In Terraria, to unlock the Guide, you need to craft a house and have the Guide

assigned to live there. First, gather wood and other materials to create a suitable
dwelling. Once you've built a room with walls, a door, a light source, and a flat
surface, you can move the Guide into the house by interacting with him and
selecting "Housing". Once he is settled in, you will have unlocked the Guide as an
NPC in your world, and he will provide valuable information about crafting and
gameplay mechanics.