The ultimate goal of any islander in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is to achieve a five-star island. If you talk to Isabelle at Resident Services, she'll rate your island from one to five, and you'll watch the rating slowly creep up as you fill your island with more attractions and make it the perfect place to live.
Getting to five stars isn't easy, though. Only the best of the best will be granted that coveted achievement and although it doesn't come with much in terms of a reward, it's where every player aims to be. Still, although it might take a while to get there, it's far from impossible — and many have already done it.
10 Unlock Terraforming
Perhaps the most important step to help you get to your five-star island is to unlock Terraforming through the Island Designer App. You'll be given this app when you finally get K.K. Slider to come perform on your island. To achieve this, your island must hit a three-star rating, which isn't too hard. Isabelle will give you tips on what needs to be improved such as fencing, flowers, etc., and once K.K. Slider performs, Tom Nook will be so thrilled that he'll allow you to alter cliffs, paths, and even the water.
9 Get The Abel Sisters
The first store you'll be granted is Nook's Cranny but shortly after, Mabel will decide she wants to set up shop on the island. Mabel is the blue hedgehog you might see around the plaza on certain days early in the game, selling clothing items. You'll have much more choice of outfits when she asks if you want her to set up a permanent store on the island — um, yes please!
8 Upgrade Nook's Cranny
Nook's Cranny will eventually be upgraded when you've spent enough time on the island (and enough bells!). After Mabel has set up her own shop, the Nooks will want to upgrade. They'll be able to stock more in the shop after doing so, including some expensive furniture items that weren't available to you before. Double beds, arcade games, luxury washers... You name it, the Nooks will eventually have it in. Though it likely won't be cheap.
7 Max Out Your Villagers
You can have up to ten NPC villagers on the island, and they'll all have to be maxed out for a five-star island.
You can buy more housing kits from Tom Nook at Residential Services and choose where to set them up. If you change your mind later, you can move them for a hefty 50,000 bells, but it's best to choose wisely in the first place. Once you have ten villagers, no one else will be able to move in, and you won't find any randomly-wandering islanders when using your Nook Miles Tickets anymore.
Of course, the villagers may also ask to move out, eventually.
6 Flowers Galore
One of the quickest and most effective ways to start upping that rating is by planting flowers everywhere!
You can buy flowers from Nook's Cranny, as well as from Leif whenever he visits on the plaza and sells some different varieties. Planting flowers around and watering them will sprout more, as well as some rare hybrids, so time to experiment. Just make sure not to run through your flowers, as this can rip them apart and then you'll have to wait on them regrowing.
5 Fence Off Everything (& Make Paths Too!)
Another thing extremely important to your rating is fencing. Isabelle seems pretty obsessed with fencing, as it's often her tip for getting the rating up. Fence off a park area, fence off the houses, fence off anything and everything. Get making those DIYs, because you aren't getting that high, high rating without a lot of fencing littered around the place.
You can also use the Island Designer app to create complementary paths.
4 Infrastructure Is Important
When you speak to Tom Nook in Residential Services, you'll notice one of his big options is infrastructure. Here, you can build bridges and inclines, as well as demolish anything you don't like. Linking your island with bridges and making the high up parts accessible without a ladder will go a long way in getting your island up there.
3 Outdoor Furniture Is Key
Although you might be focused on the furniture in your home, outdoor furniture will go a long way.
From swinging benches to statues, it's important to make your island aesthetically pleasing rather than just dumping fences and flowers everywhere. Many outdoor furniture is available through DIYs and many can be purchased inside Resident Services using Nook Miles. Get some fountains and benches!
2 Consider Different Attractions
It's not just furniture, though. You can buy other things using Nook Miles, such as fairground rides, even a portaloo. Make sure your island has plenty of variety with what it has to offer. Think: if this was a real island you were visiting, would you have plenty to occupy you?
1 Vary Everything
Variety is the most important. Make sure all of the furniture outdoors isn't just bought through Nook Miles, but that you have DIY stuff too. The thing about the five-star rating is that it takes into account everything you're doing on the island, so you can't just spend 200,000 Nook Miles on furniture to litter over the island and call it done. You have to get stuck in!