Because I'm so very normal about this game, I do normal things like make calendars to keep track of my upcoming Visitors!
You can read more about why planning for Visitors is so important in my HKIA Tips for New Players post
Here's an example of a Visitor calendar for Feb 2025! Each visit event has a link to the character's profile on the official HKIA wiki so I can check their requirements, schedule, & likes. I also put emojis & how many visits they've had in their event name to help me quickly identify the characters & their progress at a glance.
But the best thing is I can easily move around each event independently just in case the Visitor doesn't show up (boo) or if I want to reprioritise any Visitors.
So! If you'd like to download a copy of my calendar and import it to your own calendar program so you can move everything around & customise it to meet your needs, you totally can!
Note about Visitor inclusion: Since this calendar was made for new Switch/PC players, I've moved any Visitors that were added to the game after Apple Arcade's update 2.0 on their corresponding weeks during the summer since they aren't in the Switch/PC editions yet. I'm really really hoping we'll have them by summer, but nothing has been announced or guaranteed. I've also intentionally left out a couple Visitors that I don't think benefit gameplay too much (ie My Melody's parents, Dear Daniel's 2-5 visits, and Mimmy) but feel free to add them to your calendar if you like them and want them on your island!
In-Game Calendar Feature note: The devs have talked about adding some sort of in-game calendar so players can better visualise the upcoming character visits, but there is no confirmed release date for this feature so in the meantime we can craft our own!
(for more detailed tips w/ full explanations, please check out my masterpost!)
Tip #1: Character Creation (<- link to full explanation in masterpost)
You can edit every single aspect of your avatar at any time so don't stress about making the perfect avatar when you start
Tip #2: Gifting Island Residents
To maximise your progress & unlock more quests, use the HKIA wiki gift guide to give the best gift to each character
For your first few days, wait to gift your Friends until you’re done with all your quests so you can unlock higher level gifts (and unlock more quests!)
Tip #3: Supply Runs
Your daily supply runs for week 1 should always include:
- iron ore
- pineapples
- pumpkins
- cinna blooms
- magma blooms
Tip #4: Collector Hat Nul
Best items to request from your Nul are:
- Day 1 = Cinna Blooms
- Days 2 & 3 = Sand Dollars
- Day 4 & beyond = Iron Ore
Tip #5: Crafting
Do NOT craft more items than you need during your first week
Do NOT use Worm Tails to craft Sticks unless absolutely necessary
Tip #6: Companion Abilities
Pay attention to & use companion abilities as you unlock them
Always take Hello Kitty with you when cooking
Always take My Melody with you when gifting Friends (until Hello Kitty reaches Level 12, then take her instead)
Always take Chococat with you when crafting (after he's Level 7)
Tip #7: Critters
Catch critters whenever you see them. You'll need LOTS of them for a quest later!
Don't worry about filling up your Nature Preserve right away. Just find the critter lists when you can & focus on your other quests
Bush Friends (critter found in the hedge maze in the Spooky Swamp during evening/night) are Keroppi's best levelling up gift. I have tips on how to catch them in the masterpost!
Tip #8: Fishing
The regional types of Clamfish are the best fish to catch since they make good gifts & they also give you a stick when you catch them
You can make a fish you don't want to catch lose interest by tapping your fishing rod before it bites
Do NOT release fish with Badtz-maru! Fish can give you much more valuable items when released at the Fwishing Well (no that's not a typo - it's a fish wishing well 😂)
Tip #9: Friendship Bouquets & Blossoms
Use Friendship Blossoms to level up Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Retsuko, in that order of priority
After Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Retusko are all at Level 11, use any blossoms you get to level up Wish me mell
Tip #10: Island Visitors
You can only have 3 Visitors per day, so plan your Visitors wisely
Place items with a Visitor's "liked" tag in their cabin to increase the chance they will visit
You don't need to invite any Visitors you don't want on your island so don't stress about setting up cabins for all 50+ of them <3 (yes, there are over 50 additional characters you can have living on your island all at the same time!)
Thanks for reading! If you'd like more info on any of these tips, be sure to check out my full HKIA Tips for New Players masterpost for a more detailed explanation!
(all links below lead to pages on the official HKIA wiki)
Tip #1: Character Creation
Like many games, one of the first things you'll do is create your avatar! The good news is you can change every aspect of your character at any time so there's no need to stress about creating the perfect avatar right away. All you need to do is walk up to a mirror placed in your cabin or a mirror at one of the shops and you can change whatever you'd like!
