Up to four people can play in multiplayer (Versus) mode, with the specific rules of each match being predetermined by the players. There are two different types that can be chosen: Time, where the person with the most KOs at the end of the set time wins; and stock, where each person has a set number of lives, and when they are gone, the player is eliminated.

This game's one-player mode included one adventure mode that always followed the same series of opponents, although the player could change the difficulty. Other single-player modes exist such as Training and severalmini-games, includingBreak the Targets andBoard the Platforms. All of these were included in the sequel, with the exception ofBoard the Platforms.

There are nine playable stages in Versus mode, eight based on each of the starting characters (includingPrincess Peach's Castle for Mario,Yoshi's Island for Yoshi, andCongo Jungle for Donkey Kong). The only unlockable stage,Mushroom Kingdom, is based around motifs fromSuper Mario Bros.

This game introduced two new single-player modes alongside the Classic mode:Adventure Mode andAll-Star Mode. Adventure Mode has platforming segments similar to the original's minigame Race to the Finish, and All-Star Mode is a fight against every playable character in the game, allowing the player only one life in which damage is accumulated over each battle and a limited number of heal items in between battles.

There are also significantly more multiplayer modes and a tournament mode allowing for 64 different competitors who can all be controlled by a human player, although only up to four players can participate at the same time. Additionally, the game features alternative battle modes, called "Special Melee," which involve some sort of alteration to the battle (e.g., all characters are giant by default, the speed is faster than normal, etc.), along with alternative ways to judge a victory, such as through collecting coins throughout the match.

In place ofSuper Smash Bros.'s character profiles,Super Smash Bros. Melee introducedtrophies (called "figures" in the Japanese version). The 293 trophies include three different profiles for each playable character, one unlocked in each single-player mode. In addition, unlike its predecessor,Super Smash Bros. Melee contains profiles for many Nintendo characters who either are non-playable or do not appear in the game, as well as Nintendo items, stages, enemies, and elements.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl also features compatibility with four kinds of controllers (theWii Remote on its side, the Wii Remote andNunchuk combination, the Classic Controller, and the Nintendo GameCube controller), while its predecessors used only the one controller designed for that system. The player also has the ability to change the configuration of controls and the controller type.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl features a new Adventure Mode titledThe Subspace Emissary. This mode features unique character storylines along with numerous side-scrolling levels and multiple bosses to fight, as well as CG cutscenes explaining the storyline. The Subspace Emissary features a new group of antagonists called the Subspace Army, who are led by the Ancient Minister. Some of these enemy characters appeared in previous Nintendo games, such asPetey Piranha from theSuper Mario franchise and a squadron ofR.O.B.s based on classic Nintendo hardware. The Subspace Emissary also boasts a number of original enemies, such asPrimids, robot enemies appearing in several variations. Though primarily a single-player mode, The Subspace Emissary allows for cooperative multiplayer. There are five difficulty levels for each stage, and there is a method of increasing characters' powers during the game. This is done by placing collectedstickers onto the bottom of a character's trophy between stages to improve various aspects of a fighter.

For the first time,Super Smash Bros. Brawl adds a few third-party fighters to the roster,Sonic andSnake.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U have the same characters, items, and basic gameplay. Like prior games in the series, this game introduces new characters, includingMega Man andPAC-MAN, who are new third-party characters. The character lineup is the same across both versions, and characters can now be customized with a range ofequipment and custom special moves. The game also introducesMii Fighters, who build off theMii system on the Nintendo 3DS and have additional customization of their appearance through headgear and costumes. Customized characters can be transferred to the Wii U version.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U also introduce downloadable content (DLC) to the series, which was made available after release. Both games have the same DLC, and if players purchased any given DLC for both games in at the same time there is a slight overall discount. Included among the DLC are the seven additional playable charactersMewtwo,Lucas,Roy,Ryu,Cloud,Corrin, andBayonetta, as well as additional stages and costumes for Mii Fighters.

