How to Update Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In this article, you'll learn how to update Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch.

On 15 Febuary, 2024 a new software update for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate became available for download. Please take a moment to download and install this update while your Nintendo Switch console is connected to the Internet.

Note

  • This update must be applied in order to use the game’s Internet features.

  • A Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to use the game's online features.

  • All players must be using the same version of the software to participate in Local Wireless Battles.

  • Replay data from previous versions is not compatible with the newest version. Be sure to convert your replays by going to Vault in the main menu and selecting Convert to Video before updating the software.

  • Save data will still be available for use after downloading the update.

  • If the system is connected to the Internet, the update will download and install automatically.

Complete these steps

  1. Connect the Nintendo Switch console to the Internet

  2. Return to the HOME Menu and launch the game.

  3. The update will be downloaded and installed automatically.

    • Once the update is installed, the newest version number will be displayed on the title screen.

Update history

If you see "Ver. 13.0.2" in the top right of the title screen, then you're already up to date. Click the version number below for information about the update. Each update also includes all previous updates. For information about older updates, read the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Update History.

Ver. 13.0.2 (Released Febuary 15, 2024)
Ver. 13.0.1 (Released December 2, 2021)
Ver. 13.0.0 (Released October 19, 2021)
Ver. 12.0.0 (Released June 30, 2021)
Ver. 11.0.1 (Released March 24, 2021)
Ver. 11.0.0 (Released March 5, 2021)
Ver. 10.1.0 (Released December 23, 2020)
Ver. 10.0.0 (Released December 18, 2020)
Ver. 9.0.2 (Released November 12, 2020)
Ver. 9.0.1 (Released October 22, 2020)
Ver. 9.0.0 (Released October 14, 2020)
Ver. 8.1.0 (Released August 5, 2020)
Ver. 8.0.0 (Released June 30, 2020)
Ver. 7.0.0 (Released January 29, 2020)
Ver. 6.1.1 (Released January 8, 2020)
Ver. 6.1.0 (Released November 15, 2019)

Ver. 13.0.2 (Released Febuary 15, 2024)

  • General

    • Updates for compatibility with the Sora amiibo, which is scheduled to be released soon.

Ver. 13.0.1 (Released December 2, 2021)

  • General

    • Game-balance adjustments have been made. Please see the details of fixes and changes to fighters.

    • The Samus (Metroid Dread) & E.M.M.I. amiibo are now supported.

      • Note: If you go to amiibo in Games & More and tap these amiibo to the NFC area, you can receive their spirits.

      • Note: Samus (Metroid Dread) can be used as a Figure Player (FP).

    • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

Ver. 13.0.0 (Released October 19, 2021)

  • Offline

    • The following spirits from the KINGDOM HEARTS series will appear in the Shop on the Vault menu:

      • Riku

      • Kairi

      • Roxas

      • Axel

      • Xion

      • Terra

      • Ventus

      • Aqua

    • The following spirits will appear on the Spirit Board and Shop:

      • Razewing Ratha

  • General

    • The following downloadable content will be usable after purchase:

      • Sora Challenger Pack

      • Judd Hat

      • Octoling Wig

      • Doom Slayer Helmet + Armor

    • Note: You cannot make videos of replays that contain DLC you have not purchased (fighters, stages, music, Mii Fighter costumes, etc.).

    • Game-balance adjustments have been made. Please see the details of fixes and changes to fighters.

    • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

Ver. 12.0.0 (Released June 30, 2021)

  • Offline

    • The following spirits from the Tekken series will appear in the Shop on the Vault menu:

      • Heihachi Mishima

      • Jin Kazama

      • Kuma & Panda

      • Nina Williams

      • King & Armor King

      • Ling Xiaoyu

      • Paul Phoenix & Marshall Law

      • Yoshimitsu

      • Asuka Kazama

        *Jin Kazama's spirit is Enhanceable.

    • The below Spirits will now appear in the Spirit Board and Shop:

      • Sophia

      • Arthur

  • General

    • The following downloadable content will be usable after purchase:

      • Kazuya Challenger Pack

      • Dante Wig + Outfit

      • Shantae Wig + Outfit

      • Dragonborn Helm + Outfit

      • Lloyd Wig + Outfit

        Note: You cannot make videos of replays that contain DLC you have not purchased (fighters, stages, music, Mii Fighter costumes, etc.).

    • Game-balance adjustments have been made. Please see the details of fixes and changes to fighters.

    • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

Ver. 11.0.1 (Released March 24, 2021)

  • General

    • Vulnerability when landing after using the Wii Fit Trainer’s side special Header had decreased unintentionally, so this has been adjusted.

