Polygon’s recent Shelf Quest interview with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan spent a chunk of its runtime on her Super Smash Bros. Ultimate habit, and the comments underneath asked the same question they always do: where do PC players go for that Kirby-punches-Cloud chaos. Smash lives on Nintendo Switch and nowhere else, so anyone building a gaming PC or holding out on a console purchase needs Super Smash Bros alternatives that actually run on Steam. The platform-fighter genre has grown up around that gap. We ranked seven of them, from the game built specifically to fill it to the free option with the biggest player count.
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivals of Aether II | Closest thing to Smash on Steam | No | One-time purchase, around $29.99 | GGPO rollback netcode built for competitive play |
| MultiVersus | Historical interest only | Discontinued | Discontinued | WB crossover roster, servers shut down in 2025 |
| Brawlhalla | Free-to-play with cross-play | Yes, full roster rotation | Free | Cross-play across PC and consoles |
| Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 | Nick-brand roster with real depth | No | One-time purchase, around $49.99 | Full voice acting and rebuilt physics over the original |
| Fraymakers | Indie mascot crossover and modding | No | One-time purchase, around $24.99 | Built-in stage and character editor |
| Slap City | Short, low-fuss sessions | No | One-time purchase, around $14.99 | Simplified inputs with a tight ranked scene |
| Rushdown Revolt | Free movement-tech deep dive | Yes, fully free | Free | Wavedashing and dash-canceling baked into the engine |
Why PC players look for Smash Bros alternatives
Smash Bros. Ultimate is a Switch exclusive, full stop. Nintendo has never licensed it to PC, and its entire cast is built from characters Nintendo controls or has paid to license, so no other studio can legally replicate that exact roster. That IP fortress is precisely why the platform-fighter genre exists as its own category on Steam: developers build the mechanics Smash popularized (percent-based knockback, edge-guarding, item chaos) around original or licensed casts instead.
Ultimate also carries some real friction. Its official GameCube controller support is a beloved but odd throwback, since Nintendo still sells a USB adapter for a controller last manufactured for a console from 2001. Rollback netcode did not arrive until years after launch, and older matches over Nintendo’s peer-to-peer connection were rough enough to become a running complaint in the competitive scene. The last piece of paid content, the Sora DLC fighter, shipped in October 2021, and nothing has been added since. Players who want a platform fighter that keeps shipping updates, or one that simply runs on their gaming PC, look elsewhere.
The alternatives
Rivals of Aether II
Rivals of Aether II is the direct heir to the platform-fighter throne. It swaps the pixel-art sprites of the original for full 3D models while keeping the tight, frame-precise movement the first game built its competitive scene on, and it ships with GGPO rollback netcode from day one so online matches feel close to local play. The roster leans into original characters with clear identities rather than licensed cameos, which keeps the game legally free to keep expanding on its own schedule.
Where it falls short: the cast is smaller than Ultimate’s at launch, and newcomers used to Nintendo’s mascots will not recognize a single fighter.
Pricing: a one-time purchase on Steam, priced around $29.99, with no subscription and no loot boxes.
Migrating from Smash: the core inputs (short hop, fast fall, ledge tech) map almost directly, and players who mained fast, aerial-heavy characters in Ultimate will find the closest analogues here. Expect a few hours to relearn hitboxes on an unfamiliar cast.
Download: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2217000/
Bottom line: pick this first if depth and netcode quality matter more to you than a familiar roster.
MultiVersus
MultiVersus is worth knowing about for context, not for downloading. Warner Bros. Games built it around a genuinely appealing pitch, a platform fighter starring Batman, Shaggy, Bugs Bunny, and other WB-owned characters swinging at each other, and it drew a large crowd during its 2024 free-to-play launch. Warner Bros. Games shut the servers down permanently in 2025, and the game is no longer purchasable or playable online.
Where it falls short: it does not exist as a live option anymore, which is the whole problem.
Pricing: not applicable. The service is discontinued.
Migrating from Smash: there is nothing to migrate to. Anyone drawn to the idea of a crossover roster should look at Fraymakers instead, further down this list.
Download: not available. The Steam listing remains online for historical reference only.
Bottom line: skip it, and treat any “MultiVersus is back” claim online with suspicion until Warner Bros. Games says otherwise.
Brawlhalla
Brawlhalla is the free-to-play anchor of the entire genre, with a player base built over roughly a decade and regular crossover fighters ranging from Rick and Morty to Street Fighter’s Ryu. It runs on nearly everything, supports cross-play between PC and consoles, and its base roster is entirely free, funded through cosmetic skins and character unlocks rather than pay-to-win mechanics.
Where it falls short: its slower, floatier physics feel noticeably different from Smash’s snappier pace, and the sheer size of the legacy roster can overwhelm a new player picking a main.
Pricing: free to play, with an optional Founder Pack and cosmetic bundles. No subscription is required to access the full fighting roster.
Migrating from Smash: the four-player free-for-all format and ring-out win condition will feel immediately familiar, though attack timing takes longer to relearn than in most alternatives on this list.