The two games differ in their visuals, stages, and in their modes.Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS features cel-shaded 3D graphics, as well as stages and trophies based on games for handheld consoles. It has the arena modeSmash Run, where players fight enemies over a large area to collect stat boosts to prepare for a final competition between the players, the modeStreetSmash, a simple battling game named after and revolving around the system'sStreetpass feature. The modes that are shared have structural differences between each game.

On February 10, 2015, the game was updated to have the sameamiibo functionality as the Wii U version.

The 3DS version was released on September 13, 2014 in Japan and on October 3, 2014, in the rest of the world.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U andSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS have the same characters, items, and basic gameplay., though the Wii U version has more characters available without having to unlock them first. The games additionally have the same customizaation features. The Wii U version features HD graphics, as well as stages and trophies based on games from home consoles. Further, the same DLC is available for both games, with a slight overall discount available if players purchase any given DLC for both games at the same time. The two games have different modes, with the Wii U's exclusive modes include the board game modeSmash Tour, randomized battle modeSpecial Orders, as well as returning modes likeStage Builder. Even the modes both games share have differences in their structures. Additionally, the new8-Player Smash mode allows up to eight players to play in a single Smash Battle, a series first.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U supports the most different kinds of controllers across any Nintendo video game, as it supports every configuration the Wii U allows, Nintendo 3DS systems withSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS orSmash Controller, and the Nintendo Gamecube controller. TheGameCube Controller Adapter, which allows for a Nintendo Gamecube controller to connect to the Wii U, was released alongside this game, as were newSuper Smash Bros. themed Gamecube controllers.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U can connect toSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS in two ways. First, customized characters from the 3DS version can be transferred to the Wii U version. Second, a Nintendo 3DS runningSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS can be used as a controller inSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U was launched alongside the firstamiibo, with the first line of amiibo also being based onSuper Smash Bros. and the figures being based directly on this game's artwork. amiibo allow the players to create and save computer controlled Figure Players, which the player can fight alongside or against. Figure Players learn from the battles they partake in, allowing them to become stronger and changing their behaviors. They can also be customized similarly to normal fighters.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U was released on November 21, 2014 in North America; November 28, 2014, in Europe; November 29, 2014, in Australia; and December 6, 2014, in Japan.

During theE3 2018Nintendo Direct,Inkling from theSplatoon series,Princess Daisy from theSuper Mario franchise, andRidley from theMetroid series were confirmed as new playable characters.^[4] In the August 2018Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct,Simon Belmont,Richter Belmont (both from theCastlevania series),Chrom (from theFire Emblem series),Dark Samus (from theMetroid series), andKing K. Rool (from theDonkey Kong series) were also confirmed to be playable.^[5] Within the September 2018 Nintendo Direct,Isabelle from theAnimal Crossing series was additionally confirmed as a new playable fighter.^[6] In the November 2018Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct,Ken Masters (from theStreet Fighter series),Incineroar (from thePokémon series), andPiranha Plant (from theSuper Mario franchise) were announced as playable, with Piranha Plant being DLC.^[7] It was also confirmed at this point that an additional five fighters and stages, as well as some music, were to be released as DLC via five Challenger Packs in a "Fighters Pass."^[7] AtThe Game Awards 2018,Joker, the protagonist ofPersona 5, was announced as the first of the fighters included in the Fighters Pass.^[8] In theE3 2019 Nintendo Direct, theHeroes of multipleDragon Quest games, as well asBanjo &Kazooie from theBanjo-Kazooie series, were confirmed as the second and third Fighters Pass fighters, respectively.^[9] The September 2019 Nintendo Direct, in addition to revealing that further DLC fighters are to be released separate from the Fighters Pass, confirmedTerry Bogard from theFatal Fury series as the fourth Fighters Pass fighter.^[10] In a video that was aired during January 2020,Byleth, the main protagonist ofFire Emblem: Three Houses, was confirmed as the fighter of Challenger Pack 5; an additional six challenger packs in a separate Fighters Pass were also clarified to be the previously confirmed additional DLC.^[11] In the March 2020 Nintendo Direct Mini, a character fromARMS was confirmed to be Challenger Pack 6's fighter, although the character's identity was not shown^[12] until June of that year, when the fighter was revealed to beMin Min.^[13] In a video that aired during October 2020,Steve fromMinecraft was confirmed as Challenger Pack 7's fighter.^[14] DuringThe Game Awards 2020,Sephiroth, the main antagonist ofFinal Fantasy VII, was confirmed as the fighter included in Challenger Pack 8.^[15] In the February 2021 Nintendo Direct,Pyra andMythra fromXenoblade Chronicles 2 were confirmed as Challenger Pack 9's fighter.^[16] TheE3 2021 Nintendo Direct confirmedKazuya Mishima from theTekken series as the fighter of Challenger Pack 10.^[17] In a video that aired during October 2021,Sora, the protagonist of theKingdom Hearts series, was announced as the game's final DLC fighter.^[18]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate introduces collectiblespirits able to augment fighters' abilities.^[7] They replace the collectibletrophies of past installments.^[7] They visually appear and function similarly tostickers fromSuper Smash Bros. Brawl. There is also a new Adventure Mode, titled World of Light, which seesGaleem turning many characters into spirits and imprisoning the playable fighters, except forKirby, the sole survivor.^[7]

