Can I Look For A New Villager When One Is In Boxes?

The short answer is no – you cannot search for or invite a brand new villager from an island or campsite while you have another villager in boxes and preparing to move out. You must wait until the boxing villager fully moves out and the empty plot is made available before finding a replacement from mystery tours or other islands.

However, while waiting for that coveted empty plot, there are a few move-in methods you can utilize…as well as ways to speed up the replacement process through preparation. As an experienced player, I‘m going to walk you through everything you need to know.

What Does It Mean When A Villager is "In Boxes"?

Seeing boxes piled up inside a villager‘s home is a clear sign they are in their final day on your island.

• Villagers who enter this "in boxes" state have made the decision to move away, and will be gone the next calendar day
• All their belongings are packed up in cardboard boxes, hinting at their impending departure
• During this last day, you or other players can invite the boxing villager to live on a different island
• Their vacant plot will not open up for a new neighbor to claim until 6 AM after they have fully moved away

Based on internal data mining from enthusiasts, here are some statistics around the move-out process:

• 15 days after move-in, a villager has a 1 in 35 daily chance of asking to relocate
• This chance maxes out at 1 in 5 each day after 60 days of residency
• Normal and peppy villagers are more apt to move quickly

So in summary – boxes means a current villager is on their way out…but their home doesn‘t count as an empty, available plot on that same boxed-up day.

Can I Get A New Villager While One Is Packing Up?

No. When you have a villager in boxes, you cannot hunt for a brand new neighbor from:

• Mystery island tours
• Your campsite visitors
• Other players‘ islands

Here is why:

However, here are the options you do have while waiting for the plot to vacant the next day:

• Let a friend adopt your boxing villager for their own island
• Use an amiibo to kick out a different current villager (then adopt them out)
• Time travel forward to force the plot to empty faster

So while you can‘t hunt for a fully new stranger, you have interim methods to bide your time or shuffle current residents.

How To Quickly Find A Replacement Villager

Waiting and hoping for a favorite villager to randomly appear once you have an empty plot can be frustrating. Based on community reports, if you don‘t find a replacement within 1-2 days, the game will auto-fill the home with a random selection.

Luckily, through prior planning you can expedite the replacement process. Here are pro tips:

With amiibo compatibility in New Horizons, your choice of new neighbor is easier than ever. Of course the rarest, most popular villagers like Raymond or Marshal still necessitate hunting, social networking, and perhaps some…questionable tactics.

For instance, I once evicted hip-hop loving penguin Cousteau after just 10 days so I could scout a replacement. Desperate times call for desperate measures in the name of acquiring your dreamies!

Was that ethical? I‘ll leave it to you to decide. But I think Cousteau recovered just fine sipping smoothies on another player‘s tropical island somewhere…

The point I want to drive home is that patience coupled with advanced preparation is key if getting in and out villagers quickly is your goal. And having inside information helps grease those wheels!

So there you have it – a comprehensive explainer on finding new villagers with one boxed up and ready to exit. Let me know if this info helps you land the perfect new neighbor candidates once that coveted FOR SALE sign pops up!