Villager treasure hunt game

[Tiffany]

Today Soleil asked me to play the treasure hunt game. she also told me I would have less time to find the item(3mins) dk why. Anyway I failed to find the treasure in the 3 mins. After the game was over I did find it and brought it back to her. Now I'm wondering what happens to the item if you don't give it back?

EDIT- game won't let me open it

 

[KayDee]

I think it happened to me once that I forgot to give it back. After a couple of days it was still in my pocket and when I talked to the villager that initiated the game, they just mentioned something about finally finding it and took it back. So I guess if the present is unwrapped, they’re just going to forget about it.

 

[Blueskyy]

It will be labeled “what was that again?” In your inventory when you reload the game. I usually just throw them in a trash can. I don’t think anything really happens if you keep it. There’s just no use for it, so no reason to keep it.

 

[Mr.Fox]

I'm not certain...but I think either opening the gift or not bringing it back to them will lower your friendship level with that villager.

 

[Tiffany]

it won't let me open it unless i win, and even then i have to bring it to the villager first. it'll say it's someone else's treasure so it wouldn't be right to open it or something like that. thanks

 

[moo_nieu]

yeah they just take the gift away from you and say too bad you lost basically ;-;

 

[Miss Misty]

One thing that's worked for me to get the full timer is sitting through the rules explanation.

 

[sleepydreepy]

I don't know if I've just had crazy RNG luck, but nearly every time my villager asks me to play treasure hunt the item is always buried near that villager's house!

 

[themysterybidder]

I've got a question about the treasure hunt game, why is it sometimes you only get 3 minutes with a villager then 6 minutes with a different villager?