How to Unlock All Characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ships with only 8 fighters unlocked from the start. Every other character on the enormous 89-fighter roster sits behind one of three unlock methods: VS Mode matches, Classic Mode runs, or World of Light exploration. Knowing which method fits your schedule and goals cuts hours off the process.

This guide breaks down every unlock method, the full unlock orders, and tips to get the complete roster as fast as possible.

Starting Roster: Who You Can Play Right Away

When you boot up Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the first time, the game gives you the original eight fighters from Super Smash Bros. 64:

• Mario
• Donkey Kong
• Link
• Samus
• Yoshi
• Kirby
• Fox
• Pikachu

The only characters available outside this roster without unlocking are Mii Fighters, which you can create at any time from the Games and More menu. Every other fighter must be earned through gameplay.

Method 1: VS Mode (Smash Mode) Unlocks

VS Mode is the fastest way to unlock all characters if you want a full roster quickly. The game tracks a hidden input timer during matches. Once you accumulate enough player inputs, a challenger appears at the end of your next match.

How the Unlock Timer Works

The timer does not track match count, play time, distance, KOs, or damage. It measures button presses and active inputs. Button-mashing through a match is enough to trigger a challenger in roughly two minutes. Simply holding the run button or pressing one button repeatedly does not satisfy the timer.

Any mode you play, including Classic Mode and World of Light, also feeds this timer. After leaving those modes, you may find multiple challengers queued up and ready to fight.

Having a second player speeds things up significantly. More controllers mean more tracked inputs per match, so challengers appear more frequently. Even setting up a second controller with a CPU opponent on high difficulty helps because the CPU generates its own inputs.

The Reset Trick

A cooldown of roughly 5 to 10 minutes sometimes sits between challengers. You can skip that wait:

1. Close the game application from the Nintendo Switch home screen.
2. Relaunch Smash Ultimate.
3. Play a one-stock match in VS Mode and drop off the stage to end it instantly.
4. If a challenger appears, fight them. If not, you have not logged enough inputs yet.

This trick works because relaunching the game resets the cooldown timer while preserving your unlock progress. Competitive players use it to unlock the full roster in a single evening.

VS Mode Unlock Order

The VS Mode unlock order is fixed. You always face these challengers in this sequence, provided they have not already been unlocked through another method:

1. Ness
2. Zelda
3. Bowser
4. Pit
5. Inkling
6. Villager
7. Marth
8. Young Link
9. Wii Fit Trainer
10. Ice Climbers
11. Captain Falcon
12. Peach
13. Ryu
14. Ike
15. Jigglypuff
16. King K. Rool
17. Sonic
18. Simon
19. Zero Suit Samus
20. Little Mac
21. Isabelle
22. Shulk
23. Lucina
24. Wario
25. Ridley
26. Pokemon Trainer
27. Lucario
28. Daisy
29. Roy
30. King Dedede
31. R.O.B.
32. Falco
33. Luigi
34. Pichu
35. Richter
36. Lucas
37. Diddy Kong
38. Meta Knight
39. Snake
40. Ganondorf
41. Corrin
42. Mega Man
43. Bayonetta
44. Toon Link
45. Rosalina and Luma
46. Incineroar
47. Sheik
48. Olimar
49. PAC-MAN
50. Dark Samus
51. Wolf
52. Mr. Game and Watch
53. Robin
54. Duck Hunt
55. Palutena
56. Dark Pit
57. Ken
58. Greninja
59. Chrom
60. Mewtwo
61. Bowser Jr.
62. Cloud

Using the reset trick alongside this order, you can plan exactly who you are about to unlock next and prepare accordingly.

Method 2: Classic Mode Unlocks

Classic Mode unlocks specific fighters based on which character you use to complete a run. Each starting character has a dedicated path that cycles through a set of fighters in order.

Each Classic Mode run takes roughly 10 minutes. After completing a path, the cycle shifts to the next character’s path. If a fighter on the path is already unlocked, the game skips them and moves to the next one.

Classic Mode works well if you want to target a specific character. For example, if you want Ganondorf, clear Classic Mode with Yoshi. Want Meta Knight? Complete a run with Link. This targeted approach is more reliable than waiting for the right fighter to appear in VS Mode’s fixed queue.

