Summer has rolled around again in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, bringing with it a whole host of seasonal holidays to participate in and items to collect. From fishing tourneys to firework shows, summer 2022's events in Animal Crossing should help to refresh the game for players who have grown bored over the winter months. Another option to liven things up, however, is to entirely redecorate the island, swapping out ice skating rinks and coffee shops for tiki bars and swimming pools. There are plenty of summer-themed furniture items and DIY recipes in New Horizons, and creative players have been using them to find unique ways to transform their island entirely.

There's more furniture to work with than ever thanks to Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 2.0 update, which was released in late 2021 as the game's last and most significant patch. The update added new decoration options such as accent walls and ceiling-mounted objects, as well as roughly 20 furniture series and sets. The release of New Horizons 2.0 also coincided with the Happy Home Paradise DLC, which allows players to create dream vacation homes for their favorite Animal Crossing villagers. Although plenty of the gameplay aspects in New Horizons were overhauled with the DLC and 2.0 update, the focus on decorating inspired many Animal Crossing players to branch out further than ever when making over island homes.

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Unfortunately, the lack of major updates to Animal Crossing: New Horizons means this year's summer will look almost exactly like the summer of 2021. Players who have grown bored of the game may need to get extra creative when it comes to making things fresh again. Restarting the entire island from scratch in New Horizons can be a big commitment, but the opportunity to undertake large-scale terraforming projects or redesigns might make it worthwhile, especially for those who feel as though they've already done everything there is to do this summer. However, there are also plenty of design ideas that don't require starting from scratch. All of these summer-themed builds, made by the Animal Crossing fan community, could provide great inspiration for other players.

Making A Unique Turtle Beach For Summer 2022 In New Horizons

Best Animal Crossing Designs For Summer 2022 That Beat The Heat Turtles

Although there's a significant amount of beach space to use up in New Horizons, it can be difficult to think of truly original things to do with the space. Animal Crossing fan 19netta decided to turn a corner of their island into a turtle sanctuary. The use of wheat and weeds to provide a more natural environment to break up the monotony of New Horizons' sandy beaches, and having a dedicated area for animals on the island, seems fitting given the name of the series. The clever use of a boardwalk and fences also allows visitors to walk through without disturbing any of the turtles.

Setting Up An Ice Cream Shop For The Summer In Animal Crossing

Best Animal Crossing Designs For Summer 2022 That Beat The Heat Ice Cream

The 2.0 update to Animal Crossing added dozens of new foods to the game thanks to an expansion of both crop varieties and Redd's Raffle items. Among these are quite a few frozen treats, such as popsicles and ice cream cones, which allow Animal Crossing players the perfect excuse to build an ice cream shop for the summer. New Horizons player LunarisLux opted for a simplistic ice cream truck rather than a full-on parlor, though the beachside spot still includes plenty of room for multiple players to sit and relax in-between fishing and bug-catching sessions. The use of a diner sofa cleverly sells the illusion of a car parked right on the sand.

How To Have A Beach Picnic In New Horizons This Summer

Best Animal Crossing Designs For Summer 2022 That Beat The Heat Picnic

There's more than one way to either relax or party on the beach in Animal Crossing, though, and a picnic is another cute summertime option that can easily make use of all the food in New Horizons. Players can use custom path designs in Animal Crossing to mimic the appearance of a spread-out blanket, giving them a cute place to sit by the ocean and relax. Reddit user sanuas takes the idea a bit further, adding in a little tent and a sleeping bag to turn a summertime picnic into the perfect venue for a night under the stars. A stack of books and a guitar give villagers something to do while hanging around the beach, proving fishing and bug-catching aren't the only potential activities during Animal Crossing: New Horizons' summer months.

Related: Animal Crossing Ice Cream Or Donuts - Which Is Better & Why

Players looking to set up a picnic could get good use out of Animal Crossing's cooking DIY recipes, as well. Although players could plant crops and use them for crafting as early as 2020's fall update, the feature was relatively bare-bones until the 2.0 patch. The update added a handful of new crops including carrots, tomatoes, and wheat, and allowed players to unlock dozens of food and drink recipes. From baskets of bread to jars of jam, there's no shortage of foods that can be used as decoration, especially for a summer picnic. Players who haven't tried spending much time growing the new crops in Animal Crossing yet might just find a new favorite island pastime, too.

Animal Crossing's Tropical Bar Builds Can Help Beat The Heat

Best Animal Crossing Designs For Summer 2022 That Beat The Heat Beach Bar

Bars can be another way to use up New Horizons' food dishes, and a beachside bar in particular can use up seaside space to further sell the idea of an island paradise. The gazebo item, added with the 2.0 New Horizons update, provides a shady cover for the drink machines, and players can add in bar stools and tables to provide places for their friends or villagers to sit and relax. In another build by 19netta, custom pathways create a cohesive color theme for those who want their entire island to look uniform. It could also be a good spot to set up a karaoke area or jukebox, and there are quite a few upbeat K.K. Slider songs in Animal Crossing that could be fun to listen to this summer.

The Best Infinity Pool Designs For Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Best Animal Crossing Designs For Summer 2022 That Beat The Heat Pool

Although there are dozens of pool designs out there for New Horizons, all of which could provide good inspiration for other players, some might be looking for an idea that stands out a little more for their island. Animal Crossing player lil_gingerale decided to not only create an entire deck for their build but an infinity pool as well, ending up with an expensive-looking lounge area to hang out in this summer. The use of New Horizons' terraforming options puts it up above the rest of the island, further selling the illusion. Custom path designs can allow players to make the water look exactly how they'd like, too.

New Horizons 2.0 Lets Players Build An Entire Theme Park

Best Animal Crossing Designs For Summer 2022 That Beat The Heat Amusement Park

There are quite a few furniture pieces seemingly taken straight out of an amusement park in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including a carousel and a Ferris wheel. In fact, the 2.0 update to New Horizons added an entire furniture set, the plaza series, that is themed around rides. Animal Crossing player small_town_legends on Reddit has shown off their vision for the plaza furniture series, building an entire amusement park on their island's boardwalk for other players and villagers to enjoy. While some New Horizons players might not consider it worthwhile to create such an expansive and detailed area just for one season, dedicated builders may simply view it as their latest challenge in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and a fun and productive way to spend the summer season.

Next: Animal Crossing Villagers Most Deserving Of Their Own Spinoffs

Source: 19netta/Reddit (2), LunarisLux/Reddit, sanuas/Reddit, lil_gingerale/Reddit, small_town_legends/Reddit