A stage debuting inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl is based on it calledSmashville. Regarding playable fighters, it is represented byVillager sinceSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andIsabelle inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.^[6]

The emblem used to represent this series is the icon used to representfurniture in the player's pockets.

Regarding fighters, it is represented by the DLC fighterMin Min inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.^[13]

The emblem representing this series is a pair of balloons, similar to those used by theBalloon Fighter inBalloon Fight.

Banjo & Kazooie appear as a playable fighter through DLC inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, making them the first characters owned by a console competitor to Nintendo to be playable in theSuper Smash Bros. series.^[9]

The emblem representing this series is a Jiggy, a type of collectible item in theBanjo-Kazooie series.

Regarding playable characters, theBayonetta series is represented by Bayonetta, who made herSuper Smash Bros. debut inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U as a playable character available through DLC. TheBayonetta series is the second M-rated series to be represented in theSuper Smash Bros. series.

In theSuper Smash Bros. series, it is represented by the playable charactersSimon Belmont andRichter Belmont inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, making it andStreet Fighter the first third-party series represented in theSuper Smash Bros. series to have multiple playable characters.^[5][7]

The emblem representing this series is a representation ofDracula's Castle.

The emblem representing this series is an uppercase "D" and an uppercase "K" (forDonkeyKong), as seen onDK Barrels.

The emblem representing this series is a duck fromDuck Hunt.

The playable fighters that represent theEarthBound series areNess (sinceSuper Smash Bros.) andLucas (sinceSuper Smash Bros. Brawl). Lucas was originally intended to replace Ness inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, but sinceMother 3 was canceled at the time, Ness was put in instead.^[21] OtherEarthBound series characters also appear as items.

It is represented byTerry as a playable DLC fighter inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.^[10]

The emblem representing this series is two uppercase "F"s in the font used inFinal Fantasy game titles.

The emblem representing this series is the crown worn by the captiveMii in the aforementioned games.

Regarding playable characters,Marth andRoy have been playable in theSuper Smash Bros. series starting withSuper Smash Bros. Melee (although the latter is absent inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl),Ike has been playable sinceSuper Smash Bros. Brawl,Lucina andRobin have been playable since the launch ofSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS,Corrin has been playable since their DLC appearance inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, andChrom andByleth are introduced as playable inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, with the latter as DLC.^[5][11]

The emblem representing this series is an eggplant, the first vegetable encountered inIce Climber.

Regarding playable characters, it is represented byPit (sinceSuper Smash Bros. Brawl),Palutena, andDark Pit (both sinceSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS).

The emblem representing this series is thePalutena Bow.

