Super Smash Bros. is a series of platform fighting video games published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai and features characters from many different video game series made by Nintendo and other developers. The gameplay is different from traditional fighting games, as players try to knock each other off stages after taking damage from attacks. The games also include various side modes, such as single-player story modes.
Sakurai had the idea for Super Smash Bros. while working at HAL Laboratory in 1998 with the help of Satoru Iwata. The first game in the series, Super Smash Bros. (1999), was released for the Nintendo 64 and included characters from Nintendo franchises like Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, and Pokémon. The game was successful, and Sakurai was asked to create a sequel for the GameCube, called Super Smash Bros. Melee, which was developed in 13 months and released in 2001.
After Sakurai left HAL Laboratory, Iwata, who later became Nintendo's president, persuaded him to continue directing the series. Sakurai directed Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) for the Wii and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014) for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. The most recent game in the series, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, was released in 2018 for the Nintendo Switch. Sakurai returned as director, and Bandai Namco Studios helped Sora Ltd., his own company, with the game's development.
The Super Smash Bros. games have received high praise and sold more than 77 million copies combined as of 2025. Many of the games are considered among the best of all time. The series has also drawn a large group of competitive players who compete in esports tournaments. Super Smash Bros. has influenced other platform fighting games and has helped increase the popularity of several franchises whose characters appear in the games.
History and development
After creating Kirby Super Star in 1996, Masahiro Sakurai, a game designer at HAL Laboratory, wanted to try making games with 3D graphics and animation after the Nintendo 64 console was released. Sakurai suggested two games for Nintendo: one was a fighting game for four players, and the other was a robot game where players used cameras to explore levels. Nintendo liked both ideas, but HAL Laboratory was already working on other games, like Mother 3, and could not start full development. Later, when HAL’s other projects were canceled, the company needed to make a game quickly. The fighting game prototype was chosen because Sakurai believed it would take less time to finish than the robot game.
The fighting game, called Dragon King: The Fighting Game, was made by three people. Sakurai planned the game, designed it, and created the graphics and animations. His coworker, Satoru Iwata, programmed the game, and a third person handled the audio. Iwata worked on the game only on weekends because he was busy with another project. Iwata agreed to help because he wanted to make a game that used the 3D joystick on the Nintendo 64 controller, while Sakurai wanted to create a fighting game that was different from others.
In 1996, Sakurai thought fighting games had become too complicated, with too much focus on special moves and not enough on player strategy. He wanted a game where players could react more freely and where damage added up to force players to change their tactics. He created "smash attacks" that used a quick movement of the joystick to make the game more fun.
Dragon King had similar gameplay to what became Super Smash Bros., but it did not include characters from other games. Sakurai thought having too many main characters made it harder for players to care about the game. He believed using existing characters from Nintendo games would help players connect with the game world faster. However, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto did not agree at first. Sakurai and Iwata made a demo with characters like Mario, Fox McCloud, Samus Aran, and Donkey Kong, and showed it to Miyamoto again. After seeing the demo, Miyamoto allowed the game to use Nintendo characters.
After the game was finished, some developers liked it, but Nintendo’s sales team worried about having characters from different games fight each other. The game was named "Super Smash Bros." after Iwata suggested adding "brothers" to show the characters were friends settling a disagreement. Super Smash Bros. was released in Japan on January 21, 1999, and in North America on April 26, 1999. Sakurai made a website called "Smash Bros. Dojo!!" to help players learn how to play.
In May 1999, Sakurai told Nintendo he was making a sequel for the upcoming GameCube. The design plan was finished in July 1999, and HAL Laboratory, along with other studios, worked on the game. By May 2001, over 50 people were working on the game, and more than 100 had helped at some point. The game was named Super Smash Bros. Melee and released in 2001. The GameCube was more powerful than the Nintendo 64, so Melee had more content, like 14 new characters and new multiplayer options.
Making Melee was very challenging for Sakurai, who said it was the biggest project he had ever led. He worked nonstop and took few breaks. Technical problems limited features like eight-player multiplayer. Collectible "trophies" were added to include more characters. Sakurai wanted Melee to appeal to experienced players, and the game’s physics and animations were improved. Super Smash Bros. Melee was released in Japan on November 21, 2001, and in North America on December 3, 2001. It became the best-selling GameCube game.
