Competitive or Casual, These 15 Super Smash Bros. Stages Are Always Fun

Final Destination (Melee – Ultimate)

Just because Final Destination is the first stage on this list doesn’t mean it’ll just be competitive stages. All 15 of these Super Smash Bros. stages are fun for their own reasons and Final Destination just happens to be a fun stage that also sees a lot of competitive play.

It’s a common misconception among those outside of the competitive scene that FD is an equal playing ground for all characters. That’s hardly the truth, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a fun stage to play on competitively or for fun. There’s just something special about the wide-open space, uninterrupted by platforms, obstacles, or stage hazards.

Brinstar Depths (Melee, Ultimate)

Brinstar Depths is one of the most hectic stages to play on in Smash Bros. and it makes for some crazy matches. We all have Kraid in the background to thank for that fun. That giant monster slashes at the stage periodically and causes it to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.

The constant shifting of this stage opens up plenty of spots to camp. But you better know the risks since many of these crannies only have enough space for one character. The best one is the single platform that always starts to the bottom right of the main stage. It’s always a blast fighting for that spot with friends.

Battlefield (Melee – Ultimate)

Like FD, Battlefield has gone through multiple iterations throughout the generations. The Melee version has ledges that are notoriously hard to grab in certain situations. And the other versions have ledges that are ridiculously easy to grab. Both situations are annoying for their own reasons.

However, the movement and combos that are enabled by the three platforms on this stage make Battlefield one of the most fun places in the franchise. You can trap your opponents on the platforms or even use them to mix up recoveries. Your options on this stage are only limited by your imagination.

Big Blue (Melee, Brawl, Ultimate)

There are some stages in Super Smash Bros. that are just pure fun to play with multiple people and just mess around on. Big Blue is one of those stages where you fight on top of cars during a race. You even eventually go through loops, but your fighter’s feet still stay miraculously planted on the cars.

Maybe it’s the inertia of the pure ridiculousness of a fight taking place on top of racing machines going roughly 1/3 the speed of sound. Either way, the constant shifting of the vehicles and other platforms on this stage is clearly the design of a madman that knows how to make fun video games.

Pokemon Stadium (Melee, Brawl, Ultimate)

Pokemon is awesome, so of course, a Smash Bros. stage where the main focus is Pokemon will be awesome. The original Pokemon Stadium stage doesn’t make you float in the air and it doesn’t push you to the ledges. It just gives you a calming windmill or a giant rock to hand out on.

The constant switching of formations in this stage can make it unpredictable for the uninitiated, but it’s always fun. And when it gets back to the standard form you have two platforms that are right within jumping height to use for mixups and all kinds of fun movement.

Fountain of Dreams (Melee, Ultimate)

This stage is like Battlefield but with good ledges and unforgiving platforms. Fountain of Dreams is one of the most beautiful stages in all of Smash Bros., but the unpredictability of when certain platforms will come out of the stage can make for some truly hilarious situations.

You think you’re about to roll away from your opponent, but then you’re suddenly trapped on the left side of the platform. And before you know it, Marth lands a tippered smash attack and you go sailing into the blast zone. But just like Battlefield, the trade-off here is that the platforms also enable so much fun through the creativity of movement and combos.

Temple (Melee, Brawl, Wii U, Ultimate)

This stage is a big boi. Now it’s tiny compared to Great Cave Offensive or Palutena’s Temple. But the smaller size of this stage absolutely works in its favor. Those other two are way too big to actually be enjoyable. This one is just the right size to be one of the most fun Smash Bros. stages.

Temple has enough space to accommodate a large crowd and enough features to entertain them all at once. First, there’s the dungeon in the lower part that’s tech city. Then you have the wide-open area to the right. The left also has a platform you can drop down on to reach the lower area at a moment’s notice. Temple has it all.

Dreamland (64, Melee, 3DS, Wii U, Ultimate)

This classic stage that started on the N64 has only missed Brawl. It’s also the closest thing we have to a stage that’s Final Destination-sized with Battlefield platforms. The extra space makes it a little harder to do the same kind of movement you would do on Battlefield, but it’s not less fun. It’s just different.