Sora, the main protagonist, is a DLC fighter inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.^[18]

Regarding playable characters, it is represented by Kirby (sinceSuper Smash Bros.),Meta Knight, andKing Dedede (both sinceSuper Smash Bros. Brawl). King Dedede was intended to appear inSuper Smash Bros., but was removed due to time constraints. He and Meta Knight were later set to appear inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, but were also removed.^{[citation needed]}

The emblem representing this series is aWarp Star.

The emblem representing this series is amushroom, a recurring type ofitem.

Mega Man is a playable character in the series starting withSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and the third third-party character of theSuper Smash Bros. series (after Snake and Sonic were introduced inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl).

Solid Snake represents this series starting withSuper Smash Bros. Brawl (although he is absent inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U). Hideo Kojima, the producer of theMetal Gear series, requested Snake to be inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, however production of the game was too far for his inclusion.^{[citation needed]}

InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, the series icon for theMetal Gear series is replaced by an exclamation mark. The icon change is due to Kojima's departure from Konami; the FOX Unit logo is also the former logo forKojima Productions.

TheMetroid games are represented by playable characters in the forms of Samus (sinceSuper Smash Bros.), Zero Suit Samus (sinceSuper Smash Bros. Brawl; she is considered a separate character from Samus sinceSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS),Ridley, andDark Samus (both inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate^[4][5]).

The emblem representing this series is theScrew Attack.

The emblem representing this series is a representation of the Nintendo DS.

The emblem representing this series is a dog paw print.

The emblem representing this series is PAC-MAN's 2D appearance, as initially seen in theoriginalPAC-MAN arcade game.

It is represented byJoker (the protagonist ofPersona 5) inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate as a DLC fighter.^[8] Although thePersona series is mostly represented byPersona 5 elements inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, music fromPersona 4 andPersona 3, as well as Mii Fighter items based on characters from the three aforementionedPersona games, are also available as DLC.

The emblem representing this series is the logo of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts fromPersona 5.

It is represented byOlimar, and his assistants - thePikmin - starting withSuper Smash Bros. Brawl. SinceSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Olimar has alternate costumes that change him toAlph.

Regarding playable fighters, it is represented byPikachu,Jigglypuff (both sinceSuper Smash Bros.),Pichu,Mewtwo (both starting withSuper Smash Bros. Melee, although neither are playable inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl and Pichu is not playable inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U),Pokémon Trainer (withSquirtle,Ivysaur, andCharizard),Lucario (both starting withSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, although Pokémon Trainer, Squirtle, and Ivysaur are not playable and Charizard is a stand-alone character inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U),Greninja (starting withSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS), andIncineroar (inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate)^[7]. The series also had the most unlockable characters inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, with Pichu, Jigglypuff, and Mewtwo. In addition, variousPokémon come out ofPoké Balls to assist characters. Originally, Mewtwo was going to be playable inSuper Smash Bros., but was removed due to time constraints.^{[22][dead link]} UntilSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, none of the playable characters in this series have more than five alternate colors, a trait shared with theSonic the Hedgehog series. Starting withSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, every character gets seven different alternate colors, including the Pokémon.

The emblem representing this series is a Poké Ball.

Little Mac is anAssist Trophy inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, and a playable character in theSuper Smash Bros. series sinceSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

The emblem representing this series is a boxing glove, as seen on the title screens of theNESgames in the series.

The series is represented by atrophy and Mii Fighter customization items inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, and by Inkling as a playable fighter inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.^[4]

The emblem representing this series is an Inkling Squid.

The emblem representing this series is a side view of Sonic's head.

It is represented by playable charactersFox McCloud (sinceSuper Smash Bros.),Falco Lombardi (sinceSuper Smash Bros. Melee), andWolf O'Donnell (starting withSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, but Wolf is not playable inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U).

The emblem representing this series is the logo of the Star Fox team.

The emblem representing this series is an uppercase "S" and an uppercase "F" in the font used inStreet Fighter game titles.