In fact, many players try out lots of different avatars, so feel free to change things up & explore all the options!
While there are many different types of animals and colour palettes to choose from at first, you'll also unlock even more colour palettes thoughout the game as you level up your Friends.
(all links below lead to pages on the official HKIA wiki)
Tip # 2: Gifting Island Residents
As you might expect from a place called Friendship Island, levelling up your friendships with the Sanrio characters will be your main priority for your first 2-3 months in the game. Reaching new levels of friendship with the Sanrio characters (aka "Friends" or "Island Residents") is how players can unlock new quests, obtain tools, and gain new abilities.
For your first few days, the most important thing is to wait to gift your Friends until you’re done with all your quests. It’s tempting to gift them an item as soon as you have a gift they like, but if you wait until you do more quests you’ll unlock higher level items & level them up faster and unlock more quests!
✨ Gifting Overview✨
To level up your friendships, you'll need to gift your Friends items they like every single day. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is and it's not.
Since you can only give a Friend 3 gifts per day it’s important to gift the highest value gift you have access to. Each Friend has different types of items they like best (which is noted on their profile with tag icons) and each item in the game has a different value for each friend. The higher the value of the gift you give them, the more your friendship level will increase and the more return gifts you’ll receive from your Friend.
✨Return Gifts✨
Whenever you gift a Friend, their friendship will increase and they will also give you a number of return gifts. Return gifts (ex. strawberries, lightstones, gizmos, etc) are unique to each character and can be used for crafting, cooking, gifting other friends, or fulfilling quest requirements. Most return gifts can only be earned by gifting your Friends so if you need more for a quest or recipe, you'll have to gift the corresponding Friend to get them.
✨Gift Values: Hearts vs Tags✨
When you select the option to gift a Friend, you’ll only see items that have the tags they like and you'll also see how many “hearts” each item has. The hearts, however, are a bit misleading because the number of hearts a gift has doesn't always match its value for levelling up the character faster. This is because a gift's value for levelling up is determined by the number of tags an item has while the number of hearts only becomes important once you've become Best Friends. Confusing, I know, but don't worry! Your fellow players have got you covered ⬇️
✨The Best Gifts✨
To level up your friendships more quickly, you should give your Friends whatever gift earns you the most return gifts since the number of return gifts tells you how high of a value the gift has. You can learn which gifts have the highest value for each Friend by paying attention to how many return gifts you receive after gifting it or you can check out the gift guide on the official wiki. I highly recommend using the gift guide since other fans have spent a lot of time doing trial & error and documenting their findings to help other players!
(all links below lead to pages on the official HKIA wiki)
Tip # 3: Supply Runs
In order to craft higher level gifts & complete quests, you’ll need to get lots of materials every day by gathering them from around the island, playing mini games, and receiving them as return gifts. There are a limited number of each item around the island available every day and the items will only respawn at daily reset (12am Mountain Time aka UTC-7).
For at least your first week, your daily supply runs should include as many of the following items as you can find:
Iron Ore (Crystal Caves, Gem Match, & Mount Hothead)
Glowberries (Spooky Swamp - near the Nature Preserve)
Magma Blooms (Mount Hothead & Red Hot Rampage)
Cinna Blooms (Mount Hothead & Red Hot Ruins)
Fizzy Ore (Crystal Caves Mine Cart Ride)
Pineapples (Seaside Resort)
As a secondary priority, try to pick up any Sand Dollars (beaches), Coconuts (under palm trees), and Sticks (near trees at Seaside Resort & the south side of Gemstone Mountain) whenever you see them. You’ll need lots of them for various furniture, gifts, & quests.
(mild spoilers below for an ability unlocked when you become Best Friends with characters)
✨Grind Alleviation✨
And don't worry - you won't need to do daily supply runs for long since this game has built-in grind alleviation! After your reach Best Friend status with any of your Friends, they will offer to collect the full amount of one item per day for you. So once you become Best Friends with Chococat, for example, you ask him to collect all the chocolate on the island for you and then pick it up from your collection box after reset.
If you gift high level items, you should become Best Friends with 3-5 Island Residents within 2 weeks of daily playing so the grind is alleviated very quickly!
