Your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons will have many things for you to discover, including the occasional free gift that floats across the sky. These little packages tied to balloons can carry anything from rare furniture pieces to a substantial amount of Bells. This means they are almost always worth catching. Here's how to catch them.
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How To Catch the Floating Gifts
1. Have a Slingshot
You will spot these gifts at random times floating over your Island. To catch them, you will need to have a Slingshot and there are two easy ways to get one. If you're just starting the game then you can buy a Slingshot from Timmy in Resident Services for 900 Bells. You can also purchase the DIY recipe from him. If you've unlocked Nook's Cranny then you can buy a Slingshot from the cabinet in the store and the recipe too.
2. Look at the Sky and Shoot
When you see a gift floating across the sky above your Island, you will need to quickly equip your slingshot. Once you've got this equipped, you will need to watch the sky or the shadow cast by the gift to stand underneath it. Once you are underneath it, quickly press A to pull back on and fire your Slingshot. If you hit the balloon, it will pop and the present will fall down.
3. Be Careful!
When you are trying to get a floating gift you need to be careful. If you pop the balloon too close to any bodies of water the gift may drop and bounce into the water, which means you lose it completely. Also, if the gift falls between lots of flowers or foliage then there is a good chance you'll lose it.
Once you have shot the gift down, all you need to do is pick it up and it will go directly into your pockets. When you are ready you can click on the present and open it to find out what you've caught.
Catching floating gifts is one of the many day-to-day tasks that you can do in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Daily tasks on your island can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. We have guides that show you how to to grow a money tree and how to use the pro camera app.
Updated November 22nd, 2021 by Marie Pritchard. Contributions from Nick Farrell.