Nintendo characters can come to life in many new ways as amiibo figures. These are interactive figures that have the ability to communicate with specially designed games that support amiibo, simply by touching them to the Wii U GamePad. Amiibo figures can interact with amiibo-compatible games by reading data in the games and storing data on the figure.

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, players can battle with or against the amiibo figures they have at their disposal, while upgrading them in the process. They can then transfer them to another Wii U console and show how they have trained and customized them. Different amiibo-compatible games will use them in different ways. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will be the first game to use amiibo. Games like Mario Party 10, Mario Kart 8, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and Yoshi's Woolly World are also expected to support amiibo.