More than being delicious and nutritious, fruit is arguably the lifeblood of Animal Crossing’s economy, an item that players can use to their advantage. Not just that, the series’ aesthetic arguably makes fruit even more appealing in the virtual world than in real life. Considering the decoration sim elements in Animal Crossing, it’s only fair villagers want just the right fruit for their island.
With customization the deepest it's ever been, it only makes sense Animal Crossing fans would yearn for the “perfect” fruit to plant on their island. However, aside from certain recipe variations, there are no major gameplay differences between any of the fruit. They all serve the same purpose, and except for one, they all sell for the same value (unless non-native), and the only key differences are how they look. In a game like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, though, looks do matter.
This piece will rank each of the handful of fruit types in the game, stressing aesthetics, but also keeping in mind some other uses for them like recipe ingredients.
Updated December 3, 2021, by Stephen LaGioia: Nintendo has further strengthened the evergreen status of its renowned social sim, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, with the robust version 2.0 update earlier this month. Not only this, but a brand new add-on, Happy Home Paradise, has enticed players to return to this charming, colorful romp with the ability to design all-new vacation homes while basking in a wealth of new content. This package serves to flesh out and strengthen Nintendo's recent Switch Online + Expansion Pack, or it can be bought on its own for $24.99.
With Animal Crossing again at the top of its game, and the speculation by some gamers that new fruit could enter the digital fold—such as bananas or lemons—it seemed fitting to revisit and flesh out this list of Animal Crossing's best fruit.
6 Pears
Pears are actually delicious in real life. There’s nothing quite like biting into a crisp pear that still has some softness to it. When it comes to New Horizons, though, pears are the worst fruit to end up with. While green pairs well with blue–suggesting that pears might be a good fit for a tropical island–the soft green of the pears can be a tad redundant against the green fruit trees.
Pears don’t look bad, but seeing green on green so often doesn’t make for the most visually stimulating sight compared to the juxtaposition and "color chemistry" of most other fruit. That said, ending up with pears and a green airport embraces the game’s inherent "greenergy" on a level that does gel well together.
Still, they do provide a building block for baking some fun pear treats like Pear Jam, Pear Pie, and Pear Smoothies.
5 Apples
Deep red bodies with soft yellow bottoms, Animal Crossing apples have always had an appealing aesthetic to them. Until recently. While that soft yellow fading can be spotted on the bottoms of all apples, they’re far more subdued, to the point where most will mistake the apples for being entirely red.
Red does pair well with green and having a field of apple trees at one's disposal is classic Animal Crossing, but the blander redesign makes apples a bit less enticing—and ill-fitting for the tropical island motif. There’s also another red-bodied fruit that can populate an island—one that visually pairs better with the tropical setting.
The fact that players can craft the particularly awesome "Jucy-apple TV" raises their stock a bit, as does the classic Apple Pie—but there are still more enticing fruits to be had here.
4 Cherries
Two plump red cherries tied to a soft green stem comprise the best qualities of the pear and the apple, mixing them together into the visually striking cherry. While deep red doesn't always mesh with the New Horizons vibe, that soft green helps offset its inner fire without clashing garishly like pears on trees.
Cherry trees are quite beautiful in real life, and Animal Crossing nicely translates this quality; on a stylistic level at least. There’s something incredibly charming about picking cherries the size of apples or coconuts, too.
Not only this, but cherries serve as the key pieces for some sweet craftable items—including the visually-pleasing Cherry Dress, as well as the sleek Cherry Speakers and Cherry Lamp. These decorations are sure to spruce up any villager's home.
3 Oranges
As secondary colors, green and orange share a relation not too dissimilar to, say, red and blue. They can pair together very well, but the shades have to be right. That said, solid green and solid orange have a Halloween vibe that matches well, and oranges in New Horizon are just loud enough to capture that ripe orange look while falling nicely against their tree’s greenery.
Since a good deal of citrus fruits grow in tropical climates, oranges feel right at home on one's island. They bear some similarities with apples aesthetically, but they do have a been more depth and color with their green stems and plump appearance.
The popular Orange Rug is a perfect decorative piece to spruce up a typically-dull bathroom, and the Orange wall-mounted clock is a great kitchen item. The Orange end table also serves to add some color to a cafe or backyard setting. In addition to being a delicious, juicy food, the orange can actually make for a great tool for those seeking some fun room design ideas.
2 Peaches
Peaches aren’t exactly tropical fruit, but their taste and texture do suit a tropical setting well. Not just that, peaches are visually the best-looking fruit in New Horizons, making balanced use of pink, yellow, and a decent bit of shading on the fruit’s body. Peaches are also textured with a bit more detail than their predecessors.
It’s hard to deny how good peaches look when they sit so comfortably in their trees, swaying back and forth with plumpness that's a cut above other fruits in the game. Peach trees arguably look at their best when planted near beaches. The pink of the peach pairs well with the tan of the sands.
But beyond their aesthetic and great taste, peaches are the foundation to a few cool craftable items, too. It makes for a nice dress, as well as a visually-pleasing wall design and chair. Of course, there's the unique "Peach Surprise Box," which is sure to amuse friends when this fruit-themed jack-in-the-box springs open.
1 Coconuts
Coconuts are tropical fruit 101. When people think of deserted islands, it's often coconut trees decorating beaches that come to mind. It only makes sense that New Horizons would feature coconuts and plenty of them, but coconuts are actually the only fruit players cannot naturally grow on their island.
Instead, villagers need to go on Mystery Island Tours or visit their friends to find coconuts to plant. Only then can players take advantage of coconuts. Coconuts will find a natural spot on anyone’s island considering how thematically appropriate they are, but they also spawn the most unique tree.
Not only can these coconuts serve as the foundation to some cool recipes like Plam-Tree Lamps, but they also bring in the most Bells when sold. While other native fruits sell for 100 Bells, these precious pieces of nature's candy yield 250 bells apiece. This makes it almost undeniably the best fruit in Animal Crossing.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released on March 20, 2020, and is available on Nintendo Switch.