Toys-to-life is a type of video game that uses physical toys, such as figurines or action figures, to interact with the game. Different technologies help these toys work in the game, including image recognition, quick response (QR) codes, Bluetooth, and near field communication (NFC). These technologies allow the game to detect how close a figurine is to the device and save a player’s progress in a memory inside the toy. This feature became one of the most profitable parts of the video game industry during the late 1990s and 2010s. For example, the Skylanders franchise sold more than $3 billion worth of toys and games over four years.
An early example of a toys-to-life game is Redbeard’s Pirate Quest: Interactive Toy, created by Zowie in 1999. This PC game included a plastic pirate ship that connected to a printer port. Players could place separate pirate figurines on the ship and move or rotate them to interact with the game. Other early examples include Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, Dennō Bōkenki Webdiver, and Daigunder toy lines. In these games, children could plug toys like Gladion and Daigunder into their TV screens to use them as controls, while other toys interacted with the game using infrared sensors.
Toys-to-life games usually use a third-person camera view, which shows the player’s character from the side or behind. These games often include in-game power-up figurines that give players special abilities. Most toys-to-life games also include a portal device, which is used to "transport" a figurine’s character and the player’s progress into the game. These figurines can be used in different games within the same franchise, but their data may reset with each new version of the game.
Pre-NFC interactive game toys
Based on the TV series, a light gun game that uses a VHS tape and a spaceship toy that communicates with the TV using infrared signals.
Released only in Japan for the PlayStation by Bandai, this game came in a suitcase-sized cardboard box (with a handle for carrying) that included four plastic robot model kits, similar to Bandai's Gunpla models. The game is a fighting game, and two of the four models can be connected to the game console. The models have parts that can be easily removed and replaced. Players can swap the limbs on the models to change the robot's parts and abilities in the game.
A PC game created by Zowie Entertainment that included a plastic castle courtyard garden connected to a USB port. Players can interact with the game by placing figurines of a girl and several animals in different areas, playing skip rope, and sliding figurines from the castle to the forest to change the game's environment. The game was released in September 1999.
Another PC game made by Zowie Entertainment. This version included a plastic pirate ship connected to a printer port. Players can interact with the game by placing separate pirate figurines in different parts of the ship and moving or turning them. The game was released in September 1999.
Webkinz from Ganz, released in 2005, were the first stuffed toys that allowed access to online content. Each Webkinz toy had a unique "Secret Code" that gave users access to the Webkinz World website and a virtual version of the toy for online play. While the toys are no longer sold, the Webkinz World website is still available for new players, and a new updated version is being developed.
Various Japanese arcade games give out collectible cards or plastic pucks that affect gameplay when scanned. Examples include: Data Carddass, The Idolmaster, Mobile Suit Gundam: Arsenal Base, Mushiking: The King of Beetles, Oshare Majo: Love and Berry, Pokémon Mezastar, PriPara, Sangokushi Taisen, and Super Sentai Battle: Dice-O.
An early version of toys-to-life was Mattel's HyperScan game console, released in 2006. It used a similar idea to toys-to-life products but used collectible trading cards instead of figurines. Due to low sales and poor reception, only five games were made for it: Ben 10, Interstellar Wrestling League, Marvel Heroes, Spider-Man, and X-Men. All games were rated E10+ by the ESRB except X-Men (the included game), which was rated T. Two more games, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Nick Extreme Sports, were planned but canceled because the console was not successful.
A Fisher-Price toy that connects to a USB port. It includes figurines from various Playhouse Disney and PBS Kids shows, such as Arthur, Barney & Friends, Bob the Builder, Cars, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Disney Princess, Dragon Tales, Fisher-Price, Handy Manny, Higglytown Heroes, JoJo's Circus, Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, My Friends Tigger & Pooh, Sesame Street, The Wiggles, and Thomas & Friends. Players can place the figurines on the pad to play games on their related websites. Most of the websites are no longer active.
U.B. Funkeys (2007–2010) was a game that used physical circuits to connect figures to a USB "Hub," developed by Mattel, Arkadium, and Radica. The game had multiple updates before it was discontinued. It worked like social MMOs such as Club Penguin and Habbo Hotel, allowing players to explore large maps, play mini-games, and decorate their own homes. Each map was limited to specific characters, each with their own unique room and mini-game. The game had five updates, including a collaboration with Speed Racer, but was discontinued in 2010 when its online features were shut down. A sixth update, themed around DC Comics, was planned but never completed.
F.A.M.P.S. was a toys-to-life social application created by Mattel and released under the "Girl Talk" label. Figurines used RFID technology to communicate with a PC, unlocking new mini-games and customization options for the associated social network and users' computers. The application's physical disc only included an online installer, and the Windows version is no longer available.
Ongoing
Amiibo (2014) is a toys-to-life platform created by the Japanese company Nintendo. It works with the Wii U, 3DS, Switch, and Switch 2 consoles. Amiibo mainly includes characters from Nintendo games, as well as some characters from other games like Super Smash Bros., Shovel Knight, and Mega Man. It started in 2014 with figurines, and later, Nintendo introduced Amiibo-compatible playing cards, plush toys, and even cereal boxes. Unlike most other toys-to-life systems, Amiibo does not have games that are only for using the toys. Instead, the characters appear in many different games. Amiibo can save a player’s progress in a game, but many games only allow viewing the saved data, not changing it.
