If you’ve ever queued into a Brawl Stars match and watched an opponent pull out a hilarious dance emote after scoring a goal or taking you out, you’ve probably wondered how to swap out your boring default emotes for something more fun. Customizing your emote loadout is one of the easiest ways to make the game feel more personal, whether you’re playing casual matches with friends or climbing the ranked Power League ladder. This guide will walk you through how to change emotes in Brawl Stars, plus share pro tips for picking the best emotes and unlocking rare limited-edition options for your collection.
How to Change Emotes in Brawl Stars: Step-by-Step Walkthrough
The process of editing your emote loadout only takes a minute once you know where to look, and it works the same for both iOS and Android devices. First, launch Brawl Stars and wait for the main menu to load. Tap the Brawler selection tab on the left side of the screen, then pick the brawler you want to adjust emotes for. Keep in mind that most emotes are tied to individual brawlers first, so you’ll need to edit loadouts separately for each character you play regularly.
Once you’re on your chosen brawler’s profile page, look for the emote slot icon directly below their skin preview. Tapping this will pull up your current equipped emotes on the top half of the screen, and your full emote collection on the bottom. To swap an emote, just tap the one you want to remove from your loadout, then tap the new emote you want to add to that empty slot. Your changes save automatically, so you don’t have to hit any confirm button to lock them in.
If you want to edit the cross-brawler universal emote wheel that works for every character on your roster, head to your player profile by tapping your player icon on the top left of the main menu. Tap the “Customize” button near the top of the profile page, then select the emote tab to adjust your universal slots. You can’t edit emote loadouts mid-match, so make sure you finalize your choices before you queue for a game to avoid being stuck with emotes you don’t want to use.
Key Things to Know Before You Edit Your Emote Loadout
There are a few common misconceptions about Brawl Stars emotes that trip up new players all the time, so it’s worth going over these before you start rearranging your collection. I’ve been playing Brawl Stars for over three years, and I’ve made every mistake in the book when it comes to emote management, so these tips will save you a lot of frustration later.
For example, I once spent 80 gems on a limited-edition Crow emote, only to realize I accidentally equipped it to my Shelly loadout, which I almost never use. I spent three weeks forgetting where I saved it before I realized my mistake, so don’t do what I did – double check which brawler’s loadout you’re editing before you move on to another task.
Tips for Picking the Best Emotes for Your Playstyle
Picking the right emotes for your loadout depends almost entirely on what kind of matches you play most often, and what kind of vibe you want to give off to other players. If you mostly play casual modes like Brawl Ball or Duo Showdown with friends, feel free to load up on silly, over-the-top emotes like dance moves or joke taunts. These make matches way more fun, and your friends will love messing around with them between rounds.
If you play a lot of ranked Power League matches, it’s best to stick to more neutral emotes most of the time. Avoid overly toxic emotes in ranked matches like the “laugh” or “lose” taunts after you take out an opponent, because other players can report you for unsportsmanlike conduct, and repeated reports can lead to temporary chat or emote restrictions. I usually stick to a simple “wave” emote at the start of ranked matches, and a “good game” emote at the end, no matter if I win or lose.
If you’re a content creator or streamer, pick a few iconic emotes that your viewers will associate with you. For example, if you’re known for maining a specific brawler, equip all of their rarest exclusive emotes so viewers can spot you immediately even if you’re playing in a random public lobby. It’s a small touch that helps you stand out from other players.
You don’t have to keep the same emotes equipped forever, either. I swap out my emotes every couple of weeks, or whenever a new holiday event drops, to keep things fresh. It’s a small change that makes logging into the game feel more fun, even if I’m playing the same modes I’ve played for years.
How to Unlock New Emotes to Expand Your Collection
Once you get the hang of customizing your emote loadout, you’ll probably want to expand your collection with more rare or fun options. The easiest way to get new emotes is through the seasonal Brawl Pass. Both the free and paid tiers of the Brawl Pass include at least two to three emotes per season, most of which are exclusive to that season’s brawler or theme.
You can also find emotes in the in-game shop’s daily rotation. Most common emotes cost between 50 and 150 gems, but sometimes you can find them on sale for gold if you’re lucky. Limited-time event emotes rarely return to the shop after their original event ends, so if you see one you really like during a holiday or collaboration event, it’s worth picking it up immediately if you have the gems to spare.
Another way to get exclusive emotes is by participating in community events and challenges. Supercell often gives out free emotes for watching official Brawl Stars tournament streams, or for completing special in-game challenges during events like the Brawl Stars World Championship. You can also get exclusive emotes by supporting your favorite content creator with their creator code, if they run a promotion for emote rewards.
Finally, joining an active clan and participating in Clan League matches can get you access to exclusive clan-only emotes that you can’t get anywhere else. These emotes usually change every clan season, so you’ll have a new reward to work towards every few weeks if you stay active in your clan.
Customizing your emote loadout is one of the simplest, most fun ways to make your Brawl Stars experience feel unique to you. It only takes a minute to adjust your loadout, and you can swap out your choices as often as you want to match your mood or the current event. Now that you know how to change emotes in Brawl Stars, take a few minutes the next time you log in to swap out those default emotes you’ve had since you first started playing. You might be surprised how much a small change like that makes your matches feel more personal and enjoyable.