How to Unlock Characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate - Fastest Way to Unlock All Characters
Here's our guide on how to unlock Characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate is finally here, bringing 74 characters forplayers to batle it out with. Problem is, you only have access to a few at the start of the game, and will need to unlock the rest of the roster. This can be incredibly time consuming, and not to mention a real drag if you just want to jump into a match with your favorite fighter. Luckily, there are a few different ways that you can unlock fighters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and one that is a lot faster than the others. In this Super Smash Bros Ultimate Character Unlock Guide, we'll lead you through how to unlock all of the characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, in the fastest way possible.
For more on Super Smash Bros Ultimate, be sure to head over to our Super Smash Bros Ultimate Characters Guide. It contains a full roster links with links to character guides for each. You’ll find info on Final Smashes, Changes since last appearance, and the new amiibo that are being released.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Character Unlock Guide
Unlike previous Smash games, fighters are unlocked in the same way for all, rather than character-specific challenges. This means that while it can be a bit of a grind, all you need to do is play the game naturally and you’ll eventually unlock all of the characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. We’ve listed the three ways you can unlock characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate below:
- Playing the World of Light single-player mode.
- Completing Classic Mode with a character.
- Playing the ‘Challenger Approaches’ fights that appear regularly, you will need to win them.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Starting Characters
As mentioned before, you only have access to 8 fighters at the start of Super Smash Bros Ultimate. They're all classic characters, though only a small slice of the whole roster. We've listed all of the Super Smash Bros Ultimate starter roster below:
- Mario
- Donkey Kong
- Link
- Samus
- Yoshi
- Kirby
- Fox
- Pikachu
Unlocking Super Smash Bros Ultimate Characters in World of Light
World of Light presents a huge game board to explore. Every character in the roster is scattered around this map, with players tasked with ‘awakening’ them. To do so, you need to get to the player you want to unlock, and then must compete against the evil version of that character. You will need to collect certain Spirits to clear barriers that block areas off, but once you clear the map you’ll be able to unlock all characters.
Unlocking Characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate With Challenger Fights
The easiest way to unlock characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate is to wait until the Challenger Approaches fights pop up. There is some confusion around how to trigger these, though in our experience they happened every two matches, regardless of which mode you’re playing. In the later stages of the roster, these matches seemed to happen less often. This could be, as some have suggested, because these are set to trigger every 10 minutes, and as you play the game more, the faster you clear each fight. We’re working on solving this mystery, and will update when we do.
How to Unlock Characters in Super Smash Bros Classic Mode
You’ll unlock Challenger fights each time you complete Classic Mode with a new fighter. It takes around ten minutes per run, so this isn’t the fastest method by any means. It’s a good way to get better at the game though, and there are some seriously awesome matchups for each character.
How to Rematch Character Fights in Super Smash Bros Ultimate
You’ll only be able to unlock new characters if you win the Challenger Fights. Don’t worry if you fail though, as you can retry the fights. To do so, head to the 'Games and More' section, and look out for a glowing door in the bottom righthand corner. You can rematch in there, unlocking the character you are facing.
What is the Fastest Way to Unlock Characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate?
So now that you know all of the ways you can unlock characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, you’ll probably want to know what the fastest method is. Well, it involves triggering the Challenger Fights by reloading the game regularly. We’ve listed the method below:
- Quit the game.
- Restart the game.
- Create a match with a custom rule set.
- Make sure the match is 1 minute long, or 1 stock, whichever you prefer.
- Either win or lose the match.
- After finishing the match you will offered a new Challenger Fight.
- Repeat.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Character Unlock Order
If you're wondering whether there's a certain order that characters unlock in for all Super Smash Bros Ultimate players, you're correct, there's is an established order. Just below, you can check out the definitive order in which you'll unlock characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, through using any method we've detailed above.
- Ness
- Zelda
- Bowser
- Pit
- Inkling
- Villager
- Young Link
- Marth
- Wii Fit Trainer
- Ice Climbers
- Captain Falcon
- Princess Peach
- Ryu
- Ike
- Jigglypuff
- King K. Rool
- Sonic
- Simon Belmont
- Zero Suit Samus
- Little Mac
- Isabelle
- Shulk
- Lucina
- Wario
- Ridley
- Pokémon Trainer
- Lucario
- Princess Daisy
- Roy
- King Dedede
- R.O.B.
- Falco
- Luigi
- Pichu
- Richter Belmont
- Lucas
- Diddy Kong
- Meta Knight
- Solid Snake
- Ganon
- Corrin
- Mega Man
- Bayonetta
- Toon Link
- Princess Rosalina and Luma
- Incineroar
- Sheik
- Olimar
- Pac-Man
- Dark Samus
- Starwolf
- Game & Watch
- Robin
- Dark Pit
- Cloud
- Duck Hunt
- Ken
- Greninja
- Mewtwo
- Bowser Jr.
- Chrom
- Dr. Mario
- Palutena
So there you have it, how to unlock all of the characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. For more on the game, be sure to check out our review. And if you're up for knowing more on Super Smash Bros Ultimate, head over to our Super Smash Bros Ultimate Guides Hub.