Special Game Modes Guide (Turbo, Rainbow, Blessed & More)

Beyond the main run, Enter the Gungeon offers several optional special modes, all managed by NPCs in Varco. Each section below covers how a mode plays, how to unlock it, and how to turn it on. For more detail on the NPCs themselves, see the All NPCs & Merchants Guide.

Turbo Mode

How It Works

The whole game speeds up: player movement and dodge roll around ×1.4, enemy movement ×1.5, enemy bullets ×1.3. Reload times and Cadenza stay the same, so the pace gets much more intense — great for thrill-seekers or shortening run length.

Unlock & Access

• NPC: Cane della modalità turbo – Tonic the Sledge-Dog
• Unlock: his cell appears after the Armadrago has been defeated; once rescued he settles in Varco
• Access: talk to him to toggle the mode on and off for free

Notes

• Defeating the Armadrago in Turbo Mode unlocks the Pietra della crisi
• Turbo Mode does not speed up the pasts
• In co-op, Turbo Mode only affects Player 1 — Player 2 gets the effect only if Player 1 is dead
• Your movement and roll speed up more than enemy bullets but less than enemy movement, so outrunning projectiles gets easier while outrunning chasing enemies gets harder

Rainbow Mode

How It Works

Each floor starts with a Rainbow Chest from which you may take exactly one item. Almost every other chest and item drop is confiscated by Mercante arcobaleno – Bowler, and shops stop selling items — your entire run rides on one lucky pull per floor, which makes high-quality pulls feel fantastic.

Unlock & Access

• NPC: Mercante arcobaleno – Bowler
• Unlock: rescue him from a cell after the Armadrago has been defeated
• Access: talk to him to toggle the mode on and off for free

Notes

• Munizione eccelsas and quest-related items still appear normally; the Proiettile ammazzapassato and Chiave roditrice cannot be taken either
• Roba inutilizzabile is never confiscated (including Roba d'oro inutilizzabile, Menzogne, and Roba inutilizzabile), so the Robot, who grows stronger from Roba inutilizzabile, is especially suited to this mode
• The most useful tell: Mercante arcobaleno – Bowler sits on every non-rainbow chest. A Brown Chest he is not sitting on is a naturally spawned Rainbow Chest and is safe to open — and a natural one lets you take all eight items
• Do not spend a Chiave on a locked chest he is sitting on: the key is consumed and the chest is empty. Save keys for the Oubliette hatch and locked doors
• The Rainbow Chest at the start of each floor is guaranteed at least one S qualità and one A qualità, and is unaffected by Magnificence (What Is Magnificence?)
• Most shrines stop working, but the Glass Shrine still hands out Germa di vetros and the Y.V. shrine still grants its buff; mirror rooms are worthless
• Opening a Glitch Chest is a bad deal here: you still get sent to the glitch floor, but Mercante arcobaleno – Bowler takes all eight rewards from the fight

Challenge Mode

How It Works

Every combat room gains 1–3 random challenge modifiers (more on later floors) — enemies exploding on death, darkened rooms, restricted firing zones, and so on. Bosses in the Hollow and Forgia get unique extra modifiers.

Unlock & Access

• NPC: Dado delle sfide – Daisuke
• Unlock: use the Santuari - Dice 3 times, or rescue him from a cell after defeating the Armadrago
• Access: talk to him and pay 6 Crediti egemonicis for the next run; after 30 attempts the cost drops to 1

Notes

• Reaching the Miniera di polvere nera unlocks Proiettili della fortuna
• Defeating the Armadrago unlocks Proiettili del caos and Double Challenge Mode (more modifiers per room; enabled by talking to Dado delle sfide – Daisuke again)
• After 30 attempts, Proiettili del caos unlock automatically if not already unlocked

Blessed Mode

How It Works

During a blessed run you carry a single ever-changing weapon — it transforms into another random gun after dealing 200 damage, killing 5 enemies, running out of ammo, or 20 seconds in combat — and no other guns can be added to your inventory. Active and passive items are unaffected.

Unlock & Access

• NPC: Strega delle benedizioni
• Unlock: rescue her from a cell after the Armadrago has been defeated
• Access: pay 6 Crediti egemonicis to bless your next run

Notes

• During a blessed run, bosses drop no Crediti egemonicis, shops sell no guns, and the shortcut elevators are blocked off; Munchers and Evil Munchers cannot be fed guns either (Muncher)
• Picking up a new gun does not give you a second gun — it just triggers another reroll. Achievements and unlocks can still be earned during a blessed run
• Gunslinger cannot be unlocked on a blessed run — as Paradox you will not be pulled down to Bullet Hell by the Lich
• Completing a blessed run unlocks Gunther and the "Gun Game" achievement

Boss Rush

How It Works

Each floor contains only an entrance, boss rooms, and an exit — you fight the bosses back to back up to the Armadrago. Bosses have no DPS cap here, so strong combos can melt them.

Unlock & Access

• Entrance: the elevator room in Varco (Meccanico)
• Unlock: complete the Forgia shortcut elevator
• Access: costs 3 Crediti egemonicis; the first time is free

Notes

• Damageless boss kills still award a Munizione eccelsa (at most one per floor), but bosses drop no Crediti egemonicis
• Completing Boss Rush unlocks the Tasto parentesi quadra

Cursed Mode

Cursed Mode is not a built-in toggle but a high-risk playstyle: deliberately stack Curse, and Jammed enemies appear more and more often — difficulty and rewards rise together. See What Is Curse? Effects and How to Lower It for where Curse comes from, what it does, and how to reduce it.