The recent Risk of Rain Returns brings some familiar and new characters that players are eager to unlock. Given the roguelite nature of this title, you’ll be spending a lot of time trying to get those colorful survivors who bring fantastic skills to every run. While the game provides hits on unlocking all of them, it can still be challenging for those diving into this world for the first time. But don’t fret because we’ve compiled a list of all the steps you must follow to make your roster bigger in this Risk of Rain remake.
Risk of Rain Returns: All Character Unlocks
Initially, Risk of Rain Returns provides you with two characters, leaving you with another 13 to unlock, which is a hefty number. While you can go into the campaign menu and select the locked ones to see the unlock conditions, we’ve gone into more detail to show the exact steps to get them.
| Character | Unlock Requirements | Details |
| Commando | Available when starting the game. | Unlocked by default. |
| Huntress | Available when starting the game. | Unlocked by default. |
| Enforcer | Defeat Magma Worm, Colossus, and Wandering Vagrant bosses. | You’ll likely face them during the first two levels of each run. Two or three runs might be necessary. |
| Bandit | Beat the third stage. | Just reach the third stage by clearing the teleporters. |
| HAN-D | Find the robot janitor. | Found in the final level in the Cargo 2 area. Find the interactable door. |
| Engineer | Purchase 40 drones total. | Multiple runs required. You must purchase all drones you see on the map. |
| Miner | Defeat the Direseeker miniboss. | Check our in-depth guide to learn how to unlock the Miner. |
| Sniper | Beat the game once. | You just have to beat the game. We recommend doing it on the easiest difficulty. |
| Acrid | Free the chained creature. | In the Sunken Temple level, free Acrid and beat it. Usually found on the top of the map. |
| Mercenary | Beat the game five times. | Like the Sniper, we recommend doing this on the easiest difficulty. |
| Loader | Obtain 30 unique items in one playthrough. | You need to buy everything you see during your run to unlock the achievement. Repeated items don’t count. |
| CHEF | Obtain Meat Nugget, Bustling Fungus, Sprouting Egg, Bitter Root, and Foreign Fruit in one run. | We’ve made a guide to help you unlock this survivor. |
| Pilot | Collect 15 Monster Logs. | Higher difficulties have higher chances of dropping Monster Logs. |
| Artificer | Visit 10 unique stages. | Multiple runs are required. You need to visit 10 different levels. |
| Drifter | Recycle 6 drones in one playthrough. | You must find a recycling station and exchange your drones for items. Do this six times. |
As you can see, it’s a long way to unlock all characters in Risk of Rain Returns, but the payoff is great. Besides, you’ll be able to do all Providence Trials to unlock further abilities for each survivor, so that’s another goal to keep in mind. And if you’re still unsure about this game, here’s a video from the developers with some chaotic action waiting for you.
