Amiibo

amiibo is a line of figures and cards made by Nintendo based on characters from its games. They use (NFC) to send and receive information from a game and are used primarily to unlock content or features within games. All console entries in the since  have amiibo compatibility.

amiibo can be scanned on the Wii U via a labeled sensor on the GamePad, on the Nintendo 3DS via the Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer or a sensor under the touch screen on New Nintendo 3DS models, and on the Nintendo Switch via a sensor under the analog stick on the right Joy-Con or the right analog stick on the Pro Controller.

A line of amiibo figures and cards was released for  and  from 2015 to 2016, and additional card series were later released for  in 2016 and  in 2021. Additionally, Villager and Isabelle received amiibo in the Super Smash Bros. line as fighters from the games.

Figures
Three waves of amiibo—containing a total of 16 figures based on special characters—were released from 2015 to 2016. Additionally, two amiibo in the Super Smash Bros. line were released for Animal Crossing fighters in the games.

Wave 1
The first wave of amiibo figures was released alongside  on November 13, 2015 in North America, November 20, 2015 in Europe, and November 21, 2015 in Japan and Australia. It consists of eight figures:

The Isabelle - Winter Outfit and Digby amiibo were bundled with all copies of. In North America, these two figures were initially exclusive to the bundle, but they were eventually released separately on June 10, 2016 and March 18, 2016, respectively. In the United States, the Lottie amiibo was initially sold exclusively sold at stores, and in Canada, it was initially exclusively sold at  stores.

Wave 2
The second wave of amiibo figure was released on December 17, 2015 in Japan, January 22, 2016 in North America, January 29, 2016 in Europe, and January 30, 2016 in Australia. It consists of four figures:

Wave 3
The third wave of amiibo figure was released on March 18, 2016 in North America and Europe, March 19, 2016 in Australia, and March 24, 2016 in Japan. It consists of four characters:

Super Smash Bros. amiibo
An amiibo figure for Villager was released alongside on November 21, 2014 in North America, November 28, 2014 in Europe, November 29, 2014 in Australia, and December 6, 2014 in Japan. A figure for Isabelle was released on July 19, 2019 in Japan, Europe, and Australia, and July 26, 2019 in North America.

Cards

 * For a list of Animal Crossing amiibo cards, see list of amiibo cards.

A total of five numbered series of amiibo cards, alongside special series for  and a Sanrio collaboration, were released from 2015 to 2021. Each card is based on a villager or special character and contains artwork of the character, their birthday, and, only in Series 1–4, a dice value and rock-paper-scissors sign. Including four promotional cards, there are a total of 508 amiibo cards.

The numbered and series are sold in blind booster packs, with packs sold in North America containing six cards, and packs sold elsewhere containing three cards. Each pack contains one special character card, with the rest being villagers. After their initial release and discontinuation, Series 1–4 were re-released in November 2020 to promote.

The line of amiibo cards is a spiritual successor to the e-Reader cards for the first-generation  games.

Series 1
Series 1 of amiibo cards consists of 100 cards and was released alongside  on July 30, 2015 in Japan, September 25, 2015 in North America, October 2, 2015 in Europe, and October 3, 2015 in Australia.

Series 2
Series 2 of amiibo cards consists of 100 cards and was released on October 29, 2015 in Japan, November 20, 2015 in Europe, November 21, 2015 in Australia, and January 22, 2016 in North America.

Series 3
Series 3 of amiibo cards consists of 100 cards and was released on January 14, 2016 in Japan, March 18, 2016 in North America and Europe, and March 19, 2016 in Australia.

Series 4
Series 4 of amiibo cards consists of 100 cards and was released on March 24, 2016 in Japan, June 1, 2016 in Europe, June 10, 2016 in North America, and June 18, 2016 in Australia.

Series 5
Series 5 of amiibo cards consists of 48 cards and was released shortly after the  for  on November 5, 2021 worldwide.

series
A special series of 50 amiibo cards for the characters added in was released around shortly after the update on November 3, 2016 in Japan, November 10, 2016 in Australia, November 11, 2016 in Europe, and December 2, 2016 in North America.

