Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Games review
As of Jul 9, 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?
A 92, 93 consensus across 259 combined critic reviews reflects a game that genuinely delivers on nearly every axis a fighting game can be judged: a massive roster praised by 6 sampled reviewers, polished mechanics cited by 5, strong single-player depth through the World of Light campaign, and a comprehensive content package that multiple outlets called one of the Switch's most generous offerings. The praise is unusually consistent and independently sourced, meaning this isn't critics echoing a press release but separate voices arriving at the same conclusions. The one documented crack is online functionality, flagged at launch as an unresolved concern, and if online multiplayer is your primary reason to buy, that is a real risk the otherwise glowing critical consensus may have underweighted.
Local multiplayer enthusiasts and solo players who want the most content-rich, mechanically refined entry in the series, this is decades of Smash iteration distilled into its most complete form.
Online play was already flagged as a weak point at launch; if remote multiplayer is your main use case rather than couch co-op or single-player, go in with genuinely lowered expectations, not just cautious ones.
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 roster and content6
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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 is Smash Bros. done right, and done bigger than ever before.
- polished gameplay and mechanics5
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- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate takes characters we've played for decades and remasters them into a robust, fantastically enjoyable package
- 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.
- strong single-player content4
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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...
- character variety and depth4
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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.
- It’s difficult to imagine the type of gamer for whom Smash Ultimate has no appeal. This is a big game, and with the fat skimmed off, a remarkable one. Its core attraction, fighting...
- By combining familiar gameplay with some new ideas, there's something in here for everyone. Smash Bros. is back and has never been better.
- series refinement and improvement4
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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.
- I love Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Ultimate is better in every way I can see.
- comprehensive package4
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- A chaos of details and features come together for one of the Switch's most generous - and exhilarating - games.
- Ultimate is a comprehensive, considered, and charming package that refines and builds on Smash's already strong and enduring fighting system.
- 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...
Cons
- online functionality concerns1
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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.