Next tip: Collector Hat Nul →
Tip # 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10
(masterpost/directory here)
(all links below lead to pages on the official HKIA wiki)
Tip # 4: Collector Hat Nul
Speaking of auto-collection: On your first day in the game, you'll receive a special hat that you can give to one of the friendly island residents (Nuls) and ask them to collect one (1) island material per day for you! This is a very useful tool since you also can use the item selection menu to check how many of each item you still have to collect around the island. You can view the selection menu as long as you haven't requested an item yet, so try to request an item at the end of your play session.
✨Best Collector Hat Nul Items✨
Here are my suggestions for the best items to request from your Collector Hat Nul:
Day 1 = Cinna Blooms
Days 2 & 3 = Sand Dollars
Day 4 & beyond = Iron Ore
Day you find Merry Meadows = Pollen
Until you unlock Merry Meadow's 3rd level = Worm tails
Cinna blooms are mainly located in areas you won't have access to until at least day 2-3, but you'll need them to make gifts for Cinnamoroll and Kuromi.
Sand Dollars are plentiful but they are used for a LOT of purposes in the game so you'll pretty much always need a healthy supply of them on hand.
Iron Ore is one of the most needed and least convenient items to collect in the game since they are scattered across 2 very large areas and several high-level gifts and items require them for crafting, so do yourself a favour and have the Nul or one of your Friends collect iron for you after Day 4.
The day after you Revive the Oasis (about a week into the game) you'll discover a beautiful new area called Merry Meadows. For the first few weeks, you'll only have access to the lowest 1-2 levels of the Meadow and won't be able to access most of the island materials in the area. Your Collector Hat Nul, however, can go wherever they like!
Since you'll need Pollen to trade for meadows-themed items in shops and for crafting, grabbing all 50 of them on your first day will help a lot. After that, it'll be helpful for you to stock up on Worm Tails since there are only 14 per day and you'll need a LOT of them later to unlock your Greenhouse. With this in mind, do not use Worm Tails to craft Sticks unless absolutely necessary.
(all links below lead to pages on the official HKIA wiki)
Tip # 5: Crafting
For at least your first week, do not craft more items than you need! It’s very tempting on days 2-3 to start crafting more than required for a quest or more than 3 gifts to give to your Friends the next day but DO NOT! You'll be unlocking new & higher value gifts almost every day so crafting additional items will often be a waste of resources.
If you know for sure you won't unlock a higher level gift the next day and/or you've already unlocked the highest levelling up gift, then and only then should you craft gifts for the next day and beyond.
Some quests will also require you to gift Friends certain materials and if you don’t have the materials on hand you may have to wait an entire day or more to complete the quest.
There are also some supplies you'll pretty much always need. In general, I try to keep 30+ of each of these supplies on hand:
Lightstones (return gift from Kuromi used for crafting sparks)
Gizmos (return gift from Chocoat used for crafting mechanisms)
Coconuts (island material used for crafting woodblocks & gifts)
Iron (island material used for crafting ingots, gifts, and tools)
Sand dollars (island material used for crafting gifts & shopping)
(all links below lead to pages on the official HKIA wiki)
Tip # 6: Companion Abilities
As you level up your Friends, you’ll unlock special abilities when you invite them to come with you (ie be your "companion") as you explore the island. Many of these abilities add bonuses to your gameplay and can speed up your game progression, so it's important to use them!
Here are the most useful companion abilities you gain early on & when you should use them:
My Melody: Take her with you when gifting Friends for bonus return gifts (until Hello Kitty gets her ability Level 12) and when unlocking cabins for a discount on strawberry crates
Hello Kitty: Take her with you when cooking for a chance of cooking additional items and when gifting Friends after she reaches level 12 to level up friendships 10% faster
Chococat: Take him with you when crafting for a chance of crafting additional items
Pochacco: Take him with you on supply runs for a walking speed boost
Hangyodon: Take him with you when swimming for a speed boost
Tuxedosam: Take him with you when shopping for a chance of getting a duplicate item (with his Negotiator ability at Level 13)
(all links below lead to pages on the official HKIA wiki)
Tip #7: Critters
Once you craft your net, try to catch critters whenever you see them. It will seem silly after a while, but trust me: you’ll need lots of critters for a quest later on and you'll wish you’d been catching them all along!
Most critters are pretty easy to sneak up on, but don’t worry if you scare one away. They respawn quickly so just wander out of the area then come back and try again. Also, don’t worry about adding all the critters to the Nature Preserve right away. It's not required to unlock any other quests and you can add critters at any time. You'll just get a few bonus supplies for donating X amount of critters or all the critters from a region.