Sanrio series
A special series of six cards for the Sanrio crossover villagers in was released shortly after the update on November 3, 2016 in Japan and November 25, 2016 in Europe. The Sanrio series was not released in North America until March 26, 2021, shortly after the release of the for.

The Sanrio cards are distributed in different ways in each region:
 * Japan — sold exclusively at 7-Eleven stores in blind booster packs of two cards.
 * Europe — sold in booster packs containing all six cards.
 * North America — sold in booster packs containing all six cards. In the United States, they are sold exclusively at stores.

Promotional cards
Four promotional cards were distributed from 2015 to 2016:
 * しずえ (Isabelle) — included in the September/October 2015 issue of the Japanese magazine .
 * Goldie — included with all copies of.
 * Stitches — included with all copies of.
 * Rosie — included with all copies of.
 * とたけけ (K.K. Slider) — included in the April–June 2016 issue of the Japanese magazine Pikopuri.

In
In, amiibo can be scanned at the amiibo phone in Nook's Homes, which is unlocked after the player designs houses for a few[how many?] clients. Any Series 1–4 card or any figure can be scanned at the amiibo phone to recruit that character at any time to design a house for. This is the only way to design houses for special characters.

amiibo can also be scanned while in a client's house or facility to invite the character to that location. Villagers can have their clothing and headgear customized, and special characters have a limited selection of clothing that they can be changed between. Invited characters will remain in that location indefinitely unless asked to leave, and a maximum of five characters can exist in a single location at once. Scanning the amiibo again after inviting a character will save all furniture in the room to the amiibo, which can then be scanned in a different copy of the game in order to transfer furniture to other players to help fill their catalog.

Scanning the Super Smash Bros. Villager amiibo figure will unlock a Villager Statue item in the catalog, and scanning the Isabelle amiibo unlocks the Isabelle Scooter item. Scanning these amiibo are the only way to acquire these items for use in the game.

In
amiibo are required for all game modes in. To play the Board Game, at least one player must scan an amiibo figure and will play as that character. During the game, any players who used an amiibo must scan it each turn to role the die. After the game is over, the figure can be scanned again to save the earned Happy Points to the amiibo.

Each minigame requires the player to scan one or more amiibo cards to play. The dice values and rock-paper-scissors signs on each card are used in the amiibo Card Battle and Resetti Bop minigames, respectively. amiibo cards with saved houses from can be scanned during the Board Game to have the saved house appear in the Board Game town.

If the Super Smash Bros. Villager amiibo figure is scanned, a golden statue of the Villager appears in the center of the plaza.

In
In, the player must first locate an Empty Lamp in their town. Once placed in a house the lamp can be interacted with to summon Wisp, who provides access to most amiibo functionality in the game. Villagers can be invited to move into town by scanning their corresponding amiibo card. Special characters (using their figurines only) and villagers from the series will instead appear in their RV in the campground when scanned, from which furniture can be purchased in exchange for MEOW Coupons. The villagers can be spoken to and invited to move into town. The Super Smash Bros. Villager amiibo will also invite Wisp himself to the campground.

Other features include the amiibo Camera available on the title screen, which places characters in augmented reality using the 3DS camera. It is compatible with all amiibo but not any others, even those that yield crossover villagers with Wisp. However, these villagers and any others can be used in this feature if they are a resident in the player's town. as well as players themselves. Also, in Animal Crossing Puzzle League, each figurine grants a different special ability, and crewmembers can be chosen for Desert Island Escape.

The game is compatible with all amiibo figurines and cards from Series 1-4, the Welcome amiibo and Sanrio series, and promotional cards. Series 5 cards will only work if the character had an amiibo card in a prior series. The Super Smash Bros. series Villager and Isabelle figurines are also compatible.

