Nintendo Switch Sports

How to Unlock Pro League and Level Up Your Rank

Nintendo Switch Sports is available worldwide as of April 29, 2022!
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Nintendo Switch Sports - Online Pro League Guide

The Pro League is a system of competitive ranked matches in Nintendo Switch Sports unlocked by playing 10 matches in a sport. Read on to find out how to enter and level up through the ranks in the league, as well as other features and requirements!

Pro League Guides
Switch Sports Online Pro LeagueHow to Unlock the Pro League Switch Sports How to Reach A RankHow to Reach A Rank

How to Unlock the Pro League

Play 10 Online Matches to Unlock Pro League

Nintendo Switch Sports - Available Ranks

The Pro League is Switch Sports' online matchmaking and ranking system. Playing in the Pro League matches you with players of a similar level, with more challenging opponents on the way as you rise to the top.

Players unlock the Pro Leagues once they have played at least 10 online matches in a specific sport. Note that they can still unlock the Pro League even if they lose in any of those matches.

Average Time to Reach Pro

Since the results of each match do not matter when entering the Pro League, we only need the average amount of time it takes to complete 10 matches in each sport, regardless of whether you win or lose.

We also need to take into account the wait time for each match, connection errors, and player disconnections since they will also have an effect on the overall time.

Sport Average Time to Reach Pro Average Match and Wait Time
Chambara 20-40 mins 2-4 mins
Badminton 30-50 mins 3-5 mins
Tennis 50-70 mins 4-7 mins
Soccer* 60-80 mins 4-6 mins
Volleyball* 60-90 mins 5-7 mins
Bowling** 1-2 hours 5-10 mins

(*) Based on our experience, Soccer and Volleyball have much higher rates of connection errors and player disconnections, which significantly increases the amount of time it takes to get 10 complete matches.

(**) The time to complete a bowling match varies significantly depending on what round you're eliminated. You can speed up the process of getting into the Pro League by always eliminating yourself after the first round.

How to Rank Up in the Pro League

Win Online Matches to Level Up

Nintendo Switch Sports - Gauge Increases Each Time You Win
If you win a match in the Pro League, the gauge below your rank will increase. Once it reaches the maximum level, you will be promoted to the next rank.

Gauge decreases if you lose

On the other hand, if you lose in a match, the gauge will decrease. If it drops to the lowest limit, you will be demoted.

Average Time to Reach A Rank

The amount of time it takes to reach A Rank depends highly on your skills, the skills of your opponents, the pool of players in your region, and the difficulty of ranking up the sport.

Difficult to rank-up sports like Soccer and Bowling usually have longer rounds, more complex rank up systems, and large amounts of players. Having teammates that are unskilled or opponents that are overly skilled can easily tank your match.

The table lists down the average amount of time based on our experiences, regions, and skillsets, while also considering other factors like wait times for each match, connection errors, and player disconnections, which are more frequent in some sports than others.

Sport Average Time to Reach A-Rank Rank Up Difficulty
Chambara 8-10 hrs ★★☆
Badminton 8-10 hrs ★☆☆
Tennis 10-12 hrs ★★☆
Volleyball 13-15 hrs ★★☆
Soccer 15-18 hrs ★★★
Bowling 20+ hrs ★★★

Take note that the number of wins needed to pass a rank increases after reaching E+, and the reduction of the rank gauge also increases after reaching B Rank.

How to Reach A Rank

12 Available Ranks in the Pro League

Rank Tiers
A A
B B- ➤ B ➤ B+
C C- ➤ C ➤ C+
D D- ➤ D ➤ D+
E E ➤ E+

A Rank being the highest and E Rank being the lowest.

Once you enter the Pro League, you will start at E Rank. You can climb your way up to A Rank, the highest ranking available. Reach the top at your best sport by winning matches consecutively and avoiding losses!

Play and Pause Pro League to Keep Your Rank

Switch Sports - Pro League Settings

Once you enter the Pro League in any sport, your rank will be affected each time you win or lose a match.

If you want to pause this and play a sport casually, head to the Pro League Settings screen and switch the toggle to Pause Pro in the selected sport.

Recommended Settings

Can You Play Co-Op in Pro League?

Can Only Be Played in Single Player

Switch Sports Online Pro League 2 Players

After selecting Play Globally Mode, you will be asked to play in either Single Player or Two Player. You can only play the Pro League while in Single Player. If you choose to play in Two Player, you will be notified that Pro League is paused.

Is Nintendo Switch Online Required?

Required to Enter the Online Pro League

Switch Sports Nintendo Online Subscription

Like many of the game's other online features, you first need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to enter the Online Pro League. If you do not have a subscription, you are limited to only local and singleplayer matches.

Local and Online Multiplayer Features

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