Bush Friends are your best levelling up gift for Keroppi, but can be hard to catch because they're so fast! Once you level up Keroppi a bit you'll unlock his Critter Friend companion ability which will help you catch them easier, but the bast way to catch them is to walk on top of the hedge maze walls & sneak up on them. To get on top of the walls, you can use the small rock at the back entrance/exit of the hedge maze near the river to climb back up. It can be a bit tricky to get the hang of so if you get too frustrated, don't worry, there's a fish you can give Keroppi instead...
(all links below lead to pages on the official HKIA wiki)
Tip # 8 Fishing
After you get your fishing rod on Day 1, try to catch about 15-20 of Coastal Clamfish, Briny Clamfish, Cavern Clamfish, and Bog Clamfish during your first few days.
Coastal Clamfish are good starter gifts for Badtz-Maru and Tuxedosam, Briny Clamfish are your best levelling up gift for Hangyodon, and Cavern Clamfish are your best starter levelling up gift for Pekkle. Bog Clamfish are a good levelling up option for Keroppi. Bush Friends (ie a critter you can catch with your net in the Spooky Swamp hedge maze) have a higher value for levelling up Keroppi, but they can be tricky to catch so use Bog Clamfish if you have trouble catching them.
Each clamfish you catch also gives you a stick and you will need many, many sticks to make craftable items (including a super secret legendary item made with golden sticks!)
✨Fishing Tips✨
While fishing in areas with multiple types of fish, you can make a fish you don't want lose interest by tapping the fishing rod before it bites. This is especially useful when fishing for Briny Clamfish and Cavern Clamfish since there are multiple types of fish in those waters.
The only benefit of fishing any other type of fish besides clamfish is unlocking the fishing goals achievements so don't worry about collecting all the different types if fish right away.
If you have any extra clamfish once you unlock higher level gifts for the characters mentioned above, hang onto them until you unlock the Fwishing Well (no, that's not a typo, it's a fish wishing well). Do not release fish with Badtz until you've gotten all the items you want from the Fwishing Well. And, even then, it's more worth it to use the Fwishing Well imo since the items you receive from Badtz are plentifully available around the island but many players will trade you for Fwishing Well exclusive items.
(all links below lead to pages on the official HKIA wiki)
Tip #9 Friendship Bouquets & Blossoms
Friendship Blossoms are a special type of gift that you can gift to a Friend after you’ve given them their 3 gifts for the day. If you give a Friend a Friendship Blossom, you’ll be able to gift that Friend 3 more gifts. Friendship Blossoms can be used multiple times on the same friend each day.
Friendship Bouquets work similarly, except you activate them from your inventory to make it so you can gift 3 more gifts to every Friend. When activating a bouquet, there's a pop up message that tells you if you still have any friends left to gift and you can check who you haven't gifted on the Friends app in your in-game phone. You can also use multiple Friendship Bouquets per day, but make sure you have enough supplies to make gifts for everyone first!
✨How to Get Blossoms & Bouquets✨
The only way to earn blossoms and bouquets is as Daily Rewards from My Melody. Players can hold a maximum of 3 Friendship Bouquets and 3 Friendship Blossoms at one time so sometimes My Melody can't gift one to you until you've freed up a spot. Friendship Bouquets (not blossoms) can also be activated on a multiplayer friend's island to let them give all their residents more gifts, so you can also use them up like that if you're feeling extra generous.
Early in the game, any Friendship Blossoms you get should be used to level up Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Retsuko, in that order of priority. After those 3 characters are each at level 11, use any blossoms you get to level up Wish me mell to Level 20.
Next tip: Island Visitors →
Tip # 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10
(masterpost/directory here)
(all links below lead to pages on the official HKIA wiki)
Tip #10: Island Visitors
This one's a long one so strap in, folks!
Also this is something you only need to pay attention to after like your first week in the game, so don't stress about it too much if you're just starting out <3
After your first 2-3 days in game, you’ll unlock the ability to have additional Sanrio characters known as Island Visitors (or just "Visitors") stay on your island. These characters are friends or family of the Island Residents and typically require completing certain quests or reaching certain levels with their coresponding Island Resident to unlock them as a visitor.
If a Visitor visits you enough times, you can invite them to stay on your island as a Permananet Resident! Some Visitors even unlock special quests or more Visitors from their universe when they become a Permanent Resident.