Ver. 11.0.0 (Released March 5, 2021)

  • Offline

    • The following spirits will appear in the Shop on the Vault menu:

      • Lora

      • Amalthus

      • Jin

      • Malos

      • Pneuma

    • You can now enhance Rex's spirit.

    • When multiple controllers are connected, unused controllers can now be disconnected using other controllers in the fighter-selection screen in Smash.

      • This can be done by pressing the A Button over the player bracket of the controller you want to disconnect.

  • General

    • The following downloadable content will be usable after purchase:

      • Pyra/Mythra Challenger Pack

      • Arthur's Helm + Armor

      • Felyne Hat

      • Hunter's Helm + Mail

      • Rathalos Helm + Mail

        Note: You cannot make videos of replays that contain DLC you have not purchased (fighters, stages, music, Mii Fighter costumes, etc.).

    • The Toad Power-Up Band (amiibo) is now supported.

      • If you go to amiibo in Games & More and tap the Toad Power-Up Band, you can receive a reward. The Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, and Yoshi Power-Up Bands can be used as Figure Players.

    • Game-balance adjustments have been made. Please see the details of fixes and changes to fighters.

    • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

Ver. 10.1.0 (Released December 23, 2020)

  • Offline

    • The following spirits will appear in the Shop on the Vault menu:

      • Tifa

      • Barret

      • Aerith

      • Red XIII

      • Cid

      • Cait Sith

      • Yuffie

      • Vincent

      • The Turks & Rufus Shinra

      • Bahamut ZERO

      • Chocobo & Moogle

      • Shiva

      • Ifrit

    • You can now switch between different artwork for Cloud's spirit.

  • General

    • The following downloadable content will be usable after purchase:

      • Sephiroth Challenger Pack

      • Barret's Outfit

      • Tifa's Outfit

      • Aerith's Outfit

      • Chocobo Hat

      • Geno Hat + Outfit

    • You cannot make videos of replays that contain DLC you have not purchased (fighters, stages, music, Mii Fighter costumes, etc.).

    • You can now switch between "Random from all songs" and "Random from My Music" for the Battlefield, Small Battlefield, Big Battlefield and Final Destination stages.

      • To switch between options, access My Music via the Options or the Vault and then press the X Button.

    • The Final Smash for Cloud's P2, P4, P6, and P8 color variations has been changed to Omnislash Ver. 5. (This essentially functions the same as a regular Omnislash.)

    • Game-balance adjustments have been made. Please see the details of fixes and changes to fighters.

    • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

Ver. 10.0.0 (Released December 18, 2020)

  • General

    • The Sephiroth Challenge mode event has been added for a limited time.

    • You can attempt this mode if you've purchased the Sephiroth Challenger Pack or the Fighters Pass Vol. 2. Defeating Sephiroth will unlock him as a playable fighter and grant access to his stage.

    • This mode will appear on the upper left of the main menu. Press the + Button to take on the challenge.

    • Once the event period is over, the mode will become unavailable, but Sephiroth and his stage will be unlocked immediately for anyone who has purchased the Sephiroth Challenger Pack or the Fighters Pass Vol. 2.

    • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

Note that you cannot make videos of replays that contain DLC you have not purchased (fighters, stages, music, Mii Fighter costumes, etc.).

Ver. 9.0.2 (Released November 12, 2020)

  • General

    • Fixed an issue where you could not use the stick to jump while falling after creating an anvil using the down air attack.

    • Fixed an issue where the gunman from Duck Hunt’s down special and the phantom from Zelda’s down special were not behaving as intended.

    • Fixed an issue where the initial velocity of Samus’s and Dark Samus’s up special when used on the ground was not behaving as intended.

    • Fixed an issue where fighters would sometimes warp on the Venom stage.

    • Fixed an issue where sometimes fighters would pass through landscapes when they were launched on some stages.

    • Fixed an issue where sometimes you would be forced to end a battle on a stage created in Stage Builder.

    • Various gameplay fixes.

Ver. 9.0.1 (Released October 22, 2020)

  • General

    • Fixed the issue where sometimes an opposing fighter would go through the landscape when Steve/Alex created a block at a certain location and the opposing fighter destroyed the block.

    • Fixed the issue where sometimes an opposing fighter would go through the landscape when Steve/Alex created a block at a certain location and the anvil created with a down air attack struck the opposing fighter.

    • Fixed the issue where the opposing fighter would become uncontrollable when Steve/Alex hit them with a minecart in certain situations.

    • Fixed the issue where if Steve/Alex's minecart bounced off the wall, it would not hit the opposing fighter.

