Play as the Mallard and earn a "Great Score". Note: To do this, your score must be within 10% to 15% of your current high score. Also, your score must be over 50 points.
Ben Weatherall
Play as The Dark Lord and earn a "Great Score". Note: To do this, your score must be within 10% to 15% of your current high score. Also, your score must be over 50 points.
Cai Shen
Play as Fortune Chicken or XI. Collect 10 red envelopes that appear on the ground. This can be done over multiple runs.
Crab
Swipe back and forth to move left and right instead of backward or forward when in the sandy median areas. Swipe back and forth a total of 100 times in one run to unlock the Crab. Swipe five to ten times when you reach a median, then continue before the eagle appears. If enough swipes were made, the Crab will be unlocked after you die.
Drop Bear
Play as an Australian character (Kangaroo, Platypus, Echidna, etc.). The Drop Bear will appear randomly at the top of the tall green trees. Get within two squares of him and he will jump on your character. Although this ends the level, he will now be unlocked.
Extra Characters
You can unlock most characters in one of two ways:
Spend 100 gold in the lottery to receive a random character.
Spend $0.99 in real-world money to unlock the specific character you want.
In-game gold is earned a number of ways. You will receive some as you regularly play, and you can find it in the field as you complete your runs. If you like, you can even watch short ads to receive additional gold, so there's no need to ever spend real-world money if you're patient.
Gifty
Play as Festive Chicken. After scoring 50, 100, 150, or 200 points, you might randomly enter a large clearing. Run next to the giant Christmas tree in the clearing and it will explode, dropping with presents and coins. Complete the level and Gifty will become unlocked.
Hints
As you play Crossy Road, keep the following tips and best practices in mind to increase your character's longevity. You're only safe to rest while standing on the grass. Anywhere else offers only a (very) temporary respite. Stick to the middle of the screen when possible, because it gives you more time to react if something comes at you quickly or if you need to wait. Move forward regularly. If you wait too long or backtrack a few spaces, the eagle could come and prematurely end your run. If you make a bad tap that will cause you to hop into an obstacle, you can hold your finger down and only release it when the way is clear. That could really save your bacon in certain circumstances. Look for situations where you can rapidly tap several times in a row to advance in a straight line. There are times when this is the safest way through a gauntlet.
Know What You Want
You might want to do everything in a given run, but it's better to settle on a priority. Maybe you want a high score. In that case, play with a character who possesses abilities suited toward making you survive a long while. If you would rather gather coins, however, go with a character who attempts to cross at night. That makes it easier to spot and grab coins. If you try to do everything at once, unfortunately, it's all too easy to do a poor job at meeting all of your objectives. Specialize instead, and reap the rewards.
Leprechaun
Note: This requires the UK update. After either Nessie or The Phone Box have been unlocked, clovers will appear. Find one of the rare four-leaf clover to unlock the Leprechaun after you die.
Matt Hall
Play as the Lucky Cat and earn a "Great Score". Note: To do this, your score must be within 10% to 15% of your current high score. Also, your score must be over 50 points.
Nessie
Note: This requires the UK update. Wait until Nessie appears in one of the streams, then jump on her. She will become playable after you die.
The Hipster Whale
To unlock the Hipster Whale character, you have to hop on it when you spot it in the middle of a run. The Hipster Whale is blue and will be found swimming in bodies of water, so make sure that you land on it if you don't yet have it in your character roster.
The Phone Box
Note: This requires the UK update. After unlocking Nessie, earn 60 points. Get near the phone box and it will become playable after you die.
Andy Sum...