Balloon color guide - Animal Crossing locations, rewards, spawn rate, and more

Balloons can be quite the find in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. They will spawn in the sky, and players will need to shoot them down to procure whatever gift accompanies the balloon.

They're easy enough to get, but what they will get is anybody's guess. They come in various colors and have various rewards. This article dives into everything players need to know about balloons in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

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Balloons in Animal Crossing represent the game's gift to players

They come randomly and don't need to be triggered or summoned in any way. They show up for players on their islands, so no traveling is necessary, either. Having a slingshot is the only thing necessary for getting the balloon gifts down.

i had a dream that nintendo made the animal crossing balloon presents real and u could put stuff in them and send them off. i found one that had a bunch of cookies and a copy of the new icarly on dvd

— emma 🍊 comm waitlist open (@realmjork) July 9, 2021

Potential rewards for balloon gifts include furniture, bells, and rare DIY recipes. These DIY recipes can be really good and fetch many bells for their item or allow players to craft a rare item. Sometimes, balloons become the only way for players to get DIY recipes during particular events.

Shooting down a balloon gift (Image via Nintendo Life)

The balloons will spawn all day and in any direction, but once the first balloon floats in, the rest during that day will float in the same way. Animal Crossing players will only have to watch in one direction for potential balloon gifts floating in.

Spawns change every sundown and sunset. Some players have reported that 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. is a more accurate time frame. There is a familiar whistle sound when one is above players, so even if they're not just looking into the sky, they can know when one appears.

I’ve played a lot of Animal Crossing but I’ve never seen two balloons at once! #ACNH pic.twitter.com/j5HmJcYEqZ

— 🌟 a full-on monet 🌟 (@StarOfTerra) July 13, 2021

The color of the balloon will often hint at what the gift is carrying. Yellow balloons will typically have bells inside. Blue balloons often have crafting materials. Green and red typically carry clothes and DIY recipes.

All balloons can have any gift, but these colors have higher spawn rates for certain items. Special events will change the appearance of the balloons, but they'll also change the items usually.

Multi-colored balloon glitch. Image via Animal Crossing World

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