Skip to main content

How to unlock characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate quickly became the signature game of the Nintendo Switch. The character roster and massive amount of content made the wait for this game all worth it. There are almost 80 characters players can choose from, making the fighting combinations endless. Although you only start with a small selection of eight characters, you’ll be able to grind your way to expanding your roster in no time!

Although this process can be fun, it can also be a bit of a hassle if you want to just play as your main fighter. Luckily, we’ve found the best ways to make that happen, so get ready for a fight.

Further reading

Tips and tricks to unlock characters fast in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Although there are purchasable characters, most characters can be unlocked in three different ways: Playing Classic Mode, fighting against a character in the game’s adventure mode World of Light, or through the Rotating List. When a fight becomes available, you’ll see a screen that says “Challenger Approaching,” along with a dark silhouette of the character. Here are a few tips to make the most of each, including what you can do to speed up the process.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate Challenger Approaches
Image used with permission by copyright holder

1. Start with Classic Mode

Classic Mode is back, pitting you against a group of selected fighters, with a platforming section and a final boss at the end. It’s a fun mode that can get you up to speed with Ultimate, in case it’s been a while since you played a Smash title. It also proves to be a quick way to unlock a few characters right off the bat.

The initial roster for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate includes Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu. You can play Classic Mode with any of these characters, guaranteeing the chance of going up against a new character. In order, these are the first unlocks: Sonic, Bowser, King K. Rool, Inkling, Lucario, Ness, Captain Falcon, and Villager.

For context, all unlocks have been displayed in a handy image provided in the game’s subreddit, which you can ignore completely if you don’t want any unlocks to be spoiled for you. The way it works is after you get your first set of unlocked characters, you can continue playing with the same initial character, say Mario or Kirby, and you’ll be granted with a new character to fight against. This can be done several times, but you’ll end up having to switch characters sometime soon.

Super Smash Bro. Ultimate Mode Selection
Image used with permission by copyright holder

2. Remember challengers can be replayed

Before we continue, there’s a key mechanic in the game that will save you any worries you might have about losing a challenger battle. These battles can be really hard sometimes, or just happen to appear randomly when you’re using a character you’re not too familiar with. In any case, once you’ve played for a few hours, the game will notify you about a new mode called Challenger’s Approach, which can be found in Games & More and is displayed as a gate on the bottom right.

All lost battles can be replayed in Challenger’s Approach, but keep in mind that they might take a while to reappear, especially if you lose again. If you’ve collected several challengers for a rematch, they will appear in order. Don’t forget to check back often!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Incineroar
Image used with permission by copyright holder

3. Look for a new challenger every 10 minutes

There are a number of circumstances that can trigger a fight, but this is limited to a certain time frame. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it’s only after ten minutes that you get a new chance to battle someone new.

Aside from Classic Mode and World of Light (more on that later) playing quick matches against either the CPU or a friend in local multiplayer, exiting World of Light, or even failing a Spirit Board match can trigger a new fight.

The element of surprise is certainly there but only if there is enough time for the chances to reset. We found a handful of ways to speed this up, some more honorable than others, which are the following:

Start a Smash battle and set the stock to one, beat your opponent, and you’ll get to fight against a challenger. You can also play a bit with time, making for shorter matches if you K.O. the adversary fast enough. And let’s just say that no one’s going to judge you if you do a quick 1v1 match against yourself using both joy-cons separately, so you don’t have to worry about the CPU making things harder, but that’s up to you.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Map
Image used with permission by copyright holder

4. In World of Light, Spirits are your friends

Unlocking characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate through World of Light is a slow and challenging process. The map is huge and you have to get through several fights before you meet an unlockable character — and that’s without taking into account the several blockades that can only be passed with a certain trait or ability from a spirit. If you choose to unlock characters using this path, it’s going to take a while, but do keep in mind what we mentioned earlier: do a few battles and then exit to the main menu. There will likely be a challenger waiting for you.

There are a few things that can make this process easier, though. Choosing the right spirits for each battle (divided in a rock-paper-scissors system of sorts) can save you from several moments of frustration. Just remember that you can feed them with snacks (which are unlocked as loot after battles) in the main Spirits’ menu to level them up.

For beginners, we recommend World of Light as a helpful component. The first battle is against Mario, but right after that, you’ll get the chance to fight Villager, Marth, or Sheik. You can only pick one, though, and the rest will be locked until you complete a dungeon or cross all the way from another path to reach them. If you are familiar with any of them, you can get yourself a main character in just a few battles.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

5. When in doubt, pick Kirby

There might be a canonical reason why Kirby is the first character you’re able to use in World of Light, but it makes sense that this translates to other modes as well. Assuming the character of Kirby in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is an intelligent strategy that’ll boost your chances of survival. His basic attack while standing still can deal a large number of punches consecutively. If you manage to time it right, there’s a high chance of knocking your adversary off the map in no time.

The advantages don’t stop there. Kirby’s agility helps get you out of many sticky situations as he has 6 chances to jump, eluding the perils of plummeting to his demise. You can combine this with a jump attack aimed at the ground (by default, this is done by pressing B and moving the stick down in mid-air), which will turn the fighter into a menacing block that can deal a huge amount of damage to anyone unfortunate enough to be underneath him. Finally, by devouring an opponent, Kirby also inherits their powers, which of course you can use to your advantage in various situations.

Editors' Recommendations

Diego Arguello
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Diego Argüello is a freelance journalist from Argentina who spends most of his time reading in public transport and thinking…
The best Switch games for 2024
Mario, Mallow, and Bowser sit in a clown car in Super Mario RPG.

The Nintendo Switch has had a lot of success in the nearly six years since its release. The console-handheld hybrid has been on the market since 2017, and a slew of fantastic games from first- and third-party developers have launched over the course of the system's life cycle. Recently, heavy hitters such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder have boosted the system's appeal, while a healthy list of upcoming Switch games continues to drum up excitement.

There are plenty of incredible games to enjoy on the Switch right now. But which ones should you check out? These are the best Nintendo Switch games (including free-to-play titles) for 2023.
Action

Read more
The best fighting games on Nintendo Switch
Pokkén Tournament DX review

The Nintendo Switch has received excellent ports of some of the best fighting games from recent years, as well as plenty of exclusive titles. While Super Smash Bros. games may still be the best fit for the Switch, you can choose from a wide variety of fighting styles, from flashy anime to gory Kombat. Let’s take a look at the best options around!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Read more
The best Nintendo Switch games for kids
best nintendo switch games for kids yoshis crafted world feature 2020 0720

Unlike the other major consoles on the market, Nintendo has worked hard to establish the Switch as a console for all ages. This allows players of all backgrounds to be able to pick up the system and play the games they enjoy most, including kids.

With so many games on the market, and only more exciting titles on the horizon, it can be difficult to tell which games are best for kids and which to stay away from. Luckily, we have compiled a few of the most popular kids games for the Switch all in one place!

Read more