Method 3: World of Light (Adventure Mode)

World of Light is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s full story mode. You start as Kirby and travel across a large overworld map, freeing fighters from spirit possession through one-on-one battles. Every fighter you rescue becomes available in all other modes immediately.

This is the slowest method by a wide margin. A complete World of Light playthrough takes 20 hours or more because the adventure spans multiple regions and culminates in several major boss fights. It also does not sync with VS Mode or Classic Mode. Characters you unlock through those methods do not automatically appear in World of Light. To play them in the adventure, you still have to find and defeat them on the map.

The mode does offer one practical shortcut early on: near the start, you choose between Marth, Sheik, and Villager as your first rescue. If you want one of those three quickly without grinding VS Mode, World of Light is your fastest route to them.

World of Light suits players who want to experience the narrative content alongside unlocks rather than treat unlocking as a standalone task.

Challenger’s Approach: What to Do If You Lose

When a challenger appears at the end of a match, you get one chance to defeat them. If you lose, they disappear and do not return through the normal match cycle. However, you can try again through Challenger’s Approach.

To access Challenger’s Approach:

1. Go to the main menu and select Games and More.
2. Look for a glowing door icon in the lower-right corner of the menu.
3. Enter the door to face any challengers you have missed, in the order they originally appeared.

The door icon does not always appear right away. Keep playing matches and check the menu periodically. You can use any fighter you have already unlocked for the rematch, which means you can switch to your strongest character instead of the one you used when the challenger first appeared. Losing a rematch does not lock you out permanently; it just delays the unlock until you try again.

Tips to Unlock Characters Faster

These strategies reduce unlock time significantly:

• Use a second controller. Have a friend or use a spare Joy-Con as Player 2. Set them to walk off the stage at the start of each match. The match ends instantly while still registering active inputs on both controllers.
• Set CPU difficulty to Level 9. A high-difficulty CPU inputs more actions per match, which feeds the hidden timer faster. Even letting the CPU knock you out counts as a valid active match.
• Vary your match rules. If challengers stop appearing, switch from one-stock to two-stock, or set the timer to two minutes. Some players report that changing the match format helps trigger the unlock timer more consistently.
• Do not idle mid-match. The timer pauses in menus and during match setup screens, but actively sitting still during a match without pressing buttons wastes your time. Keep pressing buttons throughout.
• Check the Vault stats screen. Navigate to Vault and then Stats to view your Play Time and Smash Bros. Powered Time Count. These numbers do not show the hidden unlock timer directly, but comparing them gives a rough sense of how much active input you have logged.

DLC Fighters and Mii Fighters

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate includes downloadable content fighters that cannot be unlocked through any in-game method. These fighters require a purchase:

• Piranha Plant (separate purchase)
• Fighters Pass Vol. 1: Joker, Hero, Banjo-Kazooie, Terry Bogard, Byleth
• Fighters Pass Vol. 2: Min Min, Steve, Sephiroth, Pyra/Mythra, Kazuya, Sora

Once you buy a Challenger Pack or a Fighters Pass from the Nintendo eShop, the corresponding fighter appears on your roster immediately. No unlocking process is required.

Mii Fighters work differently from every other character. You do not unlock them through gameplay at all. Select Games and More from the main menu, then choose Mii Fighter. You can create a Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, or Mii Gunner by selecting a Mii avatar and assigning custom special moves. Each type plays differently, so all three are worth experimenting with.

How Long Does It Take to Unlock Everyone?

These estimates apply to unlocking all 63 base-game fighters. DLC characters add no time since they unlock on purchase.

Which Method Should You Use?

Use VS Mode with the reset trick if you want every character unlocked as fast as possible. This is the right call for competitive players who need a full roster for local tournaments or online ranked play.

Use Classic Mode if you want to target specific fighters without grinding random VS matches. It also teaches you each character’s move set during the run, which makes it the better option for players learning a new main.

Use World of Light if you want a proper single-player experience and do not mind that unlocking takes longer. The mode introduces spirits, music, and lore from dozens of franchises, which makes it worthwhile for completionists.

Mixing all three methods works well in practice. Start World of Light to unlock your first main early, shift to VS Mode with the reset trick for speed, and run Classic Mode with specific characters whenever you want to target someone in particular. Play Now!

Frequently Asked Questions

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