Here’s a clear, SEO-friendly write-up for unlocking characters in Street Fighter V .
Street Fighter V: How to Unlock Every Character (Complete Guide) One of the most common questions new players ask is: “How do I unlock characters in Street Fighter V?” The answer has changed over time. If you’re playing the original Street Fighter V (base version) or Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition , you’ll need to earn in-game currency. However, if you own Street Fighter V: Champion Edition or the base game + all season passes, most characters are unlocked immediately. Here’s everything you need to know. Quick Answer: Do You Need to Unlock Characters? | Version | Characters Unlocked at Start | | --- | --- | | Base SFV (2016) | Only 16 | | SFV: Arcade Edition | 28 (original 16 + Season 1 & 2) | | SFV: Champion Edition | All 45+ characters (including Season 3–5) | | Base + Individual Passes | Only the pass you bought |
Best value: Champion Edition instantly unlocks all characters (and nearly all costumes/stages).
If You Have the Base Game or Arcade Edition You unlock characters using two free in-game currencies: 1. Fight Money (FM) – Main currency street fighter 5 characters unlock
Earned by:
Character Stories (5,000 FM each – very easy, 2 minutes per character) General Story mode (50,000 FM once) Demonstrations & Trials (small amounts) Leveling up characters Weekly missions
Cost per character: 100,000 FM
2. Zenny (real money) – Microtransaction currency
Bypass grinding and buy characters instantly via PSN or Steam store. Cost: ~$5.99 per character or $29.99 per season pass (4–6 characters).
Best Way to Earn Fight Money Fast (No Real Money) However, if you own Street Fighter V: Champion
Do all Character Stories (16 original characters = 80,000 FM). Complete General Story ( A Shadow Falls ) = 50,000 FM. Level each character to level 20 via easy Survival (Easy + Normal) and their Trials – this gives huge FM rewards. Check weekly missions – some offer 5,000–10,000 FM.
Using this method, you can unlock 2–3 characters in a few hours. Grinding all 45+ characters this way would take hundreds of hours – so most players buy Champion Edition or season passes. What About Extra Battle or Costumes?