Nintendo has surprisingly revealed a brand new overview video showcasing a paid Switch 2 upgrade for Animal Crossing New Horizons as well as a free update for both Switch and Switch 2 users. The latter comes with a variety of new features and activities but perhaps most interesting to Zelda fans is the fact that, through amiibo, players will be able to obtain several items inspired by the Zelda series as well as special villagers like Mineru and Tulin.
Scanning compatible amiibo will net you decorations like Majora’s Mask, a Heart Container, rupees, special outfits and much more. Mineru and Tulin will also be unlockable as villagers. They’ll visit your island’s campsite and stay as regular villagers if the player wants them to. It’s unclear which amiibo figures exactly will be compatible but it’s a safe bet to assume most, if not all the Zelda series amiibo should work at some capacity. You can check out the Zelda segment in the video right here, in case you missed it.
This isn’t the first time the Zelda series has crossed over to Animal Crossing. Back in 2016, the Animal Crossing New Leaf Welcome amiibo update on Nintendo 3DS allowed you to scan a Link, Zelda or Wolf Link amiibo to obtain Wolf Link as a visitor or as a permanent neighbor for your town. The original Animal Crossing game on GameCube, as well as City Folk on Wii and Wild World on DS have also featured classic Zelda related items such as the Master Sword and the Triforce as decorations. The Zelda series amiibo were also compatible with Animal Crossing amiibo Festival on Wii U and Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, the mobile entry, ran various Zelda-themed events.
If you were considering getting some new Legend of Zelda amiibo, specifically the Tears of the Kingdom set, this isn’t the only good reason to buy them, but also the fact that some of them have recently gone down in price on Amazon. Currently, the Tears of the Kingdom amiibo available includes Link, Princess Zelda, Ganondorf, Riju, Tulin, Sidon, and Yunobo. An amiibo of Mineru’s Construct was shown by Nintendo earlier this year, but the release date is not yet confirmed.
This new 3.0 update as well as the Switch 2 Edition of Animal Crossing New Horizons will both be available on January 15, 2026.