A total of eight unique crossover villagers from other series and six Sanrio-themed villagers are available only by scanning their amiibo and inviting them to move into the player's town:

The Legend of Zelda series

 * W. Link NL Villager Icon.png W. Link, obtained through Link, Zelda, and Young Link from the Super Smash Bros. series, Wolf Link, Link (Archer), Link (Twilight Princess), Link (Skyward Sword), or Link (Link's Awakening) from The Legend of Zelda series.
 * Medli NL Villager Icon.png Medli, obtained through Toon Link from the Super Smash Bros. series, Toon Link (The Wind Waker), Zelda (The Wind Waker), Zelda (Breath of the Wild), or Zelda and Loftwing from The Legend of Zelda series.
 * Epona NL Villager Icon.png Epona, obtained through Sheik from the Super Smash Bros. series, Link (Ocarina of Time), Link (Rider), or Link (Majora's Mask) from The Legend of Zelda series.
 * Ganon NL Villager Icon.png Ganon, obtained through Ganondorf from the Super Smash Bros. series, Link (The Legend of Zelda), Guardian, or Bokoblin from The Legend of Zelda series.

Splatoon series

 * Inkwell NL Villager Icon.png Inkwell, obtained through any variant of the Inkling Boy, Girl, or Squid amiibo from the Splatoon series. (The Octoling amiibo are not compatible.)
 * Cece NL Villager Icon.png Cece, obtained through the Callie amiibo from the Splatoon series.
 * Viché NL Villager Icon.png Viché, obtained through the Marie amiibo from the Splatoon series.

Monster Hunter series

 * Felyne NL Villager Icon.png Felyne, obtained through any of the six amiibo from the Monster Hunter Stories series. (Monster Hunter Stories 2 or Monster Hunter Rise amiibo are not compatible.)

Sanrio series
The following villagers are based on characters and series created by Sanrio and will never move into town unless their card from the limited edition Sanrio series of amiibo is scanned and they are invited to move: • Rilla NH Villager Icon.png Rilla (Hello Kitty)

• Marty NH Villager Icon.png Marty (Pompompurin)

• Étoile NH Villager Icon.png Étoile (Kiki and Lala)

• Chai NH Villager Icon.png Chai (Cinnamoroll)

• Chelsea NH Villager Icon.png Chelsea (My Melody)

• Toby NH Villager Icon.png Toby (Kerokerokeroppi)

In
is compatible with all current amiibo. Unlike New Leaf, amiibo from other video game series cannot be used. amiibo have three main functions in : spawning characters for photo shoots at Photopia; unlocking their respective posters; and bringing villagers to the campsite with the opportunity to have them move in as residents.

Photopia
At Photopia, scanning any amiibo will unlock the character's respective poster that will be available for purchase in the Nook Shopping Catalog. For characters who appear in, scanning their respective amiibo also allows the player to spawn the character as a model for a photo shoot. Models cannot be spoken to, but interacting with them makes them face the player.

These characters from previous games cannot be spawned as models, but their corresponding posters may be unlocked: • Villager NH Character Icon.png Villager

The following amiibo can only be summoned as models if the update they are introduced to the game with is installed: • {

Camping
Villager amiibo can also be read once per day from the Nook Stop. The scanned villager will appear and speak to the player, during which they may be invited to put up a tent at the town's campsite. When visiting the Campsite, the camper will give the player a DIY recipe for a specific item and ask the player to craft it for them. If the player gives the camper the item, they will thank the player by giving them clothing in return and hint that they would like to be invited again.

From the camper's third consecutive visit, the player may ask the camper to move onto their island as a resident. A camper can only be invited to move in if there is a vacant plot, or a maximum of ten villagers already live on the island. In the latter case the player will be prompted to choose a resident to move out so that the camper may move in.

Scanning an amiibo for a special character (until version ) or a villager already living on the player's island will result in a special dialogue explaining why they can't come. The special characters would have been available to speak with are the same as those that can be invited to Photopia in each update (see above). If the player scans the amiibo for a villager that is in the process of moving in, they will get a special "answering machine" message.

