Bringing new faces to your island paradise in Animal Crossing: New Horizons becomes much simpler when you utilize Nintendo's interactive figures and cards. These collectibles allow players to bypass the random queue of moving characters and directly choose who visits their tropical campsite. Understanding how to properly scan and activate these items ensures you can curate the ideal community for your custom digital getaway.
Unlocking the Nook Stop Scanner Option
Before you can begin inviting characters with your collection, you must reach a specific milestone in your island's development. Players need to upgrade the resident services tent into a proper building and construct the campsite for temporary visitors. Once your first random camper officially arrives and moves into a designated plot, Tom Nook will unlock the specialized feature at the multimedia terminal.
Interacting with the upgraded Nook Stop machine will reveal a new menu option explicitly labeled for scanning these external accessories. If you attempt to access this feature too early in your adventure, the system will inform you that the functionality is currently unavailable. Patience during the initial week of gameplay ensures that all your hardware scanning tools fully activate when required.
Inviting Villagers to Your Campsite
To successfully register a character, approach the terminal inside resident services and select the appropriate invitation option from the digital menu. The game will prompt you to hold your chosen card or figure over the NFC touchpoint located on your controller. For standard Nintendo Switch consoles, this scanning area rests directly over the right control stick, while Pro Controllers feature the receiver over the central logo.
Once the system successfully identifies the scanned data, the selected villager will immediately appear on your screen to acknowledge the digital call. They will express excitement about visiting your destination and will instantly teleport into your island's decorated campsite tent. You can then head outside to greet your new guest and begin the formal recruitment process through direct conversation.
Crafting Souvenirs and Finalizing Move-In Requests
Securing a permanent resident from a scanned accessory requires a multi-day commitment that tests your crafting capabilities. Upon visiting the camper inside their tent, they will request a specific souvenir item themed after local DIY recipes. If you do not possess the required blueprint, the visitor will kindly provide the instructions so you can gather materials and complete the task.
You must repeat this entire invitation and crafting process on three separate days before the guest agrees to join your island permanently. On the third day of delivering completed gifts, a final conversation will allow you to suggest that they talk to resident services about building a home. If your town is currently at maximum capacity, this method uniquely allows you to choose exactly which current resident will pack up and leave to make room.
