Super Smash Bros.

Most of the fighters from previous entries have returned, along with numerous newcomers, including Mega Man, Pac-Man, Little Mac, Shulk, Palutena, Villager, and many others for a total of more than three dozen playable characters. It is also possible to design a custom Mii-style fighter using parts and abilities unlocked throughout the game; this character can also be transferred for use in the 3DS version of the game.

The game includes standard 2-to-4-player battle modes, including both time and stock matches, playable via either local wi-fi or internet play. Certain stages in the game support 2-to-6 or 2-8-player battles, but only for local play. Returning from previous entries is the All Star mode, where the player must defeat all other characters in the game in order, with only limited healing items available. The trophy collection system also returns, giving players a glimpse at classic and modern Nintendo characters and other objects in full 3D.

The Wii U version features exclusive modes such as Smash Tour, where players travel across a game board to collect fighters and power-ups. Whenever two players occupy the same space, they must compete against each other with their collected characters in either a battle or a competitive minigame. The single-player Classic mode is set up as an elimination tournament on the Wii U, allowing players to choose which CPU opponents they face each round from groups of randomly-selected characters.