Animal Crossing: New Leaf is based on the real-world calendar – no two days in the game are the same – and includes features new to the series like customizing specific pieces of furniture, visiting a tropical island, swimming in the ocean and even sharing personalized homes with friends.

As mayors of their towns, players make decisions that will directly affect how their towns grow and function. Players can set ordinances, such as keeping their shops open later if they find themselves playing the game mostly at night, and also select public works projects to build, including bridges, benches, streetlamps and clocks. In addition to being mayor, players are also residents, and can earn money to spend at local businesses on Main Street, get to know their neighbors and collect myriad items like insects, fish, fossils and fruit, some of which can be donated to the town museum for visitors to admire.

Once players get accustomed to their new life in the town, Tortimer, the town's former mayor, will visit and invite them to the tropical island where he now lives. The tropical island is a new feature in Animal Crossing: New Leaf that lets players search for unique items and take mini-vacations with up to three other friends who also own the game. While visiting the island, they can participate in a tour featuring a fun mini-game. They can even rent a wetsuit and dive into the ocean to catch underwater creatures or just leisurely swim around and enjoy the sights.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf expands on the remarkably deep customization that fans love. Like previous Animal Crossing games, players can customize almost everything in the game, including their homes' interior design and clothes, as well as patterns for clothing, wallpaper and carpets. But in this game, players can also adjust the specific look of thousands of individual pieces of furniture, including new types of wall items like clocks, shelves and lamps, and decorate the exterior of their houses with new mailboxes, doors, façades and stepping stones. Players can even create custom fashion designs at the Able Sisters' Tailor that can be turned into QR Code patterns to be shared with others. The amount of customizable options is nearly endless.

Players can play locally with other Animal Crossing: New Leaf fans who also own the game, share Friend Codes to travel to other players' towns, go on a tropical island tour via a wireless broadband Internet connection with friends or up to three other random players from all over the world, or tag fellow players using the StreetPass feature to add their personalized houses to the Happy Home Showcase.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is constantly evolving and changing. Certain items can only be found at a certain time of day, and certain events can only be experienced during special in-game holidays on the calendar. There's something new to do every day in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.