Snowballs are scattered around the player's town from late November to 25th February. If rolled in snow, they will gradually become larger, whereas they become smaller if rolled in dirt, grass, or stone. Pushing snowballs into the river will make them flow and gradually melt. If bumped into an object, it will break, and another will appear at a random spot in town. Dung Beetles will also occasionally roll snowballs.
Prior to New Leaf[]
A snowball delaying the bus in City Folk
In all prior games, snowballs can be used to build a single Snowman. This creature often talks about loneliness and wishes it could interact with villagers. There are only two snowballs in town at any given time, making only one snowman possible each day; they will not regenerate until the following day, when the snowman has fully melted and disappeared. Melting snowmen are represented by shrinking over time. If a snowman is not built, losing a snowball will cause a new one to appear randomly in town. In Animal Crossing, snowballs serve as the winter equivalent to sports balls, which were removed in later games. In City Folk, snowballs rolled in front of the bus stop will prevent the bus from arriving.
Role in New Leaf[]
Player rolling snowball in New Leaf
A perfect snow family
Winter in New Leaf introduced a new snowman mechanic: the ability to create various members of a snowman family. These four members include a Snowman, Snowmam, Snowboy, and Snowtyke, and are determined by the size of the snowballs used. These creatures also take several days to melt, which introduces melting phases.
Role in New Horizons[]
Snowballs return in New Horizons, where if rolled into another snowball, they become Snowboys. Snowboys return with the melting phase as well. This time, smaller snowballs are now kicked into directions before the rolling phase. If the player is able to make a 'perfect' Snowboy, the player will be awarded with a large snowflake and, if available, a winter DIY recipe.
Trivia[]
- If the snowball is hit with a shovel, it will be destroyed.
- If the snowball gets pushed off a cliff, it will be destroyed upon hitting the ground.
- The Snowmen family will judge the player's building abilities and their own appearance based on the snowball proportions.