The 12 best villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

You can add multiple villagers to your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. These villagers will live alongside you as you complete your daily tasks in the game, participate in seasonal activities with you, and even compete against you in island tournaments. Some of these villagers are liked a bit more by community members, and these are some of the best villagers you add to your Animal Crossing: New Horizons game.

Villagers you should have in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

All of the villagers have a specific personality associated with them. There are eight, four for female villagers and four for males. Many of the famous male personalities are the ‘smug’ or ‘cranky’ ones, whereas the more popular females have the “normal” or “snooty” personalities. The type of species of the villager is also factored into popularity. The most unpopular personalities are the female’s sisterly one and the male’s jock.

12. Sasha the rabbit

Sasha is a character that was introduced to Animal Crossing New Horizons in update 2.0.0 but has previously appeared in Pocket Camp. He is a popular character who is friendly and a little lazy. He likes to live a laid-back life, which can mean that the jock personality types may not get along with him very well. It’s quite ironic that Sasha originally wears a letterman jacket like a proper jock but is quite the opposite of his fashion sense.

11. Beau the deer

Beau joins a cast of popular deer characters in Animal Crossing. Beau is one of the few lazy characters to make the list, but his impala-like appearance and his carefree lazy personality make him an excellent villager. Beau is sometimes mistaken as a reindeer, making his festive aesthetics and personality very likable. C’mon, who wouldn’t like a reindeer in their village? He was introduced in New Leaf.

10. Bob the cat

Bob is a cat and actually one of the first Villagers ever designed in the Animal Crossing universe. He was also interestingly born on January 1, which really makes him one of the OGs in the fandom. Being a lazy character, Bob is an easy character to befriend. He lounges about all day with that smirk on his face (I want to hug him so bad) and is a wonderful addition to any island in Animal Crossing.

9. Audie the wolf

Audie the wolf is a new character introduced in New Horizons. She’s a red wolf character with a peppy personality. Peppy characters are energetic and upbeat and usually dream of fame or popularity. It is believed the English version of the name came from the game designer’s grandmother, Audrey Buchanan, who logged over 3,500 hours in New Leaf and had the player character named Audie.

8. Fang the wolf

Fang the wolf has been in all of the Animal Crossing games except Wild World. He’s a wolf who enjoys the frigid temperatures of winter and has a cranky personality. In New Horizons, he wears a default snowflake sweater to show off his admiration for the colder weather and is a welcome addition to any wintertime islanders. Fang is also perfect for Christmas-themed islands because of his personality and fashion sense.

7. Fauna the deer

Fauna is a brown deer villager with thee normal personality type. Her kindness fits with the typical deer stereotype and association with gentleness. Fauna is one of the most caring villagers out there, and she’ll really make you feel warm and fuzzy! Fauna is so popular that there were official plushies of her made. Fauna’s Amiibo card can reach some high numbers, making her one of the more expensive ones to invite directly.

Related: The Worst Villagers in Animal Crossing New Horizons

6. Lolly the cat

The internet loves cats, and Lolly is no exception. Lolly is a grey tabby cat introduced in Animal Forest e+. Lolly has the normal personality type, making her kind and easy to befriend. Lolly gets along with almost all other villagers, from lazy to snooty personality types. Even if Lolly is considered to have a normal personality type, she’ll make you feel extraordinary in no time. Lolly is a popular character, likely due to her longevity in the series.

5. Sherb the goat

Sherb is another lazy villager, but this just means he is too lazy to be offended by anything. He loves food, chilling out, and partaking in hobbies that assist him in those areas. He loves to chat with other lazy villagers but will not get on too well with any jock personalities on your island due to their conflicting approaches to life. But sometimes even players just want to lounge around the island, and Sherb is a perfect companion if that is one of your priority goals in the island life.

4. Diana the deer

Diana first appeared in New Life as the only deer with a snooty personality. She is a white deer with purple, pink, and light cyan accents. Because of her snooty type of personality, Diana can be slow to warm up to the player and overall rude. Snooty villagers enjoy discussing appearance and gossip. Her decor choice is a clean, iconic style. If you want an opulent villager, then Diana should rank very highly on your list because she’s all about that lavish class.

3. Shino the deer

Shino is a deer that was added to Animal Crossing New Horizons in the 2.0.0 update. She has already become something of a fan favorite due to her playful and interesting look. Her orange eyes, red horns, and white fangs make her a very upbeat and happy villager. She will engage in her hobbies a lot and bring a pleasant attitude and tone to the island. Unfortunately, she is also likely to be forgetful, so keep that in mind. Depending on her friendship level, she can reward players with plenty of spark stones and even a picture of herself. She previously appeared in Pocket Camp.

2. Raymond the cat

Raymond is yet another popular cat in the Animal Crossing universe. Despite being a smug cat with a dashing fashion sense, he can actually be quite warm and sweet and players once they build a relationship with him. Raymond is also the only villager in the game that possesses heterochromia (one green eye and one amber eye), making this cat a rare and sought-out resident for any Animal Crossing island out there.

1. Marshal the squirrel

Marshal is the undisputed king of villagers. First introduced in New Leaf, he has been at the top of the popularity chart for years and is coveted by many fans. Marshal is a cream-colored squirrel with a smug personality type. He is prone to talking about how cool or superior he is in certain contexts but is friendly to the player. His popularity likely comes from the fact that smug personalities will sometimes flirt with the player. Marshal is so popular his Amiibo card can reach triple digits on auction sites. 

The best villager to add to your list will be the ones you pick and relate with. The more you can connect with a villager, the more personal the relationship will be, making them a welcome member of your island. If you liked Animal Crossing, you’ll probably also like Disney Dreamlight Valley.