Half the advice on how to unlock all character in smash ultimate describes a condition that was true two updates ago. The current one is simpler than the folklore around it.

The reward is often less transformative than the effort implies, and that is worth knowing beforehand. Where a counter is visible, trust it over any guide including this one. The official documentation is right more often than forum consensus, though it is rarely as clear. Doing the requirement on a lower difficulty usually still counts, despite what forum posts claim.

The one-paragraph version

The unlock fires on a specific condition rather than on progress in general, so aim directly at that condition instead of playing more.

Is it worth the effort

Most of the frustration here is avoidable, and almost none of it is about reflexes. The game usually confirms this in a menu you have no reason to open. The requirement is usually a single flag rather than a score, which is why extra effort changes nothing. A requirement that depends on another unlock is worth mapping before starting either.

Doing the condition faster does not make it count more, which sounds obvious and stops a lot of wasted effort. Community wikis are excellent for data and unreliable for timing, which is a useful distinction. Some conditions only evaluate when you return to a hub area, which makes them look broken.

What it changes once you have it

Bookmarking the exact step you stopped at saves more time than remembering the whole guide. The interface rarely distinguishes between not unlocked and not yet displayed, and those are different problems. Doing the condition in co-op usually credits everyone, but not always the host differently.

  • Do the condition in a single uninterrupted run if the counter is hidden.
  • Sync or reload the cloud save before concluding it did not work.
  • Check whether an update landed since you last played.
  • Verify you have actually started the quest that tracks it.
  • Check the version you are running before following any step-by-step advice.

Whether it can be missed permanently

It helps to know why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation differs slightly. If a guide describes a grind, it is probably describing a different unlock with a similar name. The reward being cosmetic does not make the requirement any less specific.

The condition behind how to unlock all character in smash ultimate is specific, which is why playing more does not help. The requirement for how to unlock all character in smash ultimate is shorter than the folklore that has grown around it.

Common misconceptions about this one

Where two conditions exist, the game often only tells you about the easier one. If you are following this with someone else, agree on the plan before starting rather than mid-run. Most reports of how to unlock all character in smash ultimate not working turn out to be the check not having run yet. If several people report different requirements, they are usually describing different versions.

Whether the unlock behind how to unlock all character in smash ultimate can be missed permanently is worth settling before you go any further. The confirmation is easy to miss if it appears during a loading screen.

The order that saves the most time

There is a point where more preparation stops helping, and it arrives sooner than people expect. Community spreadsheets are more reliable than forum threads for this specific kind of question. Advice on how to unlock all character in smash ultimate is unusually unreliable because the requirement changed at some point.

Achievements and in-game unlocks sometimes track separately and disagree with each other. A requirement described as cumulative usually is, which means partial progress is not lost between sessions.

  • Keep the first attempt simple and save the refinements for later.
  • Have a fallback plan for the step most likely to fail.
  • Restart the game once before assuming it failed.
  • Note the exact wording of the requirement in-game.
  • Note the exact count if the game shows one.

Common ways this goes sideways

  • Assuming a partial counter resets between sessions and starting over unnecessarily.
  • Doing the condition after a point of no return that locked it off.
  • Grinding general progress when the unlock needs one specific action.
  • Assuming a failed attempt means the method is wrong rather than the execution.

Anything else?

What should I do if I get stuck partway?

Note the exact step, then re-check the one before it. Almost every report of being stuck traces back to a skipped precondition.

Does this still work after the latest update?

It did at the time of writing. If a step no longer matches, the underlying idea normally still applies even when a menu has moved.

Can I do this on a new save?

Yes, and often faster, because the requirement usually sits early in progression rather than late.

How long should this take?

Most people get through it in one sitting. The first attempt runs long because of reading; the second is much quicker.

Is it worth unlocking at all?

That depends on how much you will use it. The effort is modest here, which is why it tends to be worth doing while you are in the area anyway.

Try it, note where it diverged, and the second run will take a fraction of the time.