Activate Amiibo Features in Games

The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild

There are 3 steps to activating the amiibo feature in Breath of the Wild:

Step 1

To unlock the amiibo rune, you will need to complete at least one shrine on the tutorial level, Great Plateau. This usually happens around 45 minutes into the game. 

Note that some rewards do not spawn until Link is off Great Plateau. Some even better rewards require completing at least one divine beast.

Step 2

Enable amiibo functionality in the game settings:

• Once you've unlocked the amiibo rune, press the + Button to open the menu.

• Go to the System Menu (R Button).

• Select Options.

• Find the amiibo setting and change it to "Use amiibo".

Step 3

Select and use the amiibo rune:

• Press the Up Button on the D-pad to access your abilities.

• Choose the amiibo icon from the list.

• Exit the menu and press the L Button to activate the amiibo skill.

• A glowing sphere will appear. This is where the amiibo item will spawn.

• Hold your amiibo figure over the right control stick to scan it.

• The amiibo item will appear in the glowing sphere location.

Important notes:

• Normally, each amiibo can only be used once per day (per Nintendo Account).

• Some amiibo offer unique rewards, while others offer more generic items like weapons, food, or materials.

The Legend of Zelda – Tears of the Kingdom

There are 3 steps to activating the amiibo feature in Breath of the Wild:

Step 1

To unlock the amiibo ability, you will need to complete at least one shrine on the tutorial level, Great Sky Island. This usually happens around 30 minutes into the game. 

Note that some rewards do not spawn until Link is off the Great Sky Island.

Step 2

Enable amiibo functionality in the game settings:

• Once you've unlocked the amiibo rune, press the + Button to open the menu.

• Go to the System Menu (R Button).

• Select Options.

• Find the amiibo setting and change it to "Use amiibo".

Step 3

Select and use the amiibo ability:

• Press the L Button to activate the amiibo skill.

• Choose the amiibo icon from the list using the left stick, and release L button.

• A glowing sphere will appear. This is where the amiibo item will spawn.

• Hold your amiibo figure over the right control stick to scan it.

• The amiibo item will appear in the glowing sphere location.

Important notes:

• Normally, each amiibo can only be used once per day (per Nintendo Account).

• Some amiibo offer unique rewards, while others offer more generic items like weapons, food, or materials.

The Legend of Zelda – Echoes of Wisdom

Coming on 9/25/2024...

Super Smash Bros Ultimate

To use the amiibo feature in Super Smash Bros

1. Launch Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

2. On the main menu, navigate to "Games & More" using the directional buttons.

3. Press the A Button to select "Games & More".

4. Find and select "amiibo" from the listed options.

5. Press the A Button to confirm your selection.

Splatoon 3

Steps

1. Head to Splatsville

2. Locate the large Amiibo box near the shops.

3. Interact with it by pressing A.

4. Scan your amiibo: When prompted, place your amiibo figure on the NFC touchpoint located on the right Joy-Con or your Switch Pro Controller.

5. Hold it there for a few seconds until the scan is complete.

6. Claim your rewards: You'll see the gear and abilities associated with your amiibo displayed on the screen. Press A to claim them. You might be asked to play more games before you the rewards become available to you.

Additional Notes

Each compatible amiibo unlocks a specific set of gear and abilities. You can find details about each reward online or in the amiibo packaging.

Some amiibo, like the Deep Cut trio, unlock multiple gear pieces across multiple scans. You'll need to scan them repeatedly to get all the rewards.

You can scan the same amiibo once per day to get a random ability ticket and occasional snacks for Judd.

If you encounter issues, ensure your amiibo is compatible with Splatoon 3 and your game is updated to the latest version.

More Resources

Full list of Splatoon 3 amiibo rewards: https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/splatoon-3-amiibo-unlocks-and-rewards-full-list

Video guide on unlocking Deep Cut amiibo rewards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfpphd6Ghcc

Animal Crossing New Horizons

Amiibo can be used in two different ways in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Harvey’s Island lets you use amiibo for photo ops while camping allows you to scan amiibo and invite new villagers to your island. Read on to learn more about how to unlock any of these features.

Inviting Villagers to Campsite

Camping allows randomly chosen villagers to appear on your island, which in turn gives you the option of inviting those villagers to live on your island. However, if you have amiibo cards, you can use them to request specific villagers at your campsite. To be more precise, the character represented on the map is invited to your island. Note that you can only really use Animal Crossing amiibo cards here. None of the characters transformed into amiibo figures can be invited to the campsite.

You will need to complete several steps to build a campsite. Here’s what you need to do to unlock the campsite and invite villagers to your island using amiibo:

1. Improve services to residents in a building

2. Building a campsite

3. Invite a visiting villager to live on your island

4. Build additional houses on your island

5. Wait for the villager to move in

6. Use the NookStop kiosk at Resident Services

7. Wait the next day for the visit of the guest camper

Harvey Island Villager Photopia

If you’ve played Animal Crossing: New Leaf, you might remember a hippie dog named Harvey as one of the special villagers. After a few days of play, this dog will randomly appear on your island. Make sure you talk to him, and he’ll invite you to visit his island. The great thing is that the airport allows you to fly for free. No Nook Miles ticket required.

Instead of searching for gear, bugs, and fish, Harvey’s Island only allows you to enter Harvey’s house. Once inside, you can set up a scene in one of its rooms and snap photos with your favorite villagers. That is, as long as you have a matching amiibo to invite them. You can place different pieces of furniture, change the lighting in the room, and position your favorite Animal Crossing villagers in different places before taking photos with them.

However, it should be noted that not all amiibo work with New Horizons. So far the game has warned me that Reese, Cyrus and Rover minifigures cannot be invited to Photopia. I don’t know if that means these characters never appear in New Horizons or if that means you have to wait until they are unlocked. I’ll update when I learn more.

If you scan an in-game character’s amiibo figure or card on Harvey’s Island, a poster depicting that character will be available for purchase at NookStop in Resident Services. It even works for characters that I couldn’t invite into Photopia. All you need to do is go to the kiosk, select Nook Shopping, then press R to view all the available posters. Use these awesome pictures to spice up the rooms in your home.

Other Games

For all other games, just google "how to use amiibo feature in <game name>".