All unlockable stages & pictures
The 11 hidden Melee arenas illustrated with original GameCube pictures, exact requirements and practical stage hazards.
Original Super Smash Bros. Melee for Nintendo GameCube. Regional balance differences and later Smash games are outside this introductory guide.
| Stage | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Brinstar Depths | Finish 50 VS matches. |
| Fourside | Finish 100 VS matches. |
| Big Blue | Finish 150 VS matches. |
| Poké Floats | Finish 200 VS matches. |
| Mushroom Kingdom II | Obtain the Birdo trophy. |
| Flat Zone | Clear Classic Mode as Mr. Game & Watch. |
| Past Stages: Dream Land | Clear Target Test with all 25 selectable fighters. |
| Past Stages: Kongo Jungle | Survive 15-Minute Melee. |
| Past Stages: Yoshi’s Island | Hit Sandbag beyond 400 m (about 1,312 ft) in Home-Run Contest. |
| Battlefield | Clear All-Star Mode with any fighter. |
| Final Destination | Clear Event 51: The Showdown. |
Check which version of the stage is missing
Melee has 18 starter stages and 11 unlockable stages, for 29 selectable arenas. Three secrets are labelled Past Stages and recreate Nintendo 64 arenas. Past Stages: Kongo Jungle and Past Stages: Yoshi’s Island are different arenas from the similarly named stages on a fresh save. The pictures and requirements below identify the exact reward. No stage needs a separate challenger duel; fighters encountered during an unlock activity are an additional task.
Brinstar Depths
Brinstar