In 2005, Satoru Iwata, now Nintendo’s president, announced a new Super Smash Bros. game for the Wii, which would include online play. Sakurai, who had left HAL Laboratory, was surprised but agreed to help. He finished the planning for the new game in July 2005. A team from HAL and other studios, including Sora Ltd., worked on the game. Over 100 full-time staff and more than 700 people were involved. A trailer for the game, called Super Smash Bros. Brawl, was shown at E3 2006.
Brawl focused on online multiplayer and a long single-player story to explore the characters more deeply. Sakurai wanted the story mode to be made by a separate team, but most of the work was done by the main team.
Gameplay
Super Smash Bros. is a platform fighting game, which means it plays differently from traditional fighting games. Instead of trying to reduce an opponent's health, players aim to knock opponents off the stage or out of bounds. Each character has a damage total, shown as a percentage that increases when they take damage. As this number rises, characters experience more knockback from attacks, making it easier for them to be knocked away. If a player is launched outside the stage's boundaries, they lose a life but can attempt to return to the stage by using midair jumps or special abilities. Players can also try to stop opponents from returning by using a technique called "edge-guarding."
Controls in Smash Bros. are simpler than in other fighting games. One button is used for standard attacks, and another is used for special attacks. Each character has a unique set of moves, which can be performed by attacking while moving the analog stick in specific directions or when the character is in certain positions, such as midair. Strong "smash attacks" are performed by quickly moving the analog stick and pressing the attack button. These attacks can become stronger if the button is held down for a longer time. Each character has three smash attacks (side, up, and down), four standard and special attacks (three based on directions and one without directional input), and five aerial attacks, which follow the same system but use forward and back directions instead of "side."
When characters are hit, they experience a short period of being stunned, making them vulnerable to more attacks. Players can block attacks using a shield or dodge in different directions to become temporarily invulnerable. Dodging can also be done midair, and some games allow directional air dodges that can be used while landing to perform a "wavedash." However, dodging leaves characters exposed after the move ends. Shields weaken over time and can break if they absorb too much damage, leaving the user vulnerable. Properly timed shielding can allow players to parry attacks. Characters using shields are still vulnerable to grabs, where opponents can grab and throw them in one of four directions, creating a game dynamic between attacking, shielding, and grabbing. Starting with Brawl, characters can also use "Final Smashes," powerful ultimate attacks unlocked after breaking a floating "Smash Ball" or filling a charge meter over time.
Items are a common feature in Smash Bros. and can appear onstage if enabled. These items have various effects inspired by other games. For example, the Super Mushroom from the Super Mario series allows characters to grow larger, while the Super Scope, based on an accessory from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, can be used to launch projectiles. Some items help characters recover damage, while others allow players to summon allies or affect the environment. For instance, Poké Balls can summon Pokémon, and Brawl introduced "Assist Trophies" that summon characters from other franchises.
Matches in Smash Bros. can involve multiple players, with up to four players initially and eight players in later versions like Smash for Wii U and Ultimate. Computer-controlled players can replace human players. Matches can be free-for-alls or team-based, with rules chosen by players. The most common modes are "Time" and "Stock." In "Time" mode, matches have a fixed time limit, and players earn points by defeating others. In "Stock" mode, players have a limited number of lives, and the last remaining player wins. A less common mode is "Stamina," where players have a finite amount of health and are eliminated when it reaches zero.
Players can choose from a variety of stages, many of which are based on other video games. Some stages, like "Final Destination" and "Battlefield," are original to the Smash series. Stages have different layouts of platforms and obstacles, with some being flat planes without edges. Some stages include hazards, such as boss fights with characters like the Yellow Devil from Mega Man or Ridley from Metroid.
In addition to multiplayer battles, Smash Bros. includes single-player side modes and minigames, many of which allow two-player co-operative gameplay. For example, in "Home-Run Contest," players use the Home-Run Bat item to damage a sandbag and try to launch it as far as possible. In "Break the Targets," players navigate a course to destroy targets, with courses being character-specific in Melee but available to all characters in Brawl. Smash 4 features "Target Blast," where players launch a bomb to destroy as many targets as possible in an area. The first Smash game included "Board the Platforms," where players raced to land on floating platforms as quickly as possible.
The series also includes "Multi-Man Smash," which has sub-modes like "100-Man Smash," where players defeat 100 opponents, and "Cruel Smash," where players face extremely strong enemies. Since Brawl, players can create custom stages for multiplayer matches and share them online. Smash 4's Wii U version included the board game mode "Smash Tour," while the 3DS version featured "Smash Run," where players collected power-ups on a large map before a final battle. Ultimate introduced "Squad Strike," allowing matches where players switch characters after each life.
