As we continue to explore the immersive world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in 2023, a common question among many players is “Should I restart or flatten my island in ACNH, why restart or flatten”? This decision can significantly impact your gaming experience, so it's essential to weigh the pros and cons pros & cons for restarting vs flattening Island. Let's delve into the advantages and drawbacks of each choice and provide some tips to help you make an informed decision.

ACNH Restarting vs. Flattening Island 2023 - Should You Restart or Flatten Your Island in Animal Crossing

Many of you will never want to restart your Island and that's totally understandable. This guide is just directed towards people who are on the fence about doing so and want to see the pros and cons, as well as the alternative of flattening. Now let's jump right into the guide.

Is it a Good Idea to Restart Your ACNH Island 2023

Restarting your Island could be possibly one of the hardest decisions you'll ever make in Animal Crossing New Horizons. But with the game being over 3 years old and no more updates coming as well as a ton of new interesting challenges arriving from the community, it's fair to say that a lot of people have been considering this and many have even done so. While some of us are lucky enough to have a second switch, so we can create a new island without restarting our main one. That sadly doesn't apply to everyone, so the hard decision has to be made. And with this decision can come a range of emotions, you might feel really happy that you decided to restart, it'll give you a fresh perspective on the game. Or you could potentially feel regret, you might feel like the task ahead of you are too overwhelming and just stop playing completely, it's happened to plenty of people. So with this question being so prevalent in 2023, we’re trying to help you decide should you restart or flatten your Island instead. 

If you do decide to restart your Island, the main thing you should consider is how badly will you miss everything that you're going to be losing permanently. When you start up a new island, you can get all of this back of course in terms of items, villages and quests and such. But in terms of your actual Island, you're never going to find one exactly like it. There are definitely some ways to lessen the blow, for example, if you have lots of amiibo cards, then you can easily just bring back some of your dreamies which is nice to do or perhaps even use a site like Nookazon to find them again. In terms of all the items you've collected, you could send them over to a friend's Island, you'll need someone to help you do this that you trust and it will take quite a lot of time to get each and every item over there, but it could be a good way to help you start over again. Or to make things more simple, you could perhaps just use a Treasure Island if you're able to get access to one of those to give yourself a head start with a new island. These things definitely lessen the blow, but you will have to consider that you're going to to take a lot of time to build your island back up again. 

And for many people, this task can be a bit too overwhelming and they give up. However, if you're just so bored with your current Island and you don't see yourself playing on it at all but you really want to start over in the game, it could be a good idea. After all, it's nice to keep your Island around, but if you're never going to play on it again realistically, then why not just restart it? In this situation regardless of what decision you make the island is not going to be enjoyed, so you might as well just start over. 

Is it a Good Idea to Flatten Your ACNH Island 2023

If you do have a lot of attachment to your Island and you really don't want to lose it for whatever reasons you might have, then flattening it could definitely be a good decision and a nice alternative to starting over. There are some downsides to flattening, it does take a lot of time, it can be a very tedious task to flatten your Island. Also, if you do decide to flatten, you have to remember you won't be getting a completely Fresh Start. Whilst it is good in the decorating side of things, so you can really start from scratch in terms of that. You won't be able to start fresh with your Nook Mile goals, you won't be able to enjoy getting your first new Island again, the main thing you'll be able to do is just build your Island up from scratch again in terms of decorating. Although if you did want to make things a little bit more tricky for yourself, you could also remove yourself of bells and such too. But there's no denying that either way, it's not going to give you a complete Fresh Start experience like starting over with a new island.

Though flattening can be a really great idea and it's probably what a lot of people are looking for and they just don't realize it. After all, when some people restart the game, they get so overwhelmed by all they'll have to do to build their Island up again. Whereas if you just flatten, you will have a lot of work ahead of you, it's not nearly as much as starting completely from scratch. 

However, flattening isn't as useful to those of you who want to restart your Island, so you can begin a new challenge. A lot of challenges online definitely would require you to start over with a new island. After all, there's only so much you can do when creating these challenges with existing Islands. Having these challenges can make restarting your Island a lot more exciting and it gives you focused goals which makes it a lot harder to give up on. But challenges don't last forever, so it'd be worth considering if once the challenge has basically ended, you would regret having restarted.

How to start a new island without deleting your main island?

The only way of getting another Island without deleting your main island is to get a second switch and this is not an option that most people have. After all, Nintendo switches are really expensive. But if you are able to get your hands on one and you definitely think you would make good use out of it, then it could be an option. If you're buying a whole new Switch, just to play a new copy of Animal Crossing New Horizons, then that's definitely a pretty expensive investment. 

Restart or Flatten Your ACNH Island, Which One to Choose?

Before deciding which one to choose, we summarize the pros & cons of restarting and flattening your island: 

Pros & Cons of Restarting Island ACNH 2023

+ Fresh Start: Restarting gives you a chance to experience the game anew, which can be exciting if you feel like you've exhausted your current island's possibilities.

+ Better Planning: With the knowledge you've gained from playing the game, you can plan your new island more efficiently from the start.

+ New Villagers: Restarting allows you to meet new villagers and form new relationships, adding a fresh dynamic to your gameplay.

- Losing Progress: All the time and effort you've put into your current island will be lost, including your museum exhibits, catalog items, DIY recipes, and more.

- Starting from Scratch: You'll need to redo the game's tutorial phase and complete all the milestones you've already achieved on your previous island. And that is time-consuming.

Pros & Cons of Flattening Your Animal Crossing Island 2023

+ Keep Your Progress: You can retain your catalog items, DIY recipes, Nook Miles, Bells, museum exhibits, and more.

+ Creative Freedom: Flattening allows you to redesign your island while retaining the items and bells you've gathered along the way, providing endless possibilities for your dream island.

+ Save Time: Compared to restarting, flattening your island saves you from having to replay the game's initial stages.

- Demolition Costs: It can be expensive and time-consuming to demolish and relocate buildings.

- Labor-Intensive: Flattening your island requires a lot of work, from cutting down trees to breaking rocks and removing cliffs.

- Limited Construction Space: Flattening your island may restrict the available construction area, requiring careful consideration to balance your vision with available space.

So which is the best option, flatten or restart island?

The answer of this question depends on what type of player you are. Are you someone who wants to start over completely from scratch, maybe to begin a new challenge or just experience the game from fresh again after a lot of time? Or are you someone who doesn't want to commit to a full fresh start but you still are tired of your current Island? Then maybe flattening could be a good option for you.

So have you ever restarted your island or have you ever flattened? Which decision did you prefer?