Sure, people love to complain about Wispy Woods in the background, but that just adds a little bit of chaos to an otherwise fairly tame stage. Without that it just wouldn’t be the same. I get it for the competitive scene, but you can leave it on for matches that are just for fun.

Midgar (3DS, Wii U, Ultimate)

I’m not afraid to admit that I didn’t care much for this stage until FFVII Remake. But that’s my bad for sleeping on a stage that’s clearly one of the best out there. It has the size and platforms of Battlefield, but it also has ridiculously good stage hazards.

Each hazard is a summon from FFVII that does some kind of attack which vastly changes the makeup of the stage. Odin slices the stage in half, Leviathan’s Tidal Wave floods the area below the stage, Ifrit blasts the stage with fire. And of course, the stage is absolutely beautiful with the Shinra HQ in the background.

Yoshi’s Story (Melee, Ultimate)

If you really like Battlefield, then you’ll probably really like Yoshi’s Story. It’s essentially a tiny version of that stage where you can die in the blink of an eye if you’re not careful. It’s not the best stage for more than four players, but eight fighters on this level can still be fun for how chaotic it is.

But the true star of Yoshi’s Story is Randall the cloud. Technically his name is Lakitu Cloud, but the competitive scene decided to rename this eternally gleeful life-saving cloud years ago. So many crazy situations have happened in tournament matches and even with friends thanks to Randall. He does so much for us and asks nothing in return.

Rainbow Cruise (Melee, Brawl, Ultimate)

Oddly, this stage used to be tournament legal in Melee way back in the day. It has tons of obstacles that can be easily exploited by less skilled players. And it had multiple spots like that since it was also one of the very first moving stages in the Super Smash Bros franchise.

Still, there’s no denying that it’s so much fun to blast your opponent off the top of the ship at the beginning or to watch them fall to a KO because they ran out of collapsing platforms to jump on. This stage just has so many wacky platforms that you can help but smile and have fun while playing it.

Hyrule Castle (64, 3DS, Wii U, Ultimate)

It doesn’t get any more classic than the Hyrule Castle stage. The tornadoes, the drop off on the left side, and the “tent” on the right side all make this stage unforgettable. Most of the fighting on this stage takes place in the middle area, but a tornado will easily change that.

The right side has so many spots where you can tech and the left side is like a game of king of the hill as you go back and forth fighting for that small platform. It’s a big stage, but there are plenty of features to keep you constantly moving so you can blast your opponent off of each one.

Lylat Cruise (Brawl, Wii U, Ultimate)

This stage is one of the most visually impressive ones you’ll see in Super Smash Bros today. There’s literally a full-scale space battle going on in the background of this stage. But it’s not just the fantastic visuals in this stage that make it a joy to play. But that’s just the beginning of what makes this one of the most fun Smash Bros stages.

Again, there are platforms. They are a truly beautiful tool for doing all kinds of fun stuff. But even that’s not why this stage is so fun. I might get flack for saying this, but the ever so slight tilting of this stage is enjoyable. There’s a bit of strategy to know when you can get hit off the edge and still recover. You can also use the tilt to your advantage to mix up your recoveries.

Magicant (3DS, Ultimate)

It was such a shame that this stage was on the 3DS last generation. It’s one of the most fun levels to play on and to look at. Thankfully this stage made it into Ultimate so we got to see Magicant in its full HD glory.

There are also tons of platforms, specifically the one below the main part of the stage. It can be a bit tough to get down there for some players, but it’s a great place to launch attacks from if you can make it. If your opponent is busy with someone else on the stage, then just pop up from below and smash them into oblivion.

Poke Floats (Melee)

I’m just gonna go ahead and drop a #freepokefloats in here. This was one of the most fun Super Smash Bros. stages ever created and it’s a shame that we can only play it in Melee. It doesn’t get much better than fighting on top of giant Pokemon balloons floating in the skies over Kanto.

This is the most fun smash bros stages ever and it features numerous Pokemon from the first two generations of the franchise. That giant Pokemon models don’t look great, but their extremely irregular shapes compared to the standard flat platforms make them a blast to fight on.