Animal Crossing Villagers Moving Out cover

The Mystery of Animal Crossing Villagers Moving Out Has Been Solved

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Published: May 26, 2020 3:12 PM

The math behind Animal Crossing villagers moving out has finally been figured out by Ninji, a dataminer who has been exploring the code of this super-popular game for the Nintendo Switch. If you've been wanting to get rid of villagers in Animal Crossing; New Horizons, we now know the calculations behind this in-game event!

If you're not super familiar with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it's a super cute game where you can build a town, have villagers move in, and do all sorts of fun activities. There are hundreds of villagers in the game, though, and you may be stuck with someone you don't want hanging around.

Villagers can and do move out, but the process behind this game mechanic has been a mystery — until now. A dataminer named Ninji has finally cracked the code, and the information he's provided dispels the many mysteries behind this mechanic.

Animal Crossing Villagers Moving Out slice

How Animal Crossing Villagers Moving Out is Calculated

According to Ninji's datamining, there are several conditions that determine whether or not anyone will ask to move out. All of this centers on a single calculation:

(v * 5) + c

The two variables in this calculation are:

  • v - The number of villagers you have in your town
  • c - The "MoveOutTalkCount"

Suppose that the MoveOutTalkCount — more on that below — was 7 and you had 10 villagers in your town. The calculation would result in 57, and that's the percentage chance on a given day of a villager randomly asking to move out.

There are several considerations that affect this calculation as Ninji subsequently explains. Here's the short of it:

  1. The "MoveOutTalkCount" is the number of days since a villager last asked to move out.
  2. No villagers will ask to move out unless the MoveOutTalkCount is at least 5.
  3. No villagers will ask to move out if you have 6 villagers or fewer.
  4. No villagers will ask to move out for 15 days after a villager has already moved out.
  5. If the calculation passes, a random villager will be selected to move out.
  6. Villager selection is based on chance and on your friendship level.
    • This confirms for the first time that not befriending villagers is helpful for getting them to leave.
  7. The Animal Crossing villagers moving out calculation will exclude villagers under the following conditions:
    • If their house is being moved
    • If their birthday was in the last 7 days
    • If they were picked the last time and told to stay
    • If they've recently moved in

And there you have it. There's been a lot of mystery around how Animal Crossing villagers moving out is calculated and Ninji seems to have finally cracked it. Go forth, young resident rep, and use this information to get those dreamies!

What do you think of the calculations that determine how villagers move out in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Do you think the time between villagers moving out should be reduced? Let us know in the comments below!

A photograph of TechRaptor Senior Writer Robert N. Adams.
| Senior Writer

One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N

More Info About This Game
Learn More About Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Developer
Nintendo
Publisher
Nintendo
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Release Date
March 20, 2020 (Calendar)
Genre
Simulation
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