Super Smash Bros. Ultimateand the rest of the series take us to all forms of beautiful environments throughout Nintendo and video gaming history in general. You’ll observe huge castles, massive spaceships and even medieval-like bridges that characters such as Cloud Strife, Zero Suit Samus, Mario and Link fight on.
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All of the best stages take players to pretty sights and/or have an engaging gameplay mechanics that keep fighters on their toes. Here are the ten greatest stages throughout the series' history.
10Wuhu Island
Wuhu Island is the bright and beautiful setting fromWii Sports Resortthat appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The flythrough of the landscape is stunning as the stage glides through the tropical setting. It also takes you down certain parts of the island like a rickety wooden bridge in front of a waterfall and a boat riding through the waves. It’s a fun stage, especially for those who want variety in their platforms and hazards.
9Kongo Jungle
Originating from the first Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64, this stage provides plenty of nostalgia, especially for those who grew up with the SNES Donkey Kong Country series. It features a unique stage design with two high platforms on each side and two levitating platforms in the middle. What makes this level stand out, however, are the barrels on the bottom. Instead of falling to your doom, you have a chance to get back into the fight if you time your blast right. It’s a great throwback to theoriginal games the stage is inspired by.
The first Super Smash Bros. came out on June 25, 2025 for the Nintendo 64.
8Battlefield
Battlefield is a traditional stage throughout the Smash series and Ultimate’s is probably the best. It has epic scenery in the background with levitating islands, palace-like buildings and waterfalls like Niagra Falls. Additionally, the stage provides a fun competitive alternative to the Final Destination stage (that has way too many distracting imagery in the background in Ultimate). The unfinished ruin-like stage design matched with the blue crystal look is iconic too.
7Hollow Bastion
I may be biased as a long-time Kingdom Hearts fan, but Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s DLC lineup went out with a bang with the Hollow Bastion stage. It takes us from the waterfall beginnings of the world all the way up to the castle. It gives a great overview of the castle that Sora struggled to withstand towards the end of the first game. The music from Yoko Shimomura also elevates the battle with the classic world theme and tracks like “Night of Fate.” It’s a shame that only the music of the original Kingdom Hearts got representation inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, though. As the battle reaches its climax with the last stock, we’re transported to the ornate “Dive to the Heart” dream-like stage. A random character’s stain-glass design shows up in the background as you fight, adding to the drama of the stage.
6Umbra Clock Tower
I’m not a Bayonetta fan, but the Umbra Clock Tower stage is so cool. It replicates an incredible sequence at the beginning of Bayonetta in which the characters are fighting as the clock tower continues to fall in the air. Monsters are flying all over the stage, adding to the epicness of what you’re seeing on screen. Random platforms appear during the battle, floating for a brief moment, adding a dynamicness to the fight.
5Lylat Cruise
Another epic stage with grand visuals is Lylat Cruise, which is the closest thing we’ll get to Star Wars in the Super Smash Bros. series. Any battle on this stage is incredible as the platforms turn slightly to co-ordinate what’s happening on screen. The background features a huge space battle between all manner of ships. It gets your heart pumping as you fight the likes of Mario, Fox and Captain Falcon on this stage. I’m not even a fan of the Star Fox series at all and love Lylat Cruise so much. You also have epic music from the game series, barrel rolls and more. Isn’t that the best part of Super Smash Bros: how it invites you to play the original series the stages and characters are inspired by?
Halberd is another stage that excites you from beginning to end. You start out in a hangar and then you’re zipped up in the air for an epic battle. This Kirby stage has you moving around a big battleship that fires lasers towards players. The graphics were incredible for Wii back in the day with this cinematic-like stage. I’ll pick this more often than not, even if I’m not a Kirby fan. That’s the sign of a fantastic stage.
3Bridge of Eldin
A game I’m very familiar with, however, isThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and the Bridge of Eldin takes me back to those days when I played the Wii/GameCube game with my father. You’re fighting on this big bridge that can get torn apart by King Bulblin’s bombs. After a certain amount of time it rebuilds thanks to the cool Twilight portals that appear in the sky. Seeing Hyrule Castle in the background with its moody lighting also makes the original tone of Twilight Princess stand out.
2Pokémon Stadium
One of the best stages in Super Smash Bros. history is Pokémon Stadium. The best stages, when you’re not playing competitively, are the ones that transition from section to section, intensifying the action. This stadium does a great job of simulating different scenarios as you fight in the burned forest of in the plains with a stunning windmill. It’s also neat to see a screen in the background showcasing the action to those in the audience. You also can’t beat the Pokémon battle music that plays in this arena.
1Fountain of Dreams
Despite not growing up with Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Fountain of Dreams somehow holds a place in my heart. It’s stunning. The waterfall (hmm, I’m detecting a trend) glimmers among the slight glow of the Aurora Borealis above. The towers in the background are rotating. You can see the reflection of the characters among the water’s surface. This stage is so beautiful. The music, originally by Jun Ishikawa, also lives up to the stage with a glorious composition of strings and percussion that will stay rent-free in your head for days after.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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