Gold nuggets are just one of the resources you'll try to juggle when building your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island. Getting your hands on it will mean putting in the work and breaking stones.
You will have seen rocks on your starting island, which you can smash to get your hands on resources. They can drop the clay, stone, iron, and gold you seek. When you start playing you will have access to flimsy axes and other tools that can damage rocks to get the resources. The rocks will come back every day, so don't worry about breaking them completely. Eventually, you'll be able to move on to more substantial tools that don't stand up to overuse.
The best place to go to try and find gold nuggets is on a mystery island. These unique islands only exist for the duration of your visit and will tend to have more resources and rocks than your own island. You can get there using a Nook Miles Ticket which you can purchase from the kiosk in the Resident Services Center.
Due to the increased number of rocks on these islands, this increases your chances of finding gold nuggets or any of the other resources they drop. Be sure to empty your inventory as much as possible before you leave, to ensure you have enough space to scavenge for resources.
If you found this guide helpful, we have other guides you might also be interested in. From whether you can move Resident Services, how to get more residents, the maximum number of residents you can have on your island, and how to get your hands on those pesky floating balloon gifts.