    • Fixed the issue where opposing fighters carried in Steve/Alex's minecart would sometimes be warped to the original location where they were picked up.

    • Fixed the issue where certain fighters could go through Steve/Alex's block once KO'd.

Ver. 9.0.0 (Released October 14, 2020)

  • Offline

    • The following spirits will appear in the Shop on the Vault menu:

      • Zombie

      • Creeper

      • Skeleton

      • Slime (Minecraft)

      • Enderman

      • Villager & Iron Golem

      • Ghast

      • Piglin

      • Ender Dragon

  • Online

    • The controls during combat in battle arenas while spectators are present have been adjusted.

    • Adjustments have been made to the way Global Smash Power is calculated.

  • General

    • The following downloadable content will be usable after purchase:

      • Steve & Alex Challenger Pack

      • Creeper Mask + Outfit

      • Pig Mask + Outfit

      • Diamond Helmet + Armor

      • Travis Wig + Outfit

      • Bomberman Mask + Outfit

      • Gil's Helmet + Armor

    • You cannot make videos of replays that contain DLC you have not purchased (fighters, stages, music, Mii Fighter costumes, etc.).

    • An issue where the movement delay after a perfect shield was behaving incorrectly under certain rules has been fixed.

    • Game balance adjustments, stability fixes, and other minor adjustments have been made.

    • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

Ver. 8.1.0 (Released August 5, 2020)

  • Stage

    • The Small Battlefield stage has been added. You can also set Small Battlefield as a Preferred Rule in Online battles.

    • You can now select any stage-specific music for the Battlefield, Small Battlefield, Big Battlefield, and Final Destination stages.

  • Online

    • The online user experience has been adjusted.

    • The way matching is determined when using Preferred Rules has been adjusted.

    • Following a look at the current number of players eligible for Elite Smash, the threshold for entry has been recalculated to allow more players. Additionally, the way initial values for Global Smash Power are calculated has also been adjusted.

    • Further investigations and adjustments to Online mode are expected. 

  • General

    • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

Ver. 8.0.0 (Released June 30, 2020)

  • Offline

    • You can now begin a spirit battle rematch at any time via Spirits → Collection → Inventory → Spirit List → Fight. The score will also be recorded.

    • The following spirits will appear in the Shop on the Vault menu:

      • Master Mummy

      • Mechanica

      • Byte & Barq

      • Kid Cobra

      • Helix

      • Max Brass

  • General

    • The following downloadable content will be usable after purchase:

      • Min Min Challenger Pack

      • Ninjara Wig + Outfit

      • Callie Wig + Outfit

      • Marie Wig + Outfit

      • Vault Boy Mask + Vault 111 Jumpsuit

      • Heihachi Wig + Outfit

    • You cannot make videos of replays that contain DLC you have not purchased (fighters, stages, music, Mii Fighter costumes, etc.).

    • Game balance adjustments have been made. Please see the details of fixes and changes to fighters (updated 7/2/2020).

    • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

Ver. 7.0.0 (Released January 29, 2020)

  • Offline

    • The following spirits will appear in the Shop on the Vault menu:

      • Edelgard

      • Dimitri (Fire Emblem)

      • Claude

      • Sothis

      • Rhea

      • Seteth

      • Dorothea

      • Ingrid

      • Hilda (Fire Emblem)

    • The following spirits will appear in the Shop and Spirit Board.

      • Radiant Gleam

      • Kloster (Grief)

      • Bullet Walker (Brigadier General)

      • High Line (Guns Empress)

      • I-Tetrimino

      • T-Tetrimino

      • S-Tetrimino & Z-Tetrimino

      • L-Tetrimino & J-Tetrimino

      • O-Tetrimino 

    • These are spirits that appeared in a previous spirit event that was held for a limited time.

  • Misc.

    • The following downloadable content will be usable after purchase:

      • Byleth Challenger Pack

      • Cuphead Hat + Outfit

      • Altaïr Hood + Outfit

      • Rabbids Hat

      • MegaMan.EXE's Helmet + Armor

      • X's Helmet + Armor

    • You cannot make videos of replays that contain DLC you have not purchased (fighters, stages, music, Mii Fighter costumes, etc.).

    • Game-balance adjustments have been made. Please see the details of fixes and changes to fighters.

    • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

Ver. 6.1.1 (Released January 8, 2020)

  • Support for the upcoming Dark Samus and Richter amiibo figures has been implemented.

Ver. 6.1.0 (Released November 15, 2019)

  • Fixed a rare issue that caused both Terry and a struck opposing fighter to become unable to move from their positions when Terry's Super Special Move "Buster Wolf" connects.