Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

 Switch
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3870 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,334 out of 3870
  2. Mixed: 236 out of 3870
  3. Negative: 300 out of 3870
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  1. Lorios
    Dec 19, 2018
    10
    Super smash Bros. Ultimate is a game very different from its predecessor, with many more tactics, characters and game-play diversity. This new instalment of the franchise is a must have for all Nintendo Switch owners.
  2. EXECritical
    Feb 11, 2019
    10
    This game is a party game that grown men take seriously, and I love it! I can't wait to see Piranha Plant at EVO Grand Finals!
  3. andrew9
    May 4, 2022
    10
    good game .
  4. Luke_Antone
    Jan 17, 2020
    10
    This is the greatest celebration of videogames of all time. The gameplay is extremely fun and has endless hours of content. This is one of the best games on Switch and one of the best Nintendo games. And a must play.
  5. domcosreviews
    Jan 12, 2019
    10
    Smash Ultimate is a lovely game that has very enjoyable characters, great solo content, and amazing music. Spirits mode is a joy to play through, and the new mechanics are great. Online is kind of a mess, but still an amazing game you must get.
  6. ThatOneNerdyGuy
    Jan 28, 2019
    9
    I've never played a smash brothers game before this one, and i regret it,so i wouldn't suck so much. The game is great, fun and addicting in a scary way. boatloads of content and fights to be found around the corner. the only thing i don't like about this game is the whole "challenger approaching" thing, it gets annoying after a while but its not a big enough flaw to bring this down.I've never played a smash brothers game before this one, and i regret it,so i wouldn't suck so much. The game is great, fun and addicting in a scary way. boatloads of content and fights to be found around the corner. the only thing i don't like about this game is the whole "challenger approaching" thing, it gets annoying after a while but its not a big enough flaw to bring this down. Although there is a flaw of cpus and assist trophies spamming the same attack over and over again, VERY annoying.… Expand
  7. Maarten95
    Dec 11, 2018
    8
    This game is awsome but it also has its flaws that show after a while. The diversity in this fighting game is the best I've ever seen in this genre, with so many soundtracks, stages and characters. There are so many modes to choose. The downside to this is that the game tends to be a bit to chaotic especially with the assist trophy's and pokeballs. The biggest flaw however is its onlineThis game is awsome but it also has its flaws that show after a while. The diversity in this fighting game is the best I've ever seen in this genre, with so many soundtracks, stages and characters. There are so many modes to choose. The downside to this is that the game tends to be a bit to chaotic especially with the assist trophy's and pokeballs. The biggest flaw however is its online mode. Its just horrificly bad. Its almost impossible to play a game without lag, even with the best internet. Its nearly impossible to find someone with the same match conditions and for 15 euro's a month that is just a shameful display. It takes a lot of the fun out of the game if you depend a lot on online matches. I therefore decided to take two point of the score.… Expand
  8. MetaGoose
    Dec 15, 2018
    10
    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the best Smash installment in the series. I have found no flaws in it at all, and all of the new and returning characters feel fresh. This game is a must play if you are a Nintendo fan, and even though many requested characters did not get in, Nintendo still made a large effort to include them as Assist Trophies, Spirits, etc. 10/10 must play.
  9. Markini
    Mar 8, 2019
    9
    By far the best SSB game since Melee. They really balanced the characters and their final smashes. The updated Classic mode is unique for every character. The Wolrd of Light could have been perfect if it added a more developed story like in Brawl. The unique scenarios for spirits are very well done. The replay value is never ending as playing Ultimate with others is easy and always fun.
  10. Lord_Ainz
    Dec 14, 2018
    10
    Oh my God, it is really disappointing to read throw the Critics here.
    It IS The BEST Smash so far. Online probably not this good in the moment but i fixed this with an Lan-Adapter. The Game is a straight 9 but i'll give it a 10 bc of some mad kids destroying the score of this awesome piece of Software.
    Well done, Big N.
  11. Yaboygraham
    Dec 17, 2018
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Honestly, I don't think this is a perfect game. It's not a near perfect game either. But I found myself having a blast with it so far(About a full weekend) and feel I will be playing it for a LONG time.