✨Visitor Basics✨
In order to get a Visitor to visit your island, you’ll need to set up a vacant cabin with all the items the Visitor needs and meet any other requirements they have, such as their cabin being in a certain region or having another Visitor as a Permanent Resident. Some of these items are easy to come by, while others are more rare or difficult to obtain. You can check what each Visitor requires on the HKIA wiki or by pulling up their profile in the Visitors app on your in-game phone.
Each day a Visitor visits your island, they will give you a quest to complete. Once you complete their quest, you will earn a "star" icon on their character page on your Visitors app. Once a character has 5 stars, they will ask if they can stay on your island as a Permanent Resident!
And don't worry - You can always ask a Visitor to leave later if you don't have room or after you've completed the quest they unlock. They can come back and visit again as long as you have a cabin set up the next time they're travelling, and they'll even retain their star-rating too.
✨Visitor Likes✨
One thing the game doesn't really tell you up front is that visitors aren't guaranteed to visit if you set up a cabin. Instead, you have a chance for them to visit each day their cabin is set up. Thankfully, there's a way you can increase your odds: You'll have a better chance of a Visitor visiting your island if you add 5 items with their "Liked" tag to their cabin. This is sometimes referred to as their "hearts" since you'll see 1-5 hearts next to their name while decorating their cabin depending on how many liked items the cabin has. You can check what each Visitor's liked tag is on the HKIA wiki or by selecting them on the Visitors app on in your in-game phone and looking at the tag icon below their picture.
✨Visitor Gifts✨
Each day a Visitor is on your island as a Visitor or Permanent Resident they will give you a gift when you talk to them. Some of these gifts are valuable items, so it’s important to check which visitors give which items.
✨Choosing Visitors✨
The most important thing to remember about Visitors is you do not have to have any Visitors you don't want! When considering whether to set up a Visitor Cabin, ask yourself:
Do I like this character?
Do I need this Visitor as a Resident to unlock a quest, area, or other Visitor I want?
Do I need this Visitor's gift?
Am I a completionist who wants to have every Visitor?
If you answered no to all of the above, then don't worry about inviting this Visitor. If you answered yes to any of the questions, then by all means, set up a cabin and plan for a visit!
✨Planning Visitor Stays✨
Planning your visitor visits seems simple enough, but there are a few things that complicate it:
Limited dates of travel
No consecutive visits
Daily quest limit
Limited Dates of Travel: Each visitor has certain days and seasons they are able to travel, so make sure you pay attention to each Visitor's visiting schedule. This schedule is not super clear in the game (but the devs are working on that) so the only way to plan well in advance is to check the HKIA wiki.
No Consecutive Visits: Visitors can't "check in" on the same day that they are "checking out" so they'll always have at least one day where they're not on your island between visits. This means that in order to have a Visitor stay with you 5 times and become a Permanent Resident, you'll need to have their cabin set up for a minimum of 10 days. More often than not, you'll have a cabin set up for a month+ for one visitor due to travel dates or other factors.
Daily Quest Limit: You can only complete quests for 3 visitors each day! This is because players can have a maximum of 4 Daily Quests and one of those quests is always My Melody's "Gift Shop" quest. So if you have more than 3 visitors visiting your island, one or more of the visitors won't give you a quest to complete and that day won't count towards their 5 visits. If you do happen to accidentally have more then 3 Visitors, the Visitor who didn't give you a quest will usually stay a day or two longer before checking out and will give you a quest the next day if there's an open quest slot. However, it's generally best to just avoid all that by not having more than 3 travelling Visitor's cabins set up each day.
✨Swapping & Doubling Up Cabins✨
Wondering about where to place all your visitors? Fear not! You'll be able to swap a visitor into a new empty cabin super easily later on. Also, if you're short on empty cabins or only have one of an item required by mulitple visitors, you can double up a cabin with items for 2 or more visitors that aren't visiting at the same time. You'll eventually need to separate out all the items once one of the Visitors is ready to move in, but doubling up on cabins can help you make sure you've set aside required items for Visitors that only visit once or fewer times a month without unlocking so many cabins.
✨So. Many. Visitors.✨
As of writing this, there are nearly 50 Sanrio characters you can have as Visitors in addition to the Island residents, and more characters are being added all the time. The best part is, as long as you have enough cabins unlocked, you can have all of the Visitors living on your island at the same time!
Hurray! You made it allll the way to the end 🎉 Thanks so much for reading this super long post! I hope all of these tips help you make the most of your adventure-filled vacation 🏝️ Hope to see you on the island!
Tip # 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10
(masterpost/directory here)