Melee introduced "trophies," collectible 3D models of characters and game elements obtained through various modes and minigames. Ultimate replaced trophies with "Spirits," which use 2D images instead of 3D models and require players to complete battles that reference the Spirit's character. Collected Spirits can enhance a character's abilities or grant special features like an extra midair jump.
Throughout the series, "Classic Mode" has been included, featuring a series of battles against opponents based on the player's character, predetermined opponents, or randomly generated ones. Classic Mode also includes minigames like "Break the Targets," platforming challenges, or bonus stages, and ends with a boss fight against Master Hand or another enemy. Other modes include "All-Star Mode," where players defeat every character in the game, and "Event Matches," which feature themed battles. Several Smash games have included single-player campaigns, such as Melee's "Adventure Mode," Brawl's story-based "Subspace Emissary," and Ultimate's "World of Light," which involves battling Spirits, playable characters, and bosses across an overworld with role-playing game elements like a skill tree.
Online multiplayer has been included since Brawl, with Smash 4 offering two modes, "For Fun" and "For Glory," that use different rules for casual and competitive play.
Characters
Each game in the series includes a group of playable characters (called "fighters") from different video game series, with more than 80 fighters total in all the games. Beginning with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, characters from games not made by Nintendo started appearing as playable fighters. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, players could change how existing fighters move and what abilities they have. Players could also create their own Mii fighters with three different fighting styles. Other characters in the games are not playable and instead appear as enemies, bosses, or items that can be summoned to help players.
Music
Super Smash Bros. includes music from many popular Nintendo game series. Some songs are newly arranged for the game, while others are taken directly from their original sources. The music for the Nintendo 64 version was created by Hirokazu Ando, who later worked as the sound and music director for the game Melee. Melee also includes music composed by Tadashi Ikegami, Shougo Sakai, and Takuto Kitsuta. The game Brawl involved 38 hired composers, including Nobuo Uematsu, who is known for composing music in the Final Fantasy series and created the main theme for Brawl. Similar to Brawl, the versions of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U included many original and rearranged songs from different game series, composed by various musicians. Both versions allow players to select and listen to music using the "My Music" feature, which includes songs from earlier Super Smash Bros. games. The 3DS and Switch versions let players hear their music from the sound menu while the system is in sleep or handheld mode. The game Ultimate continued this trend, with over 800 composers and arrangers contributing to rearranged songs.
Three soundtrack albums have been released for the series. In 2000, an album with the original music from Super Smash Bros. was released in Japan by Teichiku Records. In 2003, Nintendo released Smashing…Live!, a live orchestral performance of music from Melee by the New Japan Philharmonic. A two-disc promotional soundtrack called A Smashing Soundtrack was available to Club Nintendo members who registered both the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game between November 21, 2014, and January 13, 2015.
Merchandising
Releasing merchandise for Super Smash Bros. is generally not allowed, except for free giveaways and limited edition items. The only exceptions to this rule are Amiibo figures, which are part of a toys-to-life platform made by Nintendo. Amiibo figures were first introduced with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Nintendo created Amiibo figures for all characters in Super Smash Bros. 4 and Ultimate. The Smash Amiibo line ended in February 2024 with the release of the Sora figure. Amiibo figures from the Smash series, as well as figures of Smash characters from other lines, can interact with Super Smash Bros. 4 and Ultimate using near-field communication. Players can train a computer opponent based on their Amiibo figure in the game. The Amiibo character gains experience points and levels up as it fights in battles.
To match the releases of Super Smash Bros. 4 and Ultimate, Nintendo introduced new versions of the GameCube controller and adapters that let the controller work with the Wii U and Switch. Before the release of Ultimate, Nintendo launched a limited edition Nintendo Switch system themed around Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Switch’s dock had artwork of the game’s characters, and the Joy-Con controllers featured the series logo. Nintendo also included a Smash-themed Nintendo Switch Pro Controller in bundles with Ultimate, along with a copy of the game packaged in a steelbook.
Competitive play
After the first Super Smash Bros. game was released, some tournaments were held. However, a larger competitive community for Super Smash Bros. Melee formed in 2002. This community grew through efforts from many people without official help from Nintendo. Websites like Smashboards, which were created before Melee was released, helped connect players. Over time, the Melee community became self-sufficient. In 2004, Major League Gaming (MLG) started hosting Melee esports competitions, creating a tournament circuit for the game. This period, called the "Golden Age of Melee," featured top players like Ken Hoang.