    In terms of characters and stages, Ultimate has pretty much everything you'd possibly want(stop complaining about meme characters, it's getting old). It has a roster of 74 characters, with only 8 being unlocked from the start. It also has 101 stages(I think?) which are unlocked from the get-go. Sure, there are a lot of clones/echo fighters, but the game lets you stack them on top of the fighter they're based on, if that interests you. Also, the characters added back along with the newcomers and changed-up veterans are extremely welcome IMO. Ridley and K. Rool are pure fan service, Inklings represent their series very well, and the Belmonts are fantastic. Chrom and Dark Samus were wanted from fans as well, despite being clones. There's also upcoming DLC, including FLIPPING JOKER FROM PERSONA 5!! Basically, Ultimate's character roster doesn't include every single character people might've wanted, but it is without a doubt amazing.

    Stages are also loads more interesting than what Smash 4 had to offer, with lots of great remastered ones and a handful of new ones.

    Ultimate's soundtrack is, stay with me here, quite possibly one of the greatest ever conceived. It's essentially a "greatest hits" collection of (mostly) great tracks from the Smash series as a whole, Nintendo games, other iconic series, and much, much more. And, as a bonus, you can play with the Switch's screen off! It's kinda pointless, but it's cool!

    Now onto the gameplay. The Smash series' main appeal, in my opinion, has always been the gameplay. While Smash 4 arguably hit the sweet spot in between competitively viable and casually marketed. Ultimate is similar to 4 but is faster, smoother, and honestly feels like the best in the series by a long shot(Melee is still faster though). Directional airdodges are added, along with short hops, FS meters(optional), and...that's really it. I feel like it makes competitive a lot better, while also making casual play more chaotic, but still really fun.

    In terms of single-player content, Ultimate doesn't have a ton of modes, but it DOES have a lot of great stuff to do. Classic mode is back, and it. Is. Awesome. Each character has their own series of fights leading up to a boss fight with 1 extra mode thrown in there. In order to get more rewards, you have to complete it a higher intensity level. Each time you win a fight, the intensity goes up. If you end up getting killed, you can keep going, although at a lower intensity. If you're not a fan of CPU battles, you may not like it too much. However, I've found it to be a super fun and rewarding experience.

    Ultimate's big single-player mode, however is World of Light. It's super complex and there's a lot to talk about, so I'll keep this short: it doesn't really have any cutscenes like Brawl's Subspace Emissary, but it makes up for it in the pure scope of the map, Spirits mechanics, and exploration. It's not perfect, but I've loved it so far. Note: I wouldn't recommend playing this mode for more than 30 minutes at a time.

    Finally, Ultimate's online is...a mixed bag for me.

    I don't play online that much anyway, but the Quickplay system is, at best, mediocre. The way it works is that you set your own preferred rules and choose if you want to play solo or co-op. The problem with this mode is that it usually makes you play a 4-player free-for-all with items, even if you chose 1v1, Battlefield stages with no items. And I know I'm alone on this either, as I've seen tons of posts and articles complaining about this issue. Combine that with the frequent lag and you're better off staying away from Quickplay, until "preferred rules" get changed to "guaranteed rules". However, there is a work-around for people who just to play For-Glory style matches, AKA 99% of people who play online. You can make Battle Arenas, where you set your own rules, such as what type of stages you'll fight on and amount of stock you have and so on. Plus, I've found that there is a LOT less lag doing this than there is with quickplay, even when I end up in a 1v1 match. Keep in mind, it's still not that great, but it's at least passable in comparison to ending up in a match you didn't ask for.

