If you haven't seen it in action, imagine a digital toy box where Mario, Pikachu, Link, and Steve from Minecraft all decide to settle their differences by punching each other off a floating platform.

Unlike traditional fighting games like Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8, where you win by draining an opponent's health bar, Smash is about physics. The more you hit someone, the higher their percentage goes, and the further they fly when struck. The goal is to knock them off the screen entirely. It’s basically "King of the Hill" with a massive budget and a lot of flashing lights.

There are three main reasons this game has a permanent spot in the "Most Played" list for almost every kid with a Switch:

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If your kid is playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate solo, they are likely playing "Elite Smash" online. This is where things get tricky for digital wellness.

The game uses a ranking system called GSP (Global Smash Power). It’s a number that goes up when you win and down when you lose. For a middle schooler, that number can feel like a direct measurement of their self-worth. If they lose three matches in a row and their GSP plummets, you’re going to deal with "the salt"—gaming slang for being bitter, angry, or frustrated.

Unlike Minecraft or Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Smash is a zero-sum game. For your kid to win, someone else has to lose. This can lead to controller-throwing levels of frustration if they haven't learned how to regulate their emotions during competitive play.

At this age, they just like seeing the characters. They’ll likely get frustrated playing online because the skill gap is too wide. Keep them in "Local Play" against siblings or "CPUs" (the computer). It’s a great way to bond, provided you don't mind losing to a kid who is just hitting the 'B' button repeatedly.

This is the sweet spot. They’ll start asking for the DLC Fighters Passes to unlock characters like Sora or Sephiroth. This is also when they’ll start wanting to go on Discord to find people to play with. Heads up: The Smash community has had its share of "toxic" moments, so keep the online interactions limited to friends they actually know in real life.

They might want to attend local tournaments or "weeklies." This is actually a great offline social outlet, but be prepared for them to take the game very seriously. At this stage, the game is more of a digital sport than a toy.

Learn more about the pros and cons of esports for teens

If your house is already "Smashed" out, or you're looking for games that offer a similar vibe with different flavors, check these out:

This is the Warner Bros. version of Smash. It’s free-to-play and features characters like Batman, Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, and LeBron James. It’s a bit more "live-servicey" (meaning it’s designed to keep you coming back with daily challenges), but it’s a solid alternative if you don't want to drop $60 on a Switch cartridge.

A very popular free-to-play brawler available on almost every platform (PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch). It’s simpler than Smash but has a huge competitive scene and frequent crossovers with franchises like SpongeBob and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

If the fighting in Smash is getting too tense, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the gold standard for "competitive but mostly fun" family gaming. It still has the Nintendo mascots, but the frustration is usually balanced out by a well-timed Blue Shell.

If your kid loves playing as Kirby in Smash, they should play his actual game. It’s a beautiful, 3D platformer that is much more relaxing and focuses on exploration rather than beating someone else up.

The base game is just the start. Nintendo released two "Fighters Passes."

To play online, you need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The "netcode" (the technology that makes online play smooth) in Smash is notoriously mediocre. This means games can "lag" or stutter, which is a massive source of frustration for kids. If they are screaming at the TV, it might literally be because the game is lagging.

Smash itself doesn't have built-in voice chat (you have to use a clunky Nintendo phone app for that, which almost no one does). The risk of "stranger danger" within the game is very low. The risk is mostly in the adjacent platforms—YouTube comments, Twitch chats, and Discord servers dedicated to the game.

If you see the frustration levels rising, try these conversation starters:

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a masterpiece of game design. It’s a love letter to gaming history and one of the best "couch co-op" games ever made.

However, it is also a high-octane competitive environment. If your kid has a hard time losing or tends to hyper-fixate on rankings, you’ll need to set some boundaries around "Online Play" versus "Local Play."

It’s not "brain rot"—it actually requires incredible hand-eye coordination and strategic thinking—but like any sport, it needs to be balanced with downtime and a healthy perspective on what "winning" actually means.

Check out our guide on setting healthy gaming boundaries