'Animal Crossing' Amiibo Cards Let You Add Game Characters & Exclusive Items

If you were lucky enough to score the highly sought after Animal Crossing Sanrio Amiibo Cards from Target in late March, you might be wondering how to use Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards on Switch. Although Amiibos have been around for a while, they aren't always readily available in stores, so you may not have been able to get your hands on them until recently. Luckily, the game makes it pretty easy to add in your characters and items, but you'll need a few pointers to get started.

Before you can start using Amiibo Cards, you might want to know more about what they are. Nintendo first introduced Amiibo Cards for Animal Crossing in 2015 when it released its Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer game for Nintendo 3DS. Amiibo Cards are trading cards that bring different Animal Crossing characters and themed items to your island with a quick scan. While some old game consoles (like the original 3DS or the 3DS XL) required a separate NFC reader (a wireless device that makes Amiibos compatible), Nintendo conveniently put the reader in the Nintendo Switch's right controller.

If you're hoping to add more Amiibos to your collection, you should know Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards aren't always easy to come by because of their popularity and some series' discontinuation. However, you can still find them for sale for higher prices from sites like Amazon, online from Etsy, and others. You can also keep an eye out for future exclusive releases such as the Sanrio Amiibos at Target.

If you've got Amiibo Cards and are ready to start adding different characters to your island, here's what to do.

How To Use Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards

1. With your cards ready, in New Horizons, head to the Nook Stop terminal (the machine that looks like an ATM) in the Town Hall.
2. From the menu, choose the option that says, "Invite a Camper."
3. Next, you'll see a prompt asking you to "prepare an Amiibo that you want to invite to your campsite."
4. Hold your Amiibo card to the NFC touchpoint when it prompts you. If you don't know where that is, you'll just hold your card up to the right thumbstick on your controller.
5. After it scans, the game will ask you if you want to add the selected character to your campsite. To confirm, select "Yes." If you've scanned a card you don't want to use, you can also choose "Never mind."
6. You should find the character at your campsite after completing the steps.

If you happen to have a card that features other in-game items, you'll get to collect those rewards as well.

You can also use your Amiibo Cards to take fun photos when visiting Harv's Island. This won't add the characters to your campsite but will let you pose with them for photos. To do that, go to Harv's Island and head to the photo room. When you're in edit mode, tap the Amiibo Card of your choice on the right thumbstick, and the character will appear in the frame. Once they do, you can pose them how you'd like before snapping pictures.

YouTuber Manda Leigh (Manda31409), a gaming enthusiast, also points out that you may have trouble adding the villager to your island if you don't have space available. To fix that, you'll need to head to Resident Services again and pay Bells to Tom Nook for another plot of land. You may need to spend upward of three in-game days convincing an animal to stay at your campsite, too.

Once you know how to use Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards, you'll have no problem adding in characters as you collect more Amiibos.