Super Mario Party brings an energetic collection of minigames and party boards to Nintendo Switch fans. While players start with a large selection of fan-favorite Mushroom Kingdom heroes, four extra characters must be unlocked through specific gameplay activities. Understanding how to fulfill these requirements will allow you to complete your roster and select your favorite character for game night.
Earning Donkey Kong in River Survival
Unlocking Donkey Kong requires players to venture into the cooperative River Survival game mode. To meet his unlock requirement, you must complete three distinct river courses all the way to their goal lines. Upon completing your third route, Donkey Kong will appear in the crowd near the finish area.
After finishing the river runs, head over to the main Party Plaza hub area to locate him standing near the central stage. Speaking directly to Donkey Kong in the hub will officially recruit him to your playable character roster.
Unlocking Diddy Kong and Pom Pom in Challenge Road
Challenge Road is a single-player mode that becomes available after you have unlocked all eighty minigames across the main game modes. Progressing through this mode rewards players with two different secret characters at specific milestones. Clearing World 2, known as Chestnut Forest, satisfies the condition to bring Diddy Kong into the game.
To obtain Pom Pom, you must continue advancing through Challenge Road until you complete World 5, named Salty Sea. Once both requirements are completed, exit to the Party Plaza hub to talk with each character to make them playable.
Finding Dry Bones in the Party Plaza
Unlike the other unlockable heroes, Dry Bones does not require completing a specific game mode or reaching a distant world goal. Instead, Dry Bones appears randomly in the Party Plaza after you spend time playing various game modes. Simply playing through standard Mario Party boards, River Survival, or Sound Stage games will eventually trigger his appearance.
Keep checking the plaza hub between your gaming sessions until Dry Bones pops up in the background. Approaching and interacting with him will immediately unlock him for all future multiplayer matches.
Finalizing Your Unlocks in the Main Hub
Completing mode requirements alone is not enough to automatically put secret characters on the character selection screen. Players must always return to the Party Plaza central area to officially talk to the newly available characters. If a character does not immediately spawn in the plaza after meeting their condition, try entering a game menu and backing out to refresh the hub space.