Solo play
Choose a game mode for the result you want
Use Practice to learn, Adventure or eligible Custom Battle to build progress, and Tournament only for the reported local all-monster session. Survival can serve an RP goal, but the PC review reports no character-level XP there. A mode that feels productive may still be wrong for the meter you need.
Single-player modes include Adventure, Destruction, Survival and Practice in Respec's PS5/Switch 2 report. Kaiju United's PC review and GameSpot describe additional Gauntlet/Challenge variants. Their access conditions are separate from the monster's permanent research unlock.
On this page
Match your goal to a mode
| Mode / setting | What you do | Progress or important limit |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure | Follow the chosen monster's single-player route. | Reported RP and character-level route; later variants can require that individual monster's level. |
| Custom Battle | Set up local matches with people and/or CPU opponents; reported rules include Versus, Melee and Destruction. | GamesHedge's PS5 review reports RP, coins and monster leveling in normal Custom play. Tournament changes these rules. |
| Online | Fight another player on a compatible platform. | RP is reported; console stores list two online players. Check platform and subscription limits. |
| Survival | Fight a sequence of opponents while health carries between bouts, with some recovery. | RP reported. Kaiju United's PC review explicitly reports no character XP; no universal multiplier promised. |
| Destruction | Destroy as much of the city as possible within the mode's time limit. | Useful for exploring a kit and arena without an opponent interrupting in the PC report; Respec reports RP outside Practice. |
| Practice | Learn a character's attacks, reach and movement. | No RP in Respec's PS5/Switch 2 report. Choose it for learning rather than a Project grind. |
| Gauntlet / Challenge | Take on harder Adventure variants. Gauntlet pits one monster against two CPUs; GameSpot describes Challenge opponents starting with advantages/power-ups. | Availability depends on progression. PC review gives monster-level gates below; not an all-platform test. |
| Tournament setting | Enable the local all-monster/stage Custom Battle setup reported on Switch 2. | Online unavailable; Research and Level progress paused. It is a Settings option, not a separately earned research reward. |
Choose a first session
Learning a new monster?
Start in Practice with the short combat routine. If you want to explore structures without a fight, try Destruction. Then use a normal CPU match to test what works against resistance.
Working on a specific unlock?
Read the Rumor and make an available target Project current. Pick a mode that meets the displayed condition; generic match completion does not replace a named location, character or level requirement.
Working on a character-level condition?
Keep using the same monster and inspect its XP after a normal Adventure or eligible Custom result. An RP-only Survival session on the cited PC build does not satisfy the character-XP goal.
Hosting friends immediately?
Use Custom Battle for local participants. If everyone needs the full roster immediately, review Tournament's Switch 2 boundary and progression cost. If the goal is online, leave Tournament off and check normal unlocks.
Follow a complete solo run
Plan Survival around carried health, or use Destruction for a timed city score. For an individual monster gate, follow the Character XP route rather than assuming RP will level it.
If Gauntlet or Challenge is missing
Kaiju United's PC review reports standard Gauntlet at individual monster level 4 and Adventure Challenge at level 7. Those numbers describe that report, not a site-tested unlock rule for every platform.
Check the selected monster's current level and the variant's own displayed condition. Leveling a different fighter or completing an unrelated Research Project does not establish that this fighter meets the level gate. If your game shows a different requirement, use the actual condition and record platform/build when checking an update.
A locked monster is a separate problem: use the Lab research flow. A playable monster can still lack a later Adventure variant.
If the mode does not produce the expected progress
- Everything except Custom Battle is unavailable
- Check Settings for Tournament first. That matches the Switch 2 report's enabled state; turn it off for normal modes and progression.
- I am practicing but the Project is not moving
- Practice is excluded from RP in the cited report. Keep the Project current and complete an eligible normal mode.
- I gained RP but the monster's level did not move
- Separate the meters. This matches the cited PC Survival limitation; test the same monster in normal Adventure or Custom play for a level goal.
- Normal play still does not finish the Rumor
- Read the exact condition and compare before/after from one eligible result. Use the Project and progress diagnosis before repeating matches.
The mode choice is complete when…
You can state the session's goal, choose a mode that serves it, and read the matching result afterward: a learned move, Project RP, the selected monster's XP, or a successful local/online match.
Sources & version
- GameSpot · Switch 2 review
- GamesHedge · PS5 review
- Kaiju United · PC review
- Respec · PS5 and Switch 2 review in progress
Source-based guidance; no site gameplay test. Review observations retain their platform and November 2 build scope. Store listings were read November 3 UTC. Full source coverage.