MLG stopped hosting Melee tournaments in 2007 because of the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Attention shifted to Brawl, but changes in Brawl's gameplay made it less popular for competitive players. The community returned to Melee. In 2013, Melee fans pushed for its inclusion at the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), a major fighting game tournament. Nintendo tried to cancel the event but allowed it after strong opposition. Joseph "Mang0" Marquez won the tournament, having previously placed third at EVO 2007, the last time a Smash game was featured.
Melee's return to EVO 2013 increased its popularity. This grew further when Travis Beauchamp released The Smash Brothers, a documentary about Melee's history. The documentary highlighted past events and helped Melee surpass Brawl's competitive appeal. At this time, five top players—known as Melee's "Five Gods"—dominated tournaments: Marquez, Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman, Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma, Adam "Armada" Lindgren, and Kevin "PPMD" Nanney.
Melee returned to EVO 2014, but Brawl was excluded from the final tournament despite appearing in earlier rounds. Nintendo hosted an invitational tournament for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U at E3 2014, featuring top players from Melee and Brawl. Gonzalo "ZeRo" Barrios won the event, later dominating the first year of competitive Smash 4. He won 55 consecutive tournaments until October 2015, when he lost to Nairoby "Nairo" Quezada. The release of Smash 4 grew the competitive Smash community, with tournaments like Genesis 3 and EVO 2016 having more participants than any previous Smash events.
In 2016, players like William "Leffen" Hjelte challenged the "Five Gods" dominance. In 2018, Justin "Plup" McGrath won the Melee tournament at Genesis 5, which Hjelte said marked the end of the "Five Gods" era. Earlier that year, Barrios retired from competitive Smash 4 to focus on livestreaming. By 2018, Leonardo "MKLeo" López Pérez was the top-ranked player in Smash 4. When Ultimate was released in 2018, it attracted many competitive players, including those who preferred Ultimate over Brawl or Smash 4. Pérez was considered the best Ultimate player after its release, defeating Gavin "Tweek" Dempsey to win EVO 2019, the largest Smash tournament ever.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Smash competitions, leading to the cancellation of many tournaments. Ultimate was excluded from EVO 2020, and Nintendo later decided not to include Smash in EVO after Sony Interactive Entertainment purchased the event in 2021. During the #MeToo movement in 2020, several competitive Smash players, including Quezada and Barrios, faced sexual misconduct allegations. Nintendo called the alleged actions "absolutely impermissible," increasing tensions between the company and the Smash community. In 2020, Nintendo ordered The Big House to cancel its Melee tournament for using Slippi, an unofficial mod that adds online multiplayer. This led to the #FreeMelee movement on social media. Nintendo had provided limited support to the Smash community despite hosting esports events for other games like Splatoon and Arms. As a result, Smash tournaments have smaller prize pools compared to other major esports.
In late 2021, Nintendo partnered with Panda Global to create the Panda Cup, a tournament circuit for Ultimate and Melee in 2022. This was seen as a sign of Nintendo's willingness to engage with the Smash community. In December 2022, the Smash World Tour (SWT) canceled its 2022 finale and 2023 circuit due to a request from Nintendo. Nintendo denied requesting the cancellation and rejected claims that Panda Global sought to undermine the SWT. After this, Panda Global removed its CEO, Alan Bunney, and postponed the Panda Cup finale. All affiliated professional Smash players left the organization.
Reception
Reviews for the Super Smash Bros. series are usually positive. The multiplayer mode in every game is often highly praised, but the single-player modes have not always received the same level of praise.
Super Smash Bros. was praised for its multiplayer mode. Nintendo Power listed the series as one of the greatest multiplayer experiences in Nintendo history, calling it very fun to play again and again because of special moves and close combat. However, some critics said the scoring system was hard to follow. The single-player mode was also criticized for being too difficult and having few features.
Super Smash Bros. Melee generally received positive reviews. Many reviewers said Melee improved on the gameplay features from the first Super Smash Bros. GameSpy noted that "Melee added many great new features." Reviewers compared the game favorably to Super Smash Bros. IGN's Fran Mirabella III said it was "in a completely different class than the N64 version." GameSpot's Miguel Lopez praised the advanced "classic-mode" compared to its predecessor, but said the Adventure Mode had some parts that were better than others. Despite mixed opinions about the single-player mode, most reviewers highlighted the multiplayer mode as a strong part of the game. GameSpy stated, "you'll have a hard time finding a more enjoyable multiplayer experience on any other console."
