Crossy Road is basically the "just one more round" king of mobile gaming. You start off just trying to help a chicken cross a digital highway, but ten minutes later, you're obsessed with unlocking a crab that does a little dance or a British telephone booth that somehow got lost in the woods.
Hipster Whale, the developers, really leaned into the mystery. They didn't just make a gacha machine and call it a day. No, they hid dozens of "Mystery Characters" behind specific, often bizarre, gameplay feats.
If you're wondering how to get the Crossy Road secret characters, you have to stop playing conventionally. You can't just move forward. Sometimes you have to move sideways, sometimes you have to stand still until a monster eats you, and sometimes you just have to get lucky with a specific spawn.
It's chaotic. It’s frustrating. But honestly, it’s the only reason I’m still playing this game years after it launched.
The Originals: The Hipster Whale and His Friends
Most people stumble upon the namesake character first. The Hipster Whale isn't just a mascot; he's a literal secret. You’ll find him floating in the rivers. Instead of using a log to cross, you have to jump directly onto his back. He’ll carry you for a second, and once you finish that run, he’s yours. Simple, right?
Then there’s Gifty. To get this one, you need to play as the Festive Chicken. You’ll eventually find a clearing with a Christmas tree. Run into it, and it’ll explode in a shower of gifts. That’s your ticket.
Benny and Phil are more about the Hipster Whale's history as a studio. To get them, you usually need to play as characters from their other games, like Shooty Skies. For Benny, specifically, you play as the Shooty Skies character and find a special icon on the ground. It sounds straightforward until you realize the spawn rate is completely random. You might find it in five minutes, or it might take you an hour of mindless swiping.
The Totem and the Monument Valley Crew
If you haven't played Monument Valley, you're missing out, but more importantly, you're missing out on some of the coolest crossovers in Crossy Road. Totem is the big one here.
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You have to be playing as Ida, A Crow, or the Storyteller. Much like the Hipster Whale, Totem appears in the water. He’s a yellow, rectangular pillar. Jump on him. It feels instinctive if you’ve played his home game, but if not, you might just think he’s a weirdly shaped log. He isn’t.
There’s also the Rugby Player. This one is a grind. You have to find a rugby ball, which is usually found in a tree while playing as a UK-themed character. It’s one of those "blink and you'll miss it" moments.
When the Environment Fights Back: Crab and Drop Bear
Some characters require you to manipulate how you move. The Crab is the bane of many players' existence. To unlock him, you have to "skitter." This means moving left and right rapidly—about 40 to 50 times—during a single run. You still have to make forward progress, though. You can't just sit in the starting grass and wiggle.
It feels ridiculous. You're swiping like a madman while trying not to get flattened by a semi-truck.
Then there’s the Drop Bear. If you’re playing as any Australian character, keep an eye on the trees. Every so often, you’ll see a grumpy-looking koala sitting on a branch. If you get close enough, he will literally jump on you and end your run. Congratulations, you just got "dropped," and now you own him.
The High Score Hurdles: Cai Shen and the Gaming Legends
Cai Shen is the god of wealth, and fittingly, he requires you to pick up "red envelopes." You need 22 of them. Not in one life, thankfully, but you have to be playing as a Fortune Chicken or another Lunar New Year character.
Then we get into the meta-characters. Game Designer (based on Andy Sum) requires you to play as the Mallard and set a score that is reasonably high—usually around 85% of your current high score. It’s a weird requirement because the better you are at the game, the harder it is to unlock him.
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The King of All Cosmos from Katamari Damacy is a personal favorite. You play as the Prince and collect items to grow your Katamari. It’s a mini-game within the game.
Specific World Secrets: From UK to Pac-Man
Crossy Road is divided into worlds now. If you’re in the UK/Ireland map, you’re looking for Nessie. She’s in the water. Jump on her. Again, it’s the Hipster Whale mechanic but with a Scottish twist.
The Pac-Man update added a whole layer of complexity. To get Blinky, you need to play as Pac-Chicken and get crushed by a Pac-Man ghost. To get Pinky, you play as Pac-Chicken and find a cherry.
Wait.
Actually, the cherry doesn't just appear. You have to be playing as the Pac-Man character specifically and hope the RNG (Random Number Generator) gods are smiling on you that day.
Why Some Secret Characters Never Seem to Spawn
Frustration is part of the experience. You’ll read a guide that says "just find the phone booth" to unlock The Telephone Box, but you’ll play 50 rounds as a British character and never see it.
The game uses a weighted spawn system. Some items or NPCs have a 1% chance of appearing in any given segment of the road. If you’re moving too fast, you might actually skip over the clearing where the secret is waiting.
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Slow down.
Seriously. Most secret characters are found in the "safe zones" between roads and tracks. If you’re just sprinting for a high score, your eyes are fixed on the traffic, not the scenery. You’ll miss the Loch Ness Monster because you were too worried about a log in the next river over.
The "Everything" List of Modern Secret Unlocks
Since the game has been updated consistently for a decade, the list is massive. Here are the ones that actually require effort rather than just luck:
- Ace of Spade: Play as Rocky and find a specific deck of cards in the sand.
- Archie: Play as Archie (the dog) and perform 30 jumps in a row without stopping for more than a fraction of a second.
- Vampire: Play as the Fruit Bat and eat 15 cherries in one life. This is actually harder than it sounds because the Fruit Bat is a nightmare to control in tight spaces.
- Marmalade: Play as any Brazilian character and collect a palm tree, a soccer ball, and a bird in a single run.
- The Pro Chef: You need to play as the Prawn and find ingredients. It’s tedious.
What Most People Get Wrong About Secret Characters
A common mistake is thinking you can unlock these characters using the "Prize Machine" or by buying them with coins. You can’t. They are strictly "achievement-based." If you see a silhouette in your character selector that says "Secret," no amount of gold is going to bail you out.
Also, don't bother trying to unlock them in the "Daily Challenge" mode unless the challenge specifically uses the required character. The game’s logic sometimes disables secret spawns during special event modes to keep the focus on the challenge goals.
Actionable Strategy for Completionists
If you want to sweep these up efficiently, stop playing for score. Pick one secret character you’re missing—let’s say the Crab—and dedicate your next ten runs only to that movement pattern.
- Identify the Trigger: Check if you need a specific "base" character (like using the Australia theme for the Drop Bear).
- Ignore the Score: Your goal isn't 200 points; it's the trigger. For the Crab, just stay in the first 20 lanes and swipe left and right until you either die or hit the count.
- Watch the Rivers: At least five secret characters (Hipster Whale, Nessie, Totem, etc.) are water-based. Every time you hit a river, scan the edges of the screen.
- Check the Clearing: Many secret characters (Gifty, Leprechaun) appear in the grassy, non-road sections. If you see something that looks "out of place," like a pot of gold or a weirdly decorated tree, run into it.
Don't expect to get them all in one sitting. The RNG is intentionally stingy to keep you coming back. Just keep an eye on the environment and stop worrying about the trucks for a second. The real game isn't crossing the road; it's finding out what's hiding on the shoulder.