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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Piranha Plant not showing up

Is the Piranha Plant DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate not showing up? Here's how to make it appear and start playing as the Smash Ultimate Piranha Plant.

Kevin Tucker

January 30, 2019 10:45 AM

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Nintendo promised to reward early purchasers of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with a special DLC character, but many players are finding that the Piranha Plant is not showing up in-game. Given that the Piranha Plant is downloadable content, there are a few steps involved with getting the character to appear as a playable fighter. Fortunately, getting the Piranha Plant to show up is not terribly complicated, assuming players follow the right steps. Here's how to get Piranha Plant to show up in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and a few ideas on what players can do if the fighter hasn't shown up yet.

Smash Ultimate Piranha Plant not showing up fix

The first step to getting the Piranha Plant to show up in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is to make sure the code for the DLC character has been redeemed. The Piranha Plant DLC character was offered exclusively to relatively early adopters of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and those who pre-ordered or purchased a physical retail copy of the game needed to register their software in order to be given a download code.

Of course, players who bought the game digitally had their copy registered automatically, and should have had the Piranha Plant fighter code sent to their email inboxes. The application of this code is the first and primary step to getting the Piranha Plant character to appear in-game, and will likely be the main point of contention for players who missed the early adopter window. Assuming the code has been found and redeemed, players can move on to the next step.

With the DLC character code in-hand, the procedure for unlocking the Piranha Plant is simple. Here's the process as outlined in the Piranha Plant redemption code e-mail:

1. Open Nintendo eShop by tapping the icon on the HOME Menu and select “Redeem a Code.” [Enter Code]
2. Input the 16-digit code and click OK.
3. When the fighter becomes available, start your Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game and follow the prompts.

Tap on the Redeem button and the download process will begin. The game will issue a prompt saying that the software will need to be restarted; heed the notification and press OK. After that, start or restart Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If players haven't yet downloaded the 2.0.0 update, they'll want to make sure that has been installed as well.

After that's all said and done, players should see a notification in-game stating that the Piranha Plant character has joined the battle. If not, there are a few ways to make it show up:

• Check that your purchase of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was eligible for the Piranha Plant DLC character. Without relatively early access, there is no code, and without a code, there is no DLC fighter.
• Double check that the Piranha Plant DLC update has been downloaded. If unsure, open the Nintendo Switch eShop, select the profile's user icon, scroll down to Redownload, then look for the Piranha Plant software.
• Be sure the game has been updated to the latest version. There's no guarantee that Piranha Plant will show up if the game software isn't up-to-date.
• If all of the above steps have been completed and the Piranha Plant still isn't showing up, try to contact Nintendo Support directly.

If players make sure all of the proper steps have been completed, they should have no trouble getting the Piranha Plant to show up in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. To learn even more about Nintendo's latest Switch-powered brawler, be sure to head over to Shacknews' Super Smash Bros. Ultimate walkthrough and guide.

Kevin Tucker

Guides Editor

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.