Animal Crossing: New Horizons Tarantula Island: Is it Real?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Tarantula Island is the newest urban legend to come from the Nintendo community.

It's said there is an island stocked fully with Tarantulas that is fully available for players to come and visit. While the exact reasoning behind why anyone would want to visit an island named for its abundant spider population is a bit fuzzy, it hasn't stopped any players from making their way over. Tarantulas, apparently, are worth far more than their weight in gold⁠—8000 bells.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Tarantula Island

Landing on Tarantula Island is easier said than done. You'll need to take a Mystery Island Tour from the Nooks. A ticket for this costs 2000 miles, and there's no guarantee that you'll actually get to this specific island, so it's up to you to determine whether its worth the pay-off.

We recommend you empty your inventory before you go for maximum capture potential. As stated above, each tarantula will net you 8000 bells. You might as well get your money's worth for the cardio you'll be doing. Once you leave this island, you can't just come back.

Tarantula Island will have at least one random villager on it so, hey, at least you won't be going through this nightmare alone. The villager's house won't help you, however. If you try to escape by going into a building, the thing will just wait for you to come out like the garbage ex-partner you never wanted to see again on Valentine's Day.

Oh, did we forget to mention it's dangerous? That's right. As you're hunting them, they're also hunting you. The only real way to escape them is to vault yourself over a river or other body of water where they cannot follow.

To catch a tarantula, approach them slowly with your net—holding down A as you walk. You will only swing once you release the A button so make sure you line it up just right. Tarantulas are naturally aggressive and will give chase if provoked. Some players recommend digging a moat or series of holes around yourself to prevent them from reaching you.

Tarantulas will jump when aggravated and then make a dash for you to try and bite you. If you get bitten, your character will faint, and you'll end up right back where you started this whole adventure.

Unlike wasps, medicine won't help you.