goes to sleep at night. They also tend to be gender-specific.
Normal
Normal villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons are typically female, have neutral opinions, and are kind to the player. They are sometimes considered motherly and sweet, though they are also self-deprecating and a little obsessive about hygiene and appearance. They tend to get along with most of the other villagers, even those with more difficult personalities. They are typically awake by 6 a.m. and in bed by midnight. Normal is the most common female villager personality in the game.
Lazy
Lazy is the male villager equivalent to Normal. Lazy villagers are relaxed and easygoing, and they tend to be friendly to all villagers and the player, though they may feel insulted by comments from Jock villagers due to incompatible lifestyles and by comments from Snooty villagers who go against their easygoing attitude. They may spend a lot of time talking about food. They also like talking about their "bug friends." They are typically awake at 9 a.m. and sleep at 11 p.m., meaning they sleep longer than other villagers in the game. Lazy is the most common male villager personality in the game.
Peppy
Peppy villagers love to be active. Only female villagers will be Peppy. They tend to be friendly and excitable but also have a tendency to frequently apologize for things they regret doing or saying. They may sometimes infuse their dialogue with typical "valley-girl" words and phrases or French terms. They are also a bit forgetful and change topics often. They are awake at 7 a.m. each day and go to bed at 11:30 p.m.
Jock
Jock is the male equivalent of Peppy in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. They also tend to be friendly and excitable, and they love to be active and try new things. However, unlike Peppy villagers, their interests tend to revolve around sports. They tend to be a little less intellectual than other villagers, following the American stereotype for their personality. They get along with most other villagers and won't get angry easily unless provoked. They are awake from 6:30 a.m. to midnight each day.
Cranky
Cranky tends to be one of the more difficult personalities in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Typically, only male villagers will have this personality type. Cranky villagers tend to be bitter, and, because they are not up-to-date on current social trends, they don't usually get along well with Peppy villagers. They have deep voices and are almost always depicted with frowns. They tend to disagree with other villagers, except other Cranky personalities. They will become highly protective of the player once befriended, however. They are normally awake at 9 a.m. and sleep at 3:30 a.m.
Snooty
Snooty villagers are the female equivalent of Smug villagers and are also difficult to get along with. They tend to be self-centered and sometimes arrogant. They are typically eloquent, have an expensive-looking sense of style, and have ornate homes. They sometimes seem offensive and rude when speaking to or about other villagers and don't get along with most other personalities in the game. They are awake from 9:a.m. to 2 a.m.
Sisterly
Sisterly villagers are female villagers who care deeply for the player. There will always be a starting villager with this personality trait on a player's island. Sisterly villagers are a bit mischievous, very blunt, and sometimes rude. They are often less worried about their appearance than Snooty or Peppy villagers and don't tend to get along with Cranky or Snooty villagers. Some Public Works Projects can only come from Sisterly villagers. They stay up rather late; they are awake at 11 a.m. and don't sleep until 3 a.m. They are currently the least common villager personality type in the game.
Smug
Smug villagers are all male and tend to be very polite and gentlemanly, not unlike Snooty villagers. They are lively and kind, but they can often come across as conceited. They don't tend to get along well with cranky, jock, and sisterly villagers, though there are exceptions. They may occasionally flirt with the player as well.
All Villager Hobbies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Each villager in the game has a favorite hobby, which they will often be found doing. The six primary hobbies in the game are:
- Education: Villagers like to read and can often be found with their faces buried in a good book.
- Fashion: Villagers frequently visit the Able Sisters and make comments about what the player is wearing.
- Fitness: Villagers like to work out, play sports, or stretch at home and around the island. They may also talk about fitness to the player.
- Music: Villagers like to sing, either their favorite song or whatever is currently playing nearby.
- Nature: Villagers like to explore the outdoors, inspecting and watering flowers, trying to catch bugs, or fishing. They may also carry a picnic basket from time to time.
- Play: Villagers like to run around the island with their arms outstretched pretending to be airplanes and will sometimes set up treasure hunts.
Villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons will keep the same hobby across all saves of the game, so they will never switch interests.
Villager Compatibility in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Because there are so many possible villagers and personalities in the game, it can be difficult to know which villagers will get along or be in conflict with one another. Most players wouldn't want to put a Jock villager's home next door to a Lazy villager's if they wanted to avoid arguments and fights.
Thankfully, Reddit user aEuonym in the Animal Crossing community created the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Villager Compatibility Tool. This tool allows players to select their villagers from a dropdown list in Google Sheets and determine who will and will not get along based on personality. This can help players decide who to keep on the island and who to ask to move away in favor of recruiting new, more compatible villagers.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available on the Nintendo Switch.