A new update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons has arrived and it’s introducing the fine world of art collecting. Tied to the shady art dealer Redd, you will be able to purchase one piece of art from him a visit. The problem is some of this art might be fake and there’s a lot of it to collect if you are determined to fill your museum. Problems arise when it comes to actually tracking down Redd, as he’s pretty elusive and inconsistent with his appearances. Here’s how to unlock this vendor and when Redd appears on your island.
How to Unlock Redd
To unlock Redd, you will need to visit your island one day after you launch the updated version. You’ll know Redd is on the island because Isabelle will make an announcement about a shady character wandering around. He will typically be away from your village, so search your island until you find him. You will then be prompted to purchase a painting from Redd, don’t worry this one isn’t a fake. Once you buy the painting, go donate it to Blathers at the museum.
Now, wait an additional two days for the museum to open an art wing. Redd will be wandering around during the museum’s opening somewhere around the island. Talking to him one last time will unlock the fox’s boat and him as a vendor. You can now visit his boat, which is tucked away in a secluded part of your island, to purchase items from him.
When Does Redd Arrive?
Unfortunately, it appears that Redd doesn’t have a set pattern. After time traveling across two months, I couldn’t distinguish a real pattern to his appearances. Once we unlocked Redd as a vendor, he didn’t appear again for seven days. Redd didn’t appear after that for 16 days, which is just madness. Others on the Animal Crossing Reddit have reported that he has appeared 3 days after his last arrival, while another had to time travel through 19 days.
The time of day doesn’t seem to matter, but I’ve had the most success during the morning and afternoon. Thankfully, you can quickly check if Redd has arrived by opening your Nook Phone with LR and select the map. If you see the marking for Redd’s ship (somewhere at the top of your island) on there then you can go visit him and purchase some art. Otherwise, it’s back to the Switch’s menu to move time ahead one day. His location won’t change from the first time you visit his ship, so don’t worry about having to hunt him down.
Because Redd’s schedule is so damn inconsistent, your only method of buying multiple pieces of art is to travel one day into the future at a time. It’s possible there’s a set pattern, but based on my own experience and others posting on social media, this fox likes to show up whenever he damn well pleases. Just make sure you’re diligent about purchasing real art when he does show up, the last thing you want is a fake.