Super Smash Bros. Brawl received a perfect score from the Japanese magazine Famitsu. Reviewers praised the variety and depth of the single-player content, the unpredictability of Final Smashes, and the varied fighting styles of the characters. Thunderbolt Games gave the game 10 out of 10, calling it "a greatly improved entry in the long-standing series." Chris Slate of Nintendo Power also gave Brawl a perfect score in its March 2008 issue, calling it "one of the very best games Nintendo has ever made." IGN critic Matt Casamassina said Brawl was a "solid fighter" but noted some issues, such as long loading times and repetition in The Subspace Emissary.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U both received critical praise and were commercially successful. They had ratings of 85/100 and 92/100 on Metacritic and 86.10% and 92.39% on GameRankings. Reviewers highlighted the large, diverse character roster, improvements to game mechanics, and a variety of multiplayer options. Some criticisms of the 3DS version included the lack of single-player modes and issues with the 3DS hardware, such as characters appearing too small on the screen when zoomed out and problems with response time during local and online play. There were also reports of players damaging their 3DS Circle Pads from playing the game too much. The Wii U version's online play was mildly criticized for some inconsistency, but it was overall well-received. Daniel Dischoff of GameRevolution said, "Super Smash Bros. keeps improving with new features, items, and characters. While some players may miss their favorite characters or find certain items annoying, this is the biggest improvement Smashers have seen yet." Daniel Starky of GameSpot criticized the inconsistent online performance but still called it an "incredible game," noting, "With the Wii U release, Smash Bros. has fully achieved its goals." Jose Otero of IGN praised the game's replayability, saying, "Nearly every part of Smash Wii U is well-designed to appeal to longtime Nintendo fans and new players alike."
Super Smash Bros. sold 1.4 million copies in Japan and 2.3 million in the U.S., with a total of 5.55 million units worldwide. Melee sold over 7 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling GameCube game. Brawl sold 1.524 million copies in Japan as of March 30, 2008, and sold 1.4 million copies in its first week in the U.S., becoming Nintendo of America's fastest-selling game. The 3DS version sold over a million copies in its first weekend in Japan and has sold more than 9.63 million copies worldwide as of September 2021. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U became the fastest-selling Wii U game, selling 3.39 million copies worldwide within two months of release, beating the record previously held by Mario Kart 8. As of September 2021, it had sold 5.38 million copies worldwide. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch set new records for the series and the system. It sold an estimated 5.6 million copies worldwide in its first week, surpassing records held by games like Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Super Mario Odyssey, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In Japan, Ultimate sold 2.6 million copies in five weeks, surpassing the previous record held by Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. It is the third best-selling game for the Nintendo Switch and the best-selling fighting game of all time, with 36.24 million copies sold worldwide as of March 31, 2025.
Legacy
Super Smash Bros. helped make platform fighting games more popular by introducing important rules, such as focusing on movement on the ground and knocking characters out of battle by increasing their damage percentages instead of using traditional knockout methods. These ideas were later used in other games. Starting in the mid-2010s, many independent game makers created their own platform fighting games inspired by Super Smash Bros. One example is Rivals of Aether (2017), which was influenced by the fast and skill-based style of Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001), according to its lead designer, Dan Fornace. Other games, like Brawlhalla and Brawlout (both 2017), were compared to Super Smash Bros. by gaming news outlets. Brawlout was noted for its aggressive gameplay similar to traditional fighting games, while Brawlhalla was praised for its strong weapon-based systems and diverse character options.
Because Super Smash Bros. includes characters from many different games, it inspired other crossover fighting games with licensed franchises. In 2012, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale was released for PlayStation 3 and Vita. This game used similar ideas to Super Smash Bros., featuring characters from PlayStation and other companies in four-player battles on 2D stages with hazards. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, made by Ludiosity and Fair Play Labs, includes characters from Nickelodeon shows and uses gameplay similar to Super Smash Bros., but adds different light and heavy attacks like in traditional fighting games. MultiVersus, released in early access in 2022 and fully in 2024, uses mechanics and style from Super Smash Bros. while featuring characters from Warner Bros. films and TV shows. It also includes unique features, such as passive abilities for characters and modes focused on playing against computer-controlled opponents.
Besides major crossover games, indie titles like Brawlhalla and Rivals of Aether have worked with publishers to add their characters as guest fighters, similar to how Super Smash Bros. includes characters from non-Nintendo games. While other games inspired by Super Smash Bros. have received some praise, they are generally seen as less complete compared to the original series in terms of gameplay, character variety, and features.