    Overall, I think Smash Ultimate is a phenomenal game and I can't recommend it enough. Sure, the online is kinda disappointing and the lack of extra modes is annoying, but what the game has to offer is extremely satisfying and should not be missed.    … Expand
  12. B0rn2_w1n
    Jul 20, 2019
    7
    I am not a SB fan (actually this is my first SB game), but I am quite dissapointed.

    The online was laggy when the game came out (not sure about how it is working nowadays). The experience was MUCH worse than playing Mario Kart online, which I don´t understend. The game is pretty diffent from other fight games, and it takes time to get the mechanics. I feel the gameplay to be quite    I am not a SB fan (actually this is my first SB game), but I am quite dissapointed.

    The online was laggy when the game came out (not sure about how it is working nowadays). The experience was MUCH worse than playing Mario Kart online, which I don´t understend.

    The game is pretty diffent from other fight games, and it takes time to get the mechanics. I feel the gameplay to be quite repetitive. Yes, I know, the learning curve is steep, but I din´t feel I was enjoying the game so much.

    The Spirits game mode is quite plain, and other game modes were just meh. I may give it another go on the future    … Expand
  13. Ironlink
    Dec 9, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. lo juge mucho antes de que saliera
    el juego es maravilloso me encanta y de verdad esperaba a que llegara el dia a que saliera su lanzamiento para que el mundo pudiera disfrutar maravilloso juego
    no todo es perfecto como todas las cosas son
    pero este juego merece un 10    … Expand
  14. lunali
    Jan 29, 2019
    10
    I'm neither a fan of fighting games nor a subscriber of Nintendo Online, yet I'm having so much fun in playing the story mode and playing with friends. All thanks to the unbelievably impressive game design. This is truly a piece of art in the sea of micro-transactions and buggy games.
  15. HarrySatschel
    Dec 18, 2018
    7
    The game is really excellent if you play locally. Definitely the best in the series to date. Visually, it's fantastic. The music is excellent. There is an insane number of characters & levels & items. Really great.

    BUT, half the game just isn't there. Online has been completely unplayable for me. It requires paid online & a hardware accessory & still doesn't work properly. It's a very    The game is really excellent if you play locally. Definitely the best in the series to date. Visually, it's fantastic. The music is excellent. There is an insane number of characters & levels & items. Really great.

    BUT, half the game just isn't there. Online has been completely unplayable for me. It requires paid online & a hardware accessory & still doesn't work properly. It's a very big disappointment spoiling an otherwise fantastic game.    … Expand
  16. ianfinite
    Dec 19, 2018
    10
    This game is one of the best in the Super Smash Bros. series. My friends invited me over because they knew that I was going to buy the game. This game is just extremely fun! I love that everyone is here and a few new challengers but most importantly... the Story Mode. I have been waiting for another Story Mode since Brawl and World Of Light is just amazing! I love a little story here andThis game is one of the best in the Super Smash Bros. series. My friends invited me over because they knew that I was going to buy the game. This game is just extremely fun! I love that everyone is here and a few new challengers but most importantly... the Story Mode. I have been waiting for another Story Mode since Brawl and World Of Light is just amazing! I love a little story here and there BUT WITH FRESH CUT CGI CUTSCENES STRAIGHT FROM THE FREEZER IS JUST A PHENOMENON! Same goes for Subspace Emissary! I love the way the sky looks in the cutscenes and all these 1st, 2nd, 3rd party characters just all in a big brawl together is just something I used to think was impossible! Sakurai worked so hard and long on this game along with his team and it's just a miracle! And Piranha Plant was the biggest surprise for me! A lot of people hate him but I **** love it. But the problem is that the Toxic Smash Fanbase is still steaming as normal... they ask for Waluigi and Isaac and Geno and Banjo Kazooie and Rayman and Crash and Shantae and all that **** Just give the man a break and don't tell him how to make his own game! For the love of god...