Previously represented by a Mii Fighter costume based onHeihachi Mishima available as DLC inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,Kazuya Mishima is also available as a DLC fighter in the latter game.^[17]

It is represented by playable characters Link (sinceSuper Smash Bros.),Zelda/Sheik,Ganondorf, Young Link (introduced inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, although Sheik is a separate character from Zelda fromSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS onward, and Young Link is not playable inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl,Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, andSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U), and Toon Link (sinceSuper Smash Bros. Brawl).

The emblem representing this series is theTriforce.

TheWii Fit Trainer from theWii Fit series is as a playable character in theSuper Smash Bros. series starting withSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

The emblem representing this series is the female Wii Fit Trainer performing the "Dancer" pose.

The emblem representing this series is the Monado fromXenoblade Chronicles.

The emblem representing this series is aYoshi's Egg.

• 3D Land
• 75 m
• Arena Ferox
• Balloon Fight
• Battlefield
• Big Battlefield
• Big Blue
• Boxing Ring
• Bridge of Eldin
• Brinstar
• Brinstar Depths
• Castle Siege
• Cloud Sea of Alrest
• Coliseum
• Corneria
• Delfino Plaza
• Distant Planet
• Dracula's Castle
• Dream Land
• Dream Land GB
• Duck Hunt
• Figure-8 Circuit
• Final Destination
• Find Mii
• Flat Zone
• Flat Zone 2
• Flat Zone X
• Fountain of Dreams
• Fourside
• Frigate Orpheon
• Gamer
• Garden of Hope
• Garreg Mach Monastery

• Gaur Plain
• Gerudo Valley
• Golden Plains
• Great Bay
• Great Plateau Tower
• Green Greens
• Green Hill Zone
• Halberd
• Hanenbow
• Hollow Bastion
• Hyrule Castle
• Icicle Mountain
• Jungle Hijinxs
• Jungle Japes
• Kalos Pokémon League
• King of Fighters Stadium
• Kongo Falls
• Kongo Jungle
• Living Room
• Luigi's Mansion
• Lylat Cruise
• Magicant
• Mario Bros.
• Mario Circuit
• Mario Galaxy
• Mementos
• Midgar
• Miiverse
• Minecraft World
• Mishima Dojo
• Moray Towers
• Mushroom Kingdom (64)
• Mushroom Kingdom (Melee)

• Mushroom Kingdom II
• Mushroom Kingdom U
• Mushroomy Kingdom
• Mute City
• Mute City SNES
• New Donk City Hall
• New Pork City
• Norfair
• Northern Cave
• Onett
• Orbital Gate Assault
• Pac-Land
• Pac-Maze
• Palutena's Temple
• Paper Mario
• Peach's Castle (64)
• PictoChat
• PictoChat 2
• Pilotwings
• Pirate Ship
• Planet Zebes
• Poké Floats
• Pokémon Stadium
• Pokémon Stadium 2
• Port Town Aero Dive
• Princess Peach's Castle (Melee)
• Prism Tower
• Pyrosphere
• Rainbow Cruise
• Rainbow Road
• Reset Bomb Forest
• Rumble Falls
• Saffron City
  

• Sector Z
• Shadow Moses Island
• Skyloft
• Skyworld
• Smashville
• Spear Pillar
• Spiral Mountain
• Spirit Train
• Spring Stadium
• Summit
• Super Happy Tree
• Super Mario Maker
• Suzaku Castle
• Temple
• The Great Cave Offensive
• Tomodachi Life
• Tortimer Island
• Town and City
• Umbra Clock Tower
• Unova Pokémon League
• Venom
• WarioWare, Inc.
• Wii Fit Studio
• Wily Castle
• Windy Hill Zone
• Woolly World
• Wrecking Crew
• Wuhu Island
• Yggdrasil's Altar
• Yoshi's Island (Melee)
• Yoshi's Island (Brawl)
• Yoshi's Story