I don't play daily anymore, but I keep myself going by having started a second island.
I like to check in on my original island and chat to my villagers every now and then, as I'd hate to leave it for a few months. I wouldn't say that my island has a completed look, but it's cosy, and I am happy to leave it where it is.
I have a second island that I have been spending more time to decorate more specifically, so a lot of the work so far has been terraforming (which I did little of on my original island) and placing my buildings very particularly! I still have lots of work to do with decorating and meeting new villagers.
For me, I restarted my old island Buttercup and I’m making a Harry Potter themed island - which is still not finished - I focus on designing areas here and there - usually I can finish two areas in one day
Nowadays I play the DLC every now and then with my wife. She designs and I watch it was fun playing AC while it lasted, but I think my main days of playing it are over, at least until the next game comes out of course!
It probably helps that I didn't really have the time to really play the game during the pandemic. I also took really long breaks during the content drought. It's only recently that I've been playing it a bit more seriously and creating a small themed section here or there.
There are times I want to put it back down when an idea I have that should be simple is met with obstacle after obstacle from unnecessary QoL restrictions, but I find ways to work around them and then continue on. It can be fun at times.
I always decorate my island for the season. Right now I still have mushroom stuff out because snow hasn't covered the island yet, I'll take it all down on the 10th. Then I'll start to get out some snow stuff starting the 11th, and once the 15th comes, I'll get more and more Christmas stuff up!
I do this with every season. January the Christmas stuff will come down and I'll do some of the New Years type decor, and fill the rest in with more frozen things. The end of the month I'll start getting out some Valentine's things... yeah, I'm constantly looking at what I'll be doing and getting it all together. And I also will have villagers leave so I can get new ones in to match the season!
Sometimes I consider deleting my data and starting over, but I've done so much that I can't actually do it. Not to mention I really love the setup of my island, and I didn't have to do terraforming to get the basic outline. I've done very little, to make the river look a bit more aesthetically pleasing in a couple spots, have Abel Sisters' shop resting nicely into the cliffs, and making another pond. But that's all I did, and I absolutely love my island. If I had the money, I'd get another switch, but I don't want to do that haha.
Collecting every villager photo in the game is my goal
I also love designing houses for villagers in Happy Home Paradise so much
and there is infinite ways I can decorate my island which is why I love playing so much, my island is currently finished but I can always rip it down again when I want to do something different.
There's still a few tiny areas that I need finished, and some rooms in a couple of homes that I haven't finished with, which require items I don't have on me right now. I also like to visit islands with giveaways to catalog the items there, and I still have a couple of Nook achievements to finish off.
I don't play as much as I used to though, since I really am close to my definition of 'complete' for this game.
I have a few Gulliver items left to receive and Nook Mile achievements left to fulfill, but primarily my immediate goal is to have every single possible villager live on my island until I get all their posters cataloged. Some of those that I want to keep I have the amiibo cards for so I'm not too worried about having to rotate them out.
Depends on what one means by "keep playing." As I did in New Leaf, I tend to binge Animal Crossing New Horizons for a time and then take weeks/months long breaks while I concentrate on other interests or responsibilities. It keeps me interested in the games for years if I don't force it and burn out.
That said, I quite enjoy designing houses in the Happy Home Paradise DLC so there's always that. I'm interested in rearranging my island by terraforming, since it's been the same layout since basically launch. I need to swap out some of my villagers with replacements once I acquire some of my current villagers' pictures from high friendship. I'm still collecting certain clothing, holiday and event items, and I still need to donate some art and a few deep sea creatures to the museum. There's still enough to do to keep me occupied with the game for some time.
Decorating, which I'm never finished doing because I'm a serial resetter and I work slow (my current island is 3-4 months old, and 20% decorated). I also really like collecting items.
Once my island isn't as empty I'll probably play mostly to complete my museum and interact with my villagers.
I started a new file. I probably wont ever do that again, but still, it is working for me it is more fun playing now than the first time, cuz all content is there from the beginning.
I'm changing my dreamies to keep my game interesting. I'm also redesigning my island to have less clutter and for it to not fit a specific theme/aesthetic. I haven't played in a little more than 2 years, so I'm trying to collect the 2.0 furniture/items.
I still have the same island I made on release, but I'm just now "finishing" it up. Although I'm never really finished, because I always make tweaks. I don't think I'll ever terraform my island again, or make big changes. I like to decorate for each season and participate in the events. I've completed my museum (for the first time ever) so I mostly just work on Nook mile achievements when I have the time. I also want to get all the DIYs eventually.
But, just like every other AC game I've played, I go through phases after the initial newness wears off. I don't play every day, but usually once a month at the least. I'm busy with school so I don't have much time for games, and I have others I'm working on.
I like it as part of a relaxation or zoning out routine. It's a forever game without a real end so it's something good to just thrown on when you're tired of youtube/reading/ other activities but don't want to play an intense action rpg or something.