Lightseekers: Awakening is a multimedia franchise created by PlayFusion, an independent British studio started by Mark Gerhard, who was once the CEO of Jagex, the company that publishes RuneScape. The development of Lightseekers: Awakening was partly funded by a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, which raised $227,660 by November 2016. The Lightseekers brand includes a toys-to-life role-playing video game (called Lightseekers RPG) and a trading card game. The toys-to-life video game was released for iOS and Android mobile devices in May 2017. The Lightseekers RPG is free to play and does not need any special accessories to work, but players can buy interactive figures made with Tomy to improve their experience. These figures can have different accessories that change how the character looks and plays in the game. They also have a speaker for short lines and a motion sensor that works like a controller during flying parts of the game. A second Lightseekers video game was released for the Nintendo Switch in January 2019. This game is a virtual version of the trading card game, not a copy of the toys-to-life RPG.
Discontinued
Skylanders (2011) is a toys-to-life video game series created by the American company Activision. Skylanders was the first toys-to-life game to use NFC technology with its figures, which helped make the genre popular by appearing on home consoles. Since its release in 2011, a new game has been released each year, totaling six by 2016. Each game (except the Switch version) uses a different portal device and has a unique story. The games feature the Skylander heroes and the villain Kaos. All figurines from earlier games work with the most recent version, Skylanders: Imaginators (2016). Although new games were released, Activision did not make another main console game in the toys-to-life genre after 2016, as they took a break from the series. A mobile RPG version, Skylanders: Ring of Heroes, was released worldwide on December 12, 2018, by Com2Us. The game was updated in December 2020 but stopped being available in early 2022. After Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard, they said they want to continue the Skylanders series. No official updates about the toys-to-life part of the franchise have been shared.
Pokémon Rumble U was Nintendo’s first toys-to-life game, released in 2013 for the Wii U. It was the first game to use the NFC reader built into the Wii U gamepad. Players control Pokémon and battle other Pokémon. When figures are scanned with the NFC reader, they can be used in the game. Scanning other NFC items also gives random effects.
Disney Infinity (2013) was a toys-to-life series based on Disney characters and stories. Three versions were released: the first in 2013 focused on Disney and Pixar characters, the second in 2014 centered on Marvel Super Heroes, and the third in 2015 was about Star Wars. All figurines from the series worked with any game in the series. Production ended in 2016, and no more games were made. "Gold Editions" of each game were later released on Steam, including the toys in the games.
Figurines from the Angry Birds mobile games, such as Angry Birds Star Wars II, Angry Birds Go!, Angry Birds Stella, and Angry Birds Transformers, were used with the games. Players placed the figurines on a stand connected to their device’s camera. A QR code on the figurine was scanned, and the character appeared in the game as an unlockable or costume.
Disney Playmation was a toys-to-life game with wearable toys that used Bluetooth technology to connect to phone apps. It was sold with Hasbro and based on the Marvel Iron Man story. Other stories, like Star Wars and Frozen, were planned but not released before the product was discontinued.
A toys-to-life game made by Jakks Pacific connected a console to a portal that plugged into a TV. Players placed figurines on the portal, and they appeared in the game. The game was short-lived, with only four themes released: DC Super Heroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, and DreamWorks Dragons.
Kamen Rider Summonride! was a Japan-only toys-to-life game based on the Kamen Rider franchise. It used NFC technology like other toys-to-life games. It was developed by Eighting and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.
A game by Spin Master used Lego-compatible figurines and builds. Players scanned the figurines with their phones or tablets, and digital versions appeared in the game. The game took place in a town called Sick City, attacked by a villain named Omega Overlord. Heroes fought the villain, and enemies combined to fight them. The game was free, but extra figurines cost money. Three sets of figurines were released in 2015. No more information was shared after the third set, so the series was likely discontinued. The game was based on a 2015 cartoon of the same name.
Lego Dimensions (2015) was a toys-to-life game made by Traveller’s Tales. It used physical Lego figures featuring characters from Warner Brothers, Lego, and other franchises like Back to the Future and The Simpsons. Some characters, like Adventure Time and Sonic the Hedgehog, had not been made into Lego figures before. The game focused on using physical toys, with vehicles that could be rebuilt and mechanics that used a Toy Pad. No new games were made, but updates were added. In 2017, Warner Bros. announced they would not make more content for Lego Dimensions.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas (2018) was Ubisoft’s first toys-to-life game. The game does not require the toys to play, but they add to the experience. Interactive toys include ships, weapons, and pilots. Pilots and ships attach to controller mounts, which instantly load them into the game. Each setup needs a pilot and ship, but wings and weapons can be mixed and matched. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The Switch version included a special pilot and ship. A digital version of the game included most physical toys. In 2019, Ubisoft said they would not release more physical toys, but digital updates continued. A total of 8 ships, 16 weapons, and 11 pilots were released in physical form. Controller mounts for co-op play were also sold.
Beyblade Burst is a toy franchise made by Takara Tomy and Hasbro. Hasbro’s version includes QR codes on the back of the toys. The Beyblade Burst app uses image recognition to bring the toys into video games.
Causality is a platform by Clever Guerrilla Inc. that lets developers use NFC tags on toys and merchandise to unlock digital content through smartphones, instead of using separate NFC readers. The platform gives tools to developers and an app for users to access experiences. In May 2024, Clever Guerrilla shared a trailer showing how Causality would work with Roblox, allowing developers to connect physical and digital items in their games.