    Okay, enough about the fanbase. Nintendo fan or not it's definitely recommended by me! It's a great game 101/100!!!!!!!!!!!
    So many particular and peculiar small details and secrets that anyone can find!
    This game is truly Ultimate.
    I'm not a character beggar and you shouldn't be either, it's rude.    … Expand
  17. LatiosGigetto
    Dec 16, 2019
    9
    Truly a masterpiece. The best of its series by a long shot. Supreme cast of characters, almost infinite re-playability and a dedication by Sakurai's team that's just enormous. Constantly updated and always fresh. Pick it up if you have a Switch, truly a must-play!
  18. Sorafrost51
    Mar 27, 2019
    8
    Overall, I feel that smash ultimate is the best smash bros yet. It has fun battles, items, the most stages, every single character ever that has been in the series before, and many more. I would give it a 10 but just can't due to the biggest flaw the game has.... the online. The online is the worst part by far, from not getting the matches you want, or just not having a way for people toOverall, I feel that smash ultimate is the best smash bros yet. It has fun battles, items, the most stages, every single character ever that has been in the series before, and many more. I would give it a 10 but just can't due to the biggest flaw the game has.... the online. The online is the worst part by far, from not getting the matches you want, or just not having a way for people to battle online while not losing GSP, (Global Smash Power) and not going in a battle arena and having to wait for people to join. Smash 4 may have not had the best of an online either, but at least it was better than this trash. You could at least choose whether you wanted to do for fun, or for glory. You at least had the option. It also doesn't help that we are paying for the online now, and it's not any better than how it was in smash 4. If you want people to start paying for online, I say fix it, or at least make it so that you actually get the type of matches that you want, instead of getting forced into a match you didn't want with no way out, without getting punished for it.… Expand
  19. Dsros96
    Dec 20, 2018
    10
    This game deserves the title (Ultimate) as it is the best game of the saga. The characters, the modes, story mode, scenery… everything is just too perfect.
  20. Ausserwelt
    Dec 28, 2018
    9
    Great game, a pure must have, indeed. Funny Meme and good reminders about old games, old times. If Orichi Warrior 4 have 170 characters, here we have 63 good one too.
  21. theoriginalist
    Dec 20, 2018
    10
    This is my personal Game of the Year 2018. Forget God of War. This also blows Melee and Smash 4 out of the water, being better in almost every way. World of Light is even better than Subspace in some ways. This game has Smash 64's foundation, Melee's competitive gameplay style, Brawl's extensive single player, Smash 4's Plethora of fighters and content, added with its own layer ofThis is my personal Game of the Year 2018. Forget God of War. This also blows Melee and Smash 4 out of the water, being better in almost every way. World of Light is even better than Subspace in some ways. This game has Smash 64's foundation, Melee's competitive gameplay style, Brawl's extensive single player, Smash 4's Plethora of fighters and content, added with its own layer of original offerings, and of course: EVERYONE IS HERE! Won't be putting this game down anytime soon.… Expand
  22. spongedan
    Feb 5, 2019
    10
    This is by far the best in the smash bros series, easy to pick up, caters to casuals and competitors and many game modes and features that you will keep coming back to with your friends., It plays great, looks great , and it sounds great. So please stop complaining about Waluigi.
  23. Sillence
    Dec 31, 2018
    9
    Smash Ultimate is an excellent game across the board. It is enjoyable for pros and amateurs alike with a low barrier to entry and a high learning curve for top-end players. It balances this extremely well.

    There is no shortage of content. I cannot decide wether the volume of content is a good thing or not.. there are so many characters, items, and stages that it can be overwhelming and    Smash Ultimate is an excellent game across the board. It is enjoyable for pros and amateurs alike with a low barrier to entry and a high learning curve for top-end players. It balances this extremely well.

    There is no shortage of content. I cannot decide wether the volume of content is a good thing or not.. there are so many characters, items, and stages that it can be overwhelming and seem a daunting task to familiarize yourself enough with all of the fighters to be any sort of competitive. With that said, for the casual player, intimately knowing every fighter’s move set is unnecessary, and the pros will spend the time regardless, so I for most the overwhelming roster will be welcome in the long run at least.

