Want to unlock new Raft characters? The shark-infested survival game starts out with just two characters, but you can unlock four additional ones by playing through the story. That may actually answer another one of your questions if you’re new to the game: yes, Raft has a storyline.
It’s important to note that Raft characters do not have any special abilities. But there are still a couple of reasons why you should collect them. Firstly, you’re going to come across them anyway, so you might as well pick them up (warning: they’re easily missed). Secondly, if you’re playing with friends, it’s way easier to tell each other apart if you don’t all look the same.
It’s important to know before starting your Raft character hunt: once you unlock a character in one save file, they’ll be unlocked forever. If you’re playing with friends, they will also automatically unlock the characters you encounter. However, if someone else joins after you’ve spoken to a new character, they still need to do the same. You can change your character in the main menu before starting a game.
Here’s a quick list of all the Raft characters:
- Rouhi, male (unlocked at the start)
- Maya, female (unlocked at the start)
- Tala, female
- Johnny, male
- Elaine, female
- Shogo, male
How to unlock new Raft characters
To begin your search for more Raft characters, you need to follow the story. The first step is to build a Receiver and three Antennas (place them one floor above sea level). Next, enter the code displayed in your quest journal. Besides nearby islands (green dots), the receiver will display the next story location (blue dot). Head for the nearest blue dot to find the Radio Tower and Tala, which is also where you find the Raft Recycler blueprint, necessary for creating Trash Cubes.
This process remains roughly the same. Every time you visit a new landmark, look for a note with coordinates. Enter the coordinates in the Receiver, and sail to the next location. You just have to make sure that you don’t miss any of the playable characters along the way.
Every character location in Raft
Unfortunately, Raft’s playable characters are not exactly coming to greet you as you land on their islands. Here’s a description of every character location:
- Tala: Radio Tower. The first playable character is in the small room at the very top of the Tower. It’ll take some serious parkour skills to get there
- Johnny: Balboa Island. The building you need is Relay Station #6, located on one of the island’s higher parts. Once there, you need to climb the narrow staircase to reach Johnny
- Elaine: Tangaroa Island. You’ll find her sitting on a safety chair in the top part of Tangaroa Tower, which can be entered through the roof. However, you can only enter this top part after it blows off and lands in the ocean, effectively becoming a separate mini tower. If that hasn’t happened yet, you need to play through the story first
- Shogo: Temperance. He’s inside the massive building with the name “Selene Research Facility” above the door. However, you need to obtain a blowtorch and the Selene Key before you can enter (more about that in our Raft Temperance code guide). Once inside, solve the puzzles in Laboratory 2 and 1 to gain access to the Reactor Room. After walking through the snow-filled tunnel, you will see a computer on the left. Interact with it to unlock Shogo
Once you find a character, all you need to do is interact with them to make them join your crew. If it wasn’t for the constant danger of being eaten by a shark, we’d call it a pretty easy recruitment process. Happy sailing! Searching for a new journey? Check out this list of the best adventure games to take on a new quest.