It’s not every day a school bus crashes on a haunted island. But that’s the day you’re having in Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit — and you’ve got lemonade to make. Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit will feel like home if you’ve ever played an Animal Crossing game, but for those who somehow found other ways to stay busy during the pandemic, we’ve got your back. Consider these tips and tricks a way to get your feet wet and guide you as the game unfolds day by day. 

Play Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit — ad-free and with no in-app purchases and no extra fees — with your Netflix subscription. Just download it to your Android or iOS device via the Netflix mobile app.

You’ve got mail.

Your unread emails can wait; your mailbox notes in Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit, however, shouldn’t be ignored. Not only do you get cute messages from your island buddies, but they also like sending gifts. Whether you take these to Tallow’s archival cabinet, sell them to Mr. Kit’s store, or repurpose them as gifts to others, these trinkets are full of charm and all serve a purpose. 

Collect your badges.

You’ll earn badges for doing all sorts of ambient activities around your spooky island paradise. The best part is you don’t necessarily need to focus on them as you play. You totally can, of course, but there’s no pressure to grind these out. 

Just play the game as you normally would, and you’ll start unlocking badges for all kinds of in-game milestones — like spending 200,000 coins, earning companions, digging holes, leveling up your critter-catching skills, and more. 

Each badge comes with its own reward. From coins to precious gems and other rarities, regularly collecting badge rewards will keep a steady supply of coins in your bank, which makes everything easier. 

If you do want to grind a little because you ran out of storage space in your tent, the badges and their rewards are structured fairly. You can also combine winnings by stacking them on top of each other to really maximize your payouts. 

Say you rack up the funds needed to upgrade to tent Level 4. You purchase that from Flamey, and when you walk inside, suddenly there’s a red badge on your screen: You just unlocked a new badge, and with it, 20 quartz gemstones. And that tent upgrade also sent you over the 200,000-coin badge threshold. Claim the prize and now you’ve got five semiprecious gemstones. 

Do be careful with what you spend and where, though. Eventually, the next upgrades for both the store and your tent will hit six figures and you’ll have to prioritize one over the other. Want to upgrade both at once? Enjoy the grind, but know it’s not expected. Another easy way to get coins? Donating new items to Tallow’s cabinet. 

Your tent has space for everything.

Beyond just being a place to dump your backpack and store an increasing number of bits and bobs, your tent is your home at Camp Spirit. In a mysterious turn of events, it’s far bigger on the inside than its exterior would ever suggest. As you play Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit, you’ll discover crafting recipes for furniture like cookie table ends, stuffed scouts, witchy potion shelves, and pug imp TVs — among so many other items. 

Well, you’ll need a place to display all that hard work of yours, and where better than your tent? Go wild with it; you’ve got nothing but time. Keep it up with collecting badges and helping out your bear friends around the island, and soon enough you’ll have a massive two-floor tent as your blank canvas. Don’t worry about getting it right the first time, either. Perfect is the enemy of good, and you can always pick things up and move them around whenever you want. 

Get into the rhythm. 

The ethos of Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit is to not overwhelm but to just let you explore at your own pace. However, sometimes a little structure can go a long way and help you make the most of your time. 

For example, instead of running from camp to the beach to pick up a quest from Kyli –– mining the ore and crafting the iron ingots she needs, turning them in, getting your spirit log, feeding it to Flamey, and starting all the way over with someone new –– consider this: Start your session each day by picking up all your quests at once. The chances of finding other quest items while you’re doing a completely different quest are extremely high. When they’re already in your journal, you can save a lot of backtracking. 

Mix in some fruit harvesting, fishing, and make a meal or two for your animals to break things up a bit. Then wind down your virtual day by turning in all your quest items. Feed your animals the delicious food you cooked them. Swing by Mr. Kit’s, and then when you’re ready to retire? Feed Flamey. He’ll really appreciate the buffet.