    Playing with friends either locally or online is tons of fun, and the online matchmaking works really well. When a match is overly full it can be somewhat difficult tracking your character, but this improves with experience. I don’t know if it’s just a change in game preference on my part, but while it is enjoyable, it can get tiresome to play this game for more than a couple hours at a time. This is opposed to other games such as RPGs or shooters where I have no issue playing all day and sill want to keep going. I’m not going to count this against it as I think that’s just my personal preference in regards to fighting games, and not any issue with the game itself.

    While it tends to exce as a multiplayer experience, it also has a large amount of single player activities available. These activities tend to be enjoyable but also play a bit unbalanced or boring at times. There is so much to do and so much of it is non-challenging that it can feel like busy-work. If they could figure out how to make a more compelling single player experience I’d call this game a 10/10.

    Overall, it is definitely technically the best Smash game ever. There is so much more in it than any other previous title, and it is polished to a ridiculous degree. With that said, I may have had more fun with some earlier smash games, but that’s because there weren’t so many good alternatives to play back then as there is now.

    9/10 - Not quite perfect, but just about as good as the genre can get.    … Expand
  24. ConnorC
    Jan 6, 2019
    9
    Smash Ultimate is the 5th installment in one of my my game series. While I do consider it the best smash game, there are problems that could be fixed to make it even better.

    Pros- Same fun gameplay- "if it ain't broke don't fix it" Loads of single player content to sink hours into, great adventure mode which is 20 hours and unique classic mode battles for each chracter + more    Smash Ultimate is the 5th installment in one of my my game series. While I do consider it the best smash game, there are problems that could be fixed to make it even better.

    Pros-

    Same fun gameplay- "if it ain't broke don't fix it"

    Loads of single player content to sink hours into, great adventure mode which is 20 hours and unique classic mode battles for each chracter + more

    Performance is amazing, 60 fps on docked and handheld mode with 1080p and 720p respecively, game somehow doesnt crash with the infinite assist trophy glitch

    Probably the best muliplayer experience ive had, there is also lots of modes catered towards multiplayer

    Cons

    Online in general is frustrating, matchmaking hasnt been an issue for a while but it is very laggy and for some reason all i see are young links, pichus, and k rools with the occasional wolf

    Verdict
    Good game, fix online    … Expand
  25. Leontorres7
    Jan 2, 2019
    10
    This game is with out a doubt a masterpiece, it really amazes me how they managed to egt so much content in a single game, there is an amazing story mode called world of light with rpg like elements and very cool Persona like mechanic called spirits which boost you fighter stats or give you special abilities (you can also use them in multiplayer if you want to even online) , onlineThis game is with out a doubt a masterpiece, it really amazes me how they managed to egt so much content in a single game, there is an amazing story mode called world of light with rpg like elements and very cool Persona like mechanic called spirits which boost you fighter stats or give you special abilities (you can also use them in multiplayer if you want to even online) , online battles, multiplayer both local and online. classic mode, survival mode, and really so much more, you get 76 fighter and unlocking them is so much fun! Game play is awesome and there is a fighter for every play style, there is so much more than what I write here, if you are not a fighting game fan worry not this game is extremely accessible but also has a depth level for those who are fighting buffs! A must play if you do not have it go buy it, it is incredibly fun!… Expand
  26. WorriedDenizen
    Nov 14, 2019
    9
    Fantastic game. It brings back every character in previous titles, and the gameplay is solid.

    The gameplay at least the main fighting is the most well balanced it's ever been, and a significant improvement over smash 4s slowness. The gap between the best characters in this game and the middle of the road characters is not as wide as in past titles. This game is fantastic for    Fantastic game. It brings back every character in previous titles, and the gameplay is solid.

    The gameplay at least the main fighting is the most well balanced it's ever been, and a significant improvement over smash 4s slowness. The gap between the best characters in this game and the middle of the road characters is not as wide as in past titles.