The Roost
The Roost is added to the museum with the. An amiibo phone is located on the back wall, it can be used to scan amiibo to make the scanned character visit the café. The scanned character may bring additional characters with them, for example scanning Mable may prompt her to bring Sable and Label along with her. Villagers who previously lived on the player's island will remark their life living there.

amiibo can be scanned in the expansion to prompt the scanned character to visit the archipelago, allowing the player to design a vacation home for them. Scanning amiibo is the only way to be able to create designs for certain special characters, such as Isabelle or Timmy and Tommy.

Other games with amiibo support
The following games, listed in order of release date, have unique compatibility with amiibo:

Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumete★Tomodachi Daisakusen!
Scanning a compatible amiibo in Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumete★Tomodachi Daisakusen! will unlock the "New Leaf Medley" and extra content in Kisekae Shoot Mode.

The Villager amiibo can be used in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as a customizable fighter, who can be trained up and given alternate moves.

Super Mario Maker
Scanning a compatible amiibo in Super Mario Maker will unlock them as a Mystery Mushroom costume. These costumes can also be unlocked through the 100 Mario Challenge. The and Mystery Mushroom and costumes are only available in the original game, and are not present in Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS or Super Mario Maker 2. • Blathers

• Celeste

• Cyrus

• Digby

• Isabelle (Summer outfit)

• Isabelle (Winter outfit)

• Kapp'n

• Kicks

• K.K. Slider

• Lottie

• Mabel

• Resse

• Resetti

• Rover

• Nooklings

• Tom Nook

• Villager

Mario Kart 8
Scanning a compatible amiibo in Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch) will unlock an Animal Crossing-themed Mii racing suit.

Yoshi's Woolly World
Scanning the Villager amiibo in Yoshi's Woolly World will unlock a Villager-themed pattern for Yoshi. Additionally, in the game's 3DS port, Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, amiibo figures or their corresponding cards can be scanned to unlock the following Animal Crossing-themed patterns for Yoshi:

Kirby: Planet Robobot
In Kirby: Planet Robobot, scanning different characters' amiibo will give Kirby a Copy Ability relevant to that character or series. All give Kirby the Leaf ability, a reference to how a leaf represents furniture in the player's pockets, and the series icon.

Miitopia
In Miitopia, scanning an Isabelle, Tom Nook, K.K. Slider or Mr. Resetti amiibo will unlock a corresponding costume that can be worn by the cast of Mii's in the game.

WarioWare Gold
amiibo can be read in WarioWare Gold by using Wario's amiibo Sketch toy in the arcade. Once the amiibo has been read, Wario will paint the corresponding character in his signature style.

Hey! Pikmin
Scanning a compatible amiibo in Hey! Pikmin will unlock bonus treasure stages in the game.

Style Savvy: Fashion Forward
Scanning any Isabelle amiibo or amiibo card in Style Savvy: Fashion Forward will unlock clothing based on her summer outfit for use in the game. Any other amiibo card will unlock Star Hairpin.

Style Savvy: Styling Star
Scanning an amiibo in Style Savvy: Styling Star will unlock three Animal Crossing-themed shirts for use in the game.

Conga Master Party
In Conga Master Party, a compatible amiibo can be read to unlock Animal Crossing-themed costumes for use in the game as well as unlock specific characters.

Scanning a compatible amiibo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will unlock that character's spirit. Scanning the Timmy and Tommy amiibo will also unlock their in-game shop, Timmy and Tommy's, who sells item-related spirits in World of Light. As with, the Villager and Isabelle amiibo can be used as special AI-controlled fighters, though the custom moves from the previous installment are not present. If transferring the Villager amiibo data from, the amiibo will be leveled down to a set level (e.g. level 50 amiibo is lowered to level 12) and it will no longer work with.

Trivia

 * On October 28, 2015, Nintendo revealed that Series 1 of the amiibo cards were the best-selling amiibo product in Japan and the 6th best-selling product in North America.