Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Games review
As of Jun 23, 2026, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is rated 92/100 on OpenCritic (149 critic reviews), and 93/100 on Metacritic (110 critic reviews). Each source is shown in its own units, never blended into one score.
Is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate worth it in 2026?
Sitting at 92, 93 across two major review aggregators covering well over a hundred critics each, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the fighting genre's benchmark package: an absurdly content-rich game praised for its massive roster, refined core gameplay, and the sheer volume of modes and match types on offer. The World of Light campaign gives solo players something substantive beyond local multiplayer, keeping the package from feeling like a mere greatest-hits collection. Local and couch co-op multiplayer remain exactly as strong as the series' reputation demands, fast, chaotic, and endlessly replayable with the right people in the room. The persistent weak point, flagged even at launch, is online play: for a game on a platform that invites remote play, the online functionality trails the rest of the experience in ways that matter if your friends aren't in the same room.
Switch owners who want the deepest, most content-packed fighting game available to play locally, whether competitively with seasoned players or casually with family, the massive roster of fighters and wealth of modes gives everyone a reason to keep coming back.
Online multiplayer was called out as a weak point at launch and remains the game's most significant limitation, if remote play is your primary use case rather than local co-op, the gap between the online experience and the rest of the package is real enough to temper expectations.
ReviewPond's conclusion, drawn only from the verified scores and review themes below. Not a paid or editorial opinion.
Different sources measure different things, so each is shown in its own units and never merged into one number.
Pros
- massive character roster6
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- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is an absurdly content-rich fighting game experience with a massive roster of fighters and a slew of entertaining match types.
- A chaos of details and features come together for one of the Switch's most generous - and exhilarating - games.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate takes characters we've played for decades and remasters them into a robust, fantastically enjoyable package
- content-rich package6
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- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is an absurdly content-rich fighting game experience with a massive roster of fighters and a slew of entertaining match types.
- A chaos of details and features come together for one of the Switch's most generous - and exhilarating - games.
- A wealth of tweaks and new additions like the World of Light campaign help to keep Ultimate from feeling like a greatest-hits retread
- refined core gameplay6
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- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is Smash Bros. done right, and done bigger than ever before.
- Ultimate is a comprehensive, considered, and charming package that refines and builds on Smash's already strong and enduring fighting system.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s gameplay is so snappy and fluid, its characters so rewarding in their variety, that it feels destined to dominate living rooms once again.
- best series entry5
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- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is Smash Bros. done right, and done bigger than ever before.
- It's not an exaggeration to say that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the biggest accomplishment in the series thus far.
- We’re not sure how you could make a more robust or pleasing Smash game. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate truly is the ultimate instalment in the series, and it makes you wonder where Sak...
- strong single-player mode4
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- A wealth of tweaks and new additions like the World of Light campaign help to keep Ultimate from feeling like a greatest-hits retread
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate delivers on its namesake and proves to be an amazing fighting game with fantastic single player content and addictive multiplayer.
- Nintendo Switch has made its year historic with this video game. Ultimate is not a Super Smash Bros Deluxe, it is the work of 20 years of success and a new way of revolutionary und...
- enjoyable multiplayer3
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- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate delivers on its namesake and proves to be an amazing fighting game with fantastic single player content and addictive multiplayer.
- By combining familiar gameplay with some new ideas, there's something in here for everyone. Smash Bros. is back and has never been better.
- It’s the best single-player Smash to date, and still retains the fantastic couch co-op the series is known for, but only time will tell if online functionality catches up to the re...
Cons
- online functionality lacking1
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- It’s the best single-player Smash to date, and still retains the fantastic couch co-op the series is known for, but only time will tell if online functionality catches up to the re...
Themes and quotes are drawn from 20 sampled reviews with text; the scores above reflect all 259 ratings. Counts are how many of the sampled reviews mention each point.