You’re standing on a tiny patch of land in the middle of a dark sea, and every time you take a step, something hairy lunges from the weeds. It’s stressful. It’s lucrative. Most players call it Animal Crossing Tarantula Island, and honestly, it’s probably the fastest way to pay off that crippling debt you owe to Tom Nook, provided you don't pass out from the jump scares first.
Back when Animal Crossing: New Horizons first launched, the community went absolutely feral for these spiders. We’re talking 8,000 Bells a pop. If Flick is visiting your island? That price jumps to 12,000. It’s the kind of money that turns a tent into a three-room mansion in a single night. But finding the "real" island is rare. Like, 2% rare. Most people end up trying to force the game to create one, which is a whole different beast.
What is the Real Animal Crossing Tarantula Island Anyway?
There’s a bit of a misconception that any island can be a spider haven. It’s not true. In the game’s code, there is one specific Mystery Island tour destination officially known as "Tarantula Island." It’s a flat, circular island with a thin river moat and a small center landmass. On this specific island, tarantulas spawn infinitely. You catch one, another appears.
You just have to be lucky.
Wilbur, the Dodo pilot, doesn't take requests. You spend your 2,000 Nook Miles, you hop on the plane, and you pray. If you land there, the strategy is simple: dump everything in your pockets except your net. Fill every slot with spiders. Even if you get bitten—and you will get bitten—you just wake up back on the pier next to Wilbur. No stakes, just profit.
The Mystery Island RNG Factor
Luck is a fickle thing in this game. To land on the actual Animal Crossing Tarantula Island, you have to be playing between 7 PM and 4 AM. If you fly at 6:59 PM, you will never see a spider. The game locks in the island's spawn table the moment you land. I’ve seen people spend hours wondering why they can’t find bugs, only to realize they started their flight five minutes too early. It’s brutal.
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Also, remember the seasons. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, tarantulas crawl from November to April. If you're playing in the Southern Hemisphere, you're looking for Scorpios between May and October. They behave exactly the same way, but one is a bit more... "stabby."
Can You Still Build Your Own Spider Island?
This is where the drama started. In the early days, you could go to any flat island, chop down every tree, pick every flower, and smash every rock. By destroying the "spawn points" for other bugs like butterflies and beetles, you forced the game to spawn ground-dwellers. For a while, this was the gold standard for bell-grinding.
Then Nintendo stepped in.
They adjusted the spawn rates of Giant Water Bugs. These things are the bane of any DIY Animal Crossing Tarantula Island enthusiast. They spawn in the water, they don't care if you've cleared the land, and they take up a "spawn slot" that could have been a spider. Because you can't "scare" them away just by running past them, you have to manually catch them with a net to clear the slot. It slowed the process down significantly.
Is it still possible? Yeah. Is it as fast as it used to be? Not even close. If you land on a "Bamboo Island," though, you’re in luck. Those islands have no rivers or ponds. No rivers means no Giant Water Bugs. If you find Bamboo Island at night, clear-cutting it is still a highly viable way to force-spawn tarantulas.
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The Sneak-and-Freeze Method
If you just run at a tarantula, you’re going to have a bad time. They have a very specific "aggro" tell. When you get close, they hop. Then they stand on their back legs.
Stop.
Don't move a muscle.
Wait for them to drop back down to all fours, then inch forward holding the 'A' button to creep with your net. It’s a game of Red Light, Green Light. If you move while they’re standing up, they charge. And they are faster than you. Well, they’re faster than your character can turn around, anyway.
The Hole Strategy
For those who don't have the patience for the creeping method, there’s the "Hole Trap." Tarantulas can't jump over holes you've dug with your shovel.
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- Dig a small square or "L" shape of four holes.
- Find a spider and get it to chase you.
- Sprint toward your holes and hop over the corner or lead the spider into the "U" shape.
- The spider will get stuck on the other side of the dirt pile, running in circles.
- You just reach over with your net and scoop it up.
It feels like cheating, but when there are four of them screaming at you on the screen at once, you do what you have to do to survive.
Economics of the 8-Legged Hustle
Why do we do this? Because the economy of New Horizons is skewed toward the wealthy. If you want to move every house on your island, build bridges, and buy that 1.2 million Bell crown from Able Sisters, you need a side hustle.
A full inventory of 40 tarantulas sells for 320,000 Bells at Nook’s Cranny. If you wait for Flick, that total jumps to 480,000 Bells. That’s almost half a million for one hour of work. Compare that to fishing for Sea Bass and Cinch Bugs, and you’ll see why people risk the digital trauma of a spider bite.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Most players fail because they get greedy or impatient. They try to catch a spider near a cliff side where the net hit-box is wonky. Or they forget to clear the "trash" bugs. If you're on a DIY island, you must constantly scare away the Wharf Roaches on the beach rocks and the Tiger Beetles on the sand. If those bugs are sitting there, a tarantula literally cannot spawn. The game has a cap on how many entities can be on the island at once. You have to be the bouncer of the island, kicking out the losers so the VIPs can show up.
The Reality of Patch Updates
It’s worth noting that Nintendo has tweaked these rates multiple times since 2020. There was a period where people thought Animal Crossing Tarantula Island was removed entirely. It wasn't; they just lowered the "weight" of the island in the RNG pool. It's the ultimate test of "one more flight." You might spend 10,000 miles and find nothing but Trash Island or the one with all the Orange trees. That’s the gamble.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Flight
To maximize your chances of success, follow this specific workflow next time you play. It's not a guarantee, but it stacks the deck in your favor.
- Check the Clock: Ensure it is after 7:00 PM and before 4:00 AM.
- Empty Your Pockets: Bring only a vaulting pole, a ladder, a shovel, and an iron net. Leave the rest at home to save space.
- Buy Multiple Nets: If you’re doing the DIY method, you will break at least two nets. Or just bring iron nuggets to craft more on-site.
- Target Bamboo Island: If you land here, immediately chop everything. It is the only "easy" DIY spider island left because of the lack of water.
- Watch the "Tell": Never move when the spider's legs are up. It's the golden rule.
- Store, Don't Sell: Unless you’re desperate, put your catch in your home storage and wait for Flick. The 50% bonus is too massive to ignore.
Don't bother trying this on your own home island. While they do spawn there, the rate is far too low to "farm." You might see one or two a night if you're lucky. The Mystery Island tours are the only place where the spawn logic breaks in your favor. It's a grind, and it's slightly terrifying for anyone with even a mild case of arachnophobia, but it remains the most iconic high-stakes way to play the game. Just keep your net ready and your eyes on the grass.