How to unlock cosmetics in Nintendo Switch Sports

Part of the fun in Nintendo Switch Sports is dressing your characters up in all sorts of wild outfits. You’ll want to look snazzy as you score goals and earn strikes, but how exactly do the unlockables work in this game? Unfortunately, getting your hands on new gear isn’t as straightforward as you might’ve hoped, but thankfully, the process is quite fun once you get it going. Here, we’ll run down everything you need to know about earning unlockables in Nintendo Switch Sports.

How to unlock Nintendo Switch Sports cosmetics

To unlock cosmetics in Nintendo Switch Sports, you’ll need to earn points by playing online. From the main menu, launch into “Play Globally,” and jump into any match type. After you’ve completed a match against another player, you’ll earn a certain number of points based on your performance. Even losing a match nets you points, but you’ll earn more for winning and for completing specific tasks throughout.

For instance, you’ll gain multipliers for achieving strikes while bowling, or for knocking down 100 pins in a game. All of these tasks add to your multiplier at the end of a match, so even if you lose, you’ll still earn points.

For every 100 points you earn, you gain the ability to unlock one item from the shop. When you earn 100 points, a circular meter will fill completely and any excess points will apply to the next 100.

To visit the item shop, make your way to the sports selection menu, and in the bottom right of the screen, you’ll see a gift icon labeled “Items.” Click this, and you’ll see whichever items are currently available. Unlocking all items in a collection grants you a “Completion Bonus,” which rewards you with an additional outfit.

How to earn points without a Nintendo Switch Online subscription

Although it’s recommended to play online against real players to earn points, you can still make progress towards unlocking items if you don’t have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. To do so, launch into any sport within the “Play Globally” menu, and—if you don’t have a paid subscription—you’ll start the game in “Trial Mode.”

This pits you against CPU opponents, allowing you to still earn points to spend on unlockables. The CPU opponents are laughably easy, so if you’re looking for a challenge, you should consider purchasing a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online so you can battle against real players.

What are the Nintendo Switch Sports unlockables?

Nintendo Switch Sports implements a rotating selection of unlockables, giving it more of a live-service feel. When you jump into the Item shop, you’ll see various collections, each available for a limited time. You can see how many days you have left to buy a certain collection by looking in the top right. Keep in mind, that the selection will change every couple of weeks, so be sure to continue checking out the store to see what’s available.

During the game’s launch week, you’ll have access to the Simple Collection and the Cute Collection, featuring hats, glasses, sports gear, stamps, and titles. Here’s what’s in store for each collection thus far:

Simple Collection

• Knit Cap (Black)
• Thick-rimmed Glasses
• Hoop Earrings
• Yellow (Eyes)
• Eye Shadow (Blue)
• Full Beard
• Official Tennis Racket (Purple)
• Cute Sword
• Happy Stamp
• Cry Stamp
• Title x2

Cute Collection

• Cute Ribbon
• Cute Cap
• Cute Paint
• Activewear (Black)
• Smiling Face
• Tearful Face
• Classic Volleyball
• Tricolor Badminton Racket
• Cool Face
• Oops Face
• Title x2

In addition to this, a number of clothing items, stamps, gear, and other cosmetics are available from the start of the game, giving you lots of different options already.

Nintendo Switch Sports is available exclusively for Nintendo Switch now.