Smash Ultimate Update 13.0.5 Fixes an Online Bug and Can Break Your Old Replays
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update 13.0.5 is live on Nintendo Switch, and it carries exactly one line of patch notes: a fix for what happens when invalid data is sent or received during online battles. It applies to the Switch version of the game, which is also the version Switch 2 owners run through backward compatibility — there is no separate Switch 2 build to download.
This is the first patch the game has had since 13.0.4 in June 2025. More than a year of silence, then a single online bug fix. Nintendo has not published a download size for it.
What Smash Ultimate update 13.0.5 actually changes
The full patch note, in Nintendo's own wording, covers one item under Online: behaviour when invalid data is sent or received in online battles has been fixed. Nothing else is listed.
That means no balance changes. No character adjustments, no frame data tweaks, no stage fixes, no new content. If you came looking for a tier-list shakeup, there isn't one — 13.0.4's competitive balance still stands untouched.
Read practically, this is a stability and integrity patch. "Invalid data" in an online fighting game usually means packets the game did not expect, which is the category that covers both connection desyncs and deliberate tampering. Nintendo has not said which case prompted the fix, and it is worth being clear that the company described the change only in the general terms above.
The replay warning is the part that costs you something
Nintendo attached a compatibility notice to this update, and it is the reason to slow down before hitting download. Replays recorded on versions 9.0.0 through 13.0.4 may not play correctly after you install 13.0.5. Replays from version 8.1.0 and earlier will not work at all.
Smash replays are not video files. The game stores inputs and re-simulates the match, so any change to the underlying code can desync the playback and turn a saved set into nonsense. That is why this warning appears with almost every Smash patch, and why it keeps catching people out.
If you have replays worth keeping, convert them before updating:
- Open Vault from the main menu
- Choose Replays, then Replay Data
- Select Convert to Video and pick the matches you want to keep
- Let each conversion finish — the game renders in real time, so a long set takes as long as the match did
Converted videos land in the Switch's album and survive the patch, because at that point they are ordinary video, not simulated input data. Do this first if you have combo footage or tournament sets sitting in the Vault.
Can you skip the update?
Only if you never go online. Smash Ultimate's online modes require every player to be on the same version, so an unpatched console will be locked out of Quickplay, Battle Arenas and Elite Smash until you install 13.0.5. Local multiplayer, classic mode and the rest of the offline game keep working on the old version.
The Switch downloads updates automatically when the console is docked and connected, which means the choice may already have been made for you. To check what version you are on, highlight the game on the Home menu, press the + button, and look at Software Update. If you are still on 13.0.4 and want to preserve replays, put the console in aeroplane mode and convert first.
Why an eight-year-old game is still getting patches
Smash Ultimate launched in December 2018 and finished its DLC run with Sora in October 2021. Balance patches stopped after that. What continues is maintenance — the kind of work a game with a live online population still needs years after its last piece of paid content.
Nintendo has been busy on this front generally. The company has pushed a run of updates to older titles now that Switch 2 backward compatibility puts them in front of new hardware, including the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 4.0.0 update that added 8-player split-screen and the Pikmin 3 Deluxe 1.2.0 patch with GameShare support. Smash Ultimate got none of those Switch 2 enhancements — just this one fix.
Online stability across Nintendo's platforms has had a bumpy year besides, with the service taking planned downtime such as the two Nintendo Switch Online maintenance windows in August. If you are weighing up hardware while you are here, our note on the Switch 2 price increase in the UK covers what the console costs now.
There is no indication of a 13.0.6. Nintendo does not maintain a public roadmap for the game, and after a fourteen-month gap the honest read is that patches arrive only when something breaks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Smash Ultimate update 13.0.5 change?
It contains one fix, under Online: the game's behaviour when invalid data is sent or received during online battles has been corrected. There are no balance changes, no character adjustments and no new content. Nintendo listed nothing else in the patch notes.
Will update 13.0.5 delete my Smash replays?
It does not delete them, but it can make them unplayable. Nintendo warns that replays saved on versions 9.0.0 through 13.0.4 may not play back correctly after the update, and replays from 8.1.0 or earlier will not work at all. Convert anything you want to keep into video via Vault before installing.
How do I convert Smash Ultimate replays to video?
From the main menu go to Vault, then Replays, then Replay Data, and choose Convert to Video. The game renders each replay in real time, so a five-minute match takes about five minutes to convert. The finished videos are saved to the Switch album and are unaffected by future patches.
Do I need update 13.0.5 to play Smash Ultimate online?
Yes. Smash Ultimate requires all players to be on the same version for online play, so Quickplay, Battle Arenas and Elite Smash will be unavailable until you install 13.0.5. Offline modes and local multiplayer still work on the older version.
Is there a Switch 2 version of Smash Ultimate update 13.0.5?
No. Smash Ultimate has no separate Switch 2 release, so Switch 2 owners play the Switch version through backward compatibility and receive the same 13.0.5 update. The patch adds no Switch 2 specific enhancements.
