Super Smash Bros. Ultimate offered a wide range of 103 stage at launch. That’s without taking into consideration stage variations like omega forms, battlefield forms, and stages like Mario Maker that have multiple layouts. With added DLC, the number of stages increased to 115.
The quality of stages can range immensely in games with this many options to choose from. This list will cover the most interesting battlegrounds that Super Smash Bros Ultimate has to offer.
10 Corneria
Fighting on top of a flying ship is a perfect concept for a platform fighter where falling off means losing. The slopes and very minor stage hazards strike a nice balance between not being too basic yet not being too over the top.
It’s not as well known as Palutena’s Guidance, but this stage also contains secret dialogue. Hitting the down taunt twice two frames in a row as a Star Fox character will result in dialogue between Star Fox characters popping up. Small secrets like this don’t impact gameplay but do make stages more memorable.
9 Temple
The Legend of Zelda’s Temple stage was the very first massive stage in the series and still remains the fan favorite among them. The layout isn’t too chaotic like most of the others are, yet not basic enough to make it feel just like a bigger version of normal-sized stages.
Temple is generally considered a stage with three distinct sections; the top left, the top right, and bottom. Most players like to play in the bottom section since the tunnels offer walls that can be bounced off of. Many players also love using this stage for challenges like seeing which characters can jump from the bottom to the far right ledge.
8 Midgar
Battlefield is one of the most standard stages and is often used in competitive play. Some stages like Fountain of Dreams and Midgar have similar layouts. There’s even a Battlefield variation of every stage.
Out of all the Battlefield lookalikes, Final Fantasy 7’s Midgar is the best one due to its Summon mechanic. Materia will occasionally fly around the stage, and a Summon will appear once a player touches it. The Summon will alter the stage using their unique element of ability. This can include causing a flood or slicing the stage in half.
7 Minecraft World
Minecraft World perfectly captures the art style and design of the game it’s based on. The background of all variations genuinely looks like Minecraft. Even the Villagers and Mobs in the background react to the day and night cycle like they do in Minecraft.
Multiple biome variations of this stage exist, but the full potential of them wasn’t used. Most layouts are incredibly similar and don’t capture Minecraft’s world design that well. Something else holding this stage back is that the variations are chosen at random. There is a way to select a specific one by holding down a button combination, but the game never makes this clear to players.
6 King Of Fighters Stadium
The gimmick for this King of Fighters stage is unlike any other. There are invisible walls on both sides of the stage which fighters will bounce off of at low percents. A strong hit at higher percents will send fighters flying through the barrier to KO them.
This stage has even more to offer than just an entire rule change. Many popular characters from across SNK’s entire history can appear in the background. Some other stages like Mementos and Spiral Mountain have background characters, but those consist of only characters from a single game.
5 Delfino Plaza
Delfino Plaza is a traveling stage that takes players around the entire Super Mario Sunshine hub world. This means the layout changes at a consistent pace, making the battles that take place here dynamic.
The way you fight will change in every phase that this stage offers; from a somewhat standard layout with a few platforms to a walk-off layout that contains water and odd bumps.
4 Skyloft
Like Delfino Plaza, Skyloft is a traveling stage that takes the player around an entire town introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Skyloft’s setting above the clouds works perfectly for a platform fighting game like Smash since there are many ledges and holes that players can fall off of.
The main platform lands at many memorable areas around the town that heavily alters the gameplay. It may not be a good stage for competitive play, but it is one of the best casually.
3 Yggdrasil’s Altar
Most traveling stages only cover a building, city, or fairly condensed area. Yggdrasil’s Altar, however, travels around the entire world of Erdrea. It doesn’t land at locations, but you can visually see almost every location traversable in Dragon Quest 11. This makes it one of the most detailed stages in all of Smash Ultimate.
The layout changes over the course of the match, as various kinds of platforms will appear throughout the Altar’s trip around the world. None of the layouts are overly problematic, and they do a good job of slicing up the gameplay. Additionally, iconic monsters like Slimes, Mimics, and Tockles can show up.
2 Northern Cave
Most stages are simply a setting, but Northern Cave is more than just a place. The stage’s background actively retells the events of Final Fantasy 7’s ending. A stage that actually tells the story of the game it is based on is a brilliant concept, and it makes the stage stand out quite a bit.
The layout is somewhat like Kalos Pokemon League but without the transformation sequences. This makes the gameplay less dynamic and more consistent.
1 Hollow Bastion
Hollow Bastion has a fairly standard layout. It is essentially Final Destination with a single platform in the middle. This makes it a good competitive stage, yet not too basic for it to be boring in casual play.
The background is a beautifully detailed recreation of a reoccurring world in the Kingdom Hearts series, which would be good enough by itself, but it will also transform into a stained-glass Dive into the Heart-inspired background when the match grows close to its conclusion. The stained-glass will contain one of many important Kingdom Hearts characters on it.