Download: https://store.steampowered.com/app/291550/
Bottom line: start here if cost is the deciding factor and you want the largest, most active community on this list.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 fixed the biggest complaint about its predecessor, which was that a Nick-branded roster came wrapped around noticeably shallow mechanics. The sequel adds full voice acting for its cast (SpongeBob, Aang, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more), rebuilt physics, and a deeper training suite aimed at players who want to take the game seriously rather than treat it as a licensed curiosity.
Where it falls short: the price sits above most of the genre for a roster built entirely from licensed characters rather than original ones, and the online population is smaller than Brawlhalla’s.
Pricing: a one-time purchase, priced around $49.99, with no free tier.
Migrating from Smash: parries and dodge mechanics play closer to a traditional fighting game than Smash’s shield system, so expect an adjustment period even for experienced Smash players.
Download: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2216270/
Bottom line: worth the price for Nickelodeon fans who also want real competitive mechanics underneath the license.
Fraymakers
Fraymakers is the closest thing to a spiritual MultiVersus replacement, built by members of the original Rivals of Aether modding community around a crossover cast of indie mascots like Shovel Knight and characters from Kingdom, plus a built-in stage and character editor that lets the community keep adding to the roster long after release.
Where it falls short: the official roster is smaller than any licensed alternative on this list, so its long-term appeal depends heavily on community-made content.
Pricing: a one-time purchase on Steam, priced around $24.99.
Migrating from Smash: its air-dodge and edge-guard mechanics track closely with Ultimate’s, and Smash players who enjoyed messing with custom stages in past games will feel at home in the editor.
Download: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1420350/
Bottom line: pick this if you want a crossover roster with staying power now that MultiVersus is gone.
Slap City
Slap City strips the platform fighter down to its essentials. Developer Ludosity, best known for Super Cane Magic Zero, built a small original cast around simplified inputs, cutting the shield-and-grab layer that trips up newcomers to the genre, while keeping enough depth for a dedicated ranked community to form around it.
Where it falls short: the roster is the smallest on this list, and matchmaking outside peak hours can be slow.
Pricing: a one-time purchase, priced around $14.99.
Migrating from Smash: the simplified shield system means some Smash-specific tech, like perfect shielding, does not carry over, but aerial movement and edge-guarding feel similar.
Download: https://store.steampowered.com/app/632380/
Bottom line: a solid weekend pick for casual groups who find Smash’s defensive options fiddly.
Rushdown Revolt
Rushdown Revolt, formerly known as Icons: Combat Arena, rebuilt itself as a free indie platform fighter aimed squarely at movement-tech enthusiasts, with wavedashing, dash-canceling, and air-dashing built into the base kit of every character rather than hidden as an exploit the way they were in Melee.
Where it falls short: the aggressive movement options create a steep learning curve, and the active player count is smaller than Brawlhalla’s or Rivals of Aether II’s.
Pricing: free to play, with no purchase required to access the full roster.
Migrating from Smash: players who spent time drilling Melee-style wavedashing will recognize the entire philosophy immediately, since the game builds its identity around that exact tech.
Download: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1801020/
Bottom line: the best free pick for anyone who wants Melee’s advanced movement without hunting down an emulator.
How to choose
Pick Rivals of Aether II if you want the closest match to Ultimate’s depth and plan to play online, since the netcode alone justifies the purchase. Pick Brawlhalla if price is the deciding factor and you want the largest community on PC, full stop. Pick Rushdown Revolt if you grew up drilling Melee tech sheets and want that exact movement philosophy without paying anything. Pick Fraymakers if the appeal of MultiVersus was the crossover roster idea rather than the WB names specifically, since it delivers that concept and keeps shipping updates. Pick Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 only if the license itself matters to you, because the asking price is the highest on this list for a smaller player base than Brawlhalla’s. Stay off MultiVersus entirely; it is not coming back in its current form, and the Steam page still online is not a live game.
FAQ
Is there a Super Smash Bros game on PC?
No official one. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a Nintendo Switch exclusive, and Nintendo has never released a Smash title on PC. Players who want the same platform-fighter formula on a gaming PC use alternatives like Rivals of Aether II or Brawlhalla instead.
What is the closest game to Super Smash Bros on Steam?
Rivals of Aether II is the closest match in feel, with fast aerial movement, percent-based knockback, and edge-guarding built around the same core loop as Smash. It also ships with rollback netcode, which Ultimate lacked for years after launch.
Can I still play MultiVersus?
No. Warner Bros. Games shut down MultiVersus’s servers permanently in 2025, and the game is no longer available to purchase or play online. Fraymakers is the closest active alternative for players who liked its crossover-roster concept.
Is Brawlhalla as good as Smash Bros?
It plays differently rather than worse. Brawlhalla’s physics are slower and floatier than Smash’s, but it is free, supports cross-play across PC and consoles, and has one of the largest active communities of any platform fighter. Players who want free and social will likely prefer it over a purchase-based alternative.
Do any of these support GameCube controllers?
Rivals of Aether II and several other Steam platform fighters support GameCube-style controllers through standard USB adapters and community input mappings, though none of them replicate Nintendo’s exact official adapter support. Check each game’s control settings before buying an adapter specifically for it.
What is the cheapest way to try a Smash-style game on PC?
Brawlhalla and Rushdown Revolt are both fully free with no purchase required, and both give access to their complete character rosters at no cost. They are the best starting point for anyone unsure whether the genre is for them before spending money on a paid alternative.