    This game is fantastic for competitive play due to the mostly well balanced roster, and the large roster size, alongside additions such as run up tilts, universal frame 3 jump squat, and the changes to powershielding which turns it into a parry. Alongside many other aspects.

    What really does suck is the lack of single player gamemodes aside from HRC, WoL, and Classic Mode. Stuff like the paid online is also a huge downer.

    WoL as a whole is a mixed bag, and not entirely the greatest single player gamemode. The gamemode itself can get rather stale pretty quickly, and the fights can vary from being interesting to being downright boring. The final bosses of WoL is certainly the highlight.

    Nintendo paid online sucks sh!t though. This is the main downer as the previous game had free online as the 3DS/Wii U didn't have paid online. What doubly sucks is the awful netcoding that makes online matches a pain in the @ss to play, and the input delay really really makes things unbearable at times.

    Overall the strengths of this game aren't actually that many, but are HUGE strengths. While the downsides are also few but some of them are pretty big ones regardless.    … Expand
  27. Starward
    Oct 1, 2021
    9
    Mechanically this game is much better than Brawl or 4. The combat is faster and smoother and the character variety is amazing in comparison to other Smash games due to the sheer amount of characters However the PVE modes are lacking, and the main attraction, Spirits mode is a slog and not fun to play. The online is not much better as it is poorly optimized. But due to the passion put intoMechanically this game is much better than Brawl or 4. The combat is faster and smoother and the character variety is amazing in comparison to other Smash games due to the sheer amount of characters However the PVE modes are lacking, and the main attraction, Spirits mode is a slog and not fun to play. The online is not much better as it is poorly optimized. But due to the passion put into this game and it being one of the best crossovers ever, it's deserving of an 9.… Expand
  28. RealmOTLostStar
    Jan 27, 2019
    10
    Just the fact that they have 74 characters, plus 6 DLC ones, and 103 stages, already gives this a 10, especially since Everyone Is Here. Plus one of those six DLC characters is JOKER.
  29. Maotheoverlord8
    Oct 9, 2021
    6
    At the end of the day its a ok smash game. But it is extremely unbalanced. With so many sword users with long reach. This makes competitive play unfair. As everyone will just play Pyra/Mytra or Cloud. This makes much larger gaps of play level. So I suggest playing with items. That way you at least get more chaos in the mix.
  30. Rancisco
    Mar 31, 2019
    9
    Pure fun, fast and furious, gigantic rooster filled with beloved fighters, pokeballs, more video game musical hits than you can process, a never-ending story, 1300 + spirits embracing so many other franchises,... Super Smash Bros deserves it's post-title "Ultimate". The only negative side and the reason why I can't score this game with an absolute 10, is it's annoying online mode, morePure fun, fast and furious, gigantic rooster filled with beloved fighters, pokeballs, more video game musical hits than you can process, a never-ending story, 1300 + spirits embracing so many other franchises,... Super Smash Bros deserves it's post-title "Ultimate". The only negative side and the reason why I can't score this game with an absolute 10, is it's annoying online mode, more stability is needed.
    So, to resume it all: YES.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best Switch Game of 2018
1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
23
#23 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 99 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 99
  3. Negative: 0 out of 99
  1. CD-Action
    Mar 25, 2019
    95
    It’s not just a great fighting game and a perfect party title, uncommonly enjoyable and absurdly rich in content that should suffice for literally years of fun. It’s also an amazing homage to the history of video games. [02/2019, p.60]
  2. PLAY! Zine
    Mar 5, 2019
    95
    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate escalates everything the series was known for, and delivers it flawlessly. Biggest fighter rooster ever, more dynamic gameplay, loads and loads of gameplay modes, stages, weapons, music, stuff! If there is a smash that deserves your cash, this is the one!
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Feb 26, 2019
    100
    This is the ultimate Smash Bros. How will they ever top it? [Issue #37 – January/February 2019, p. 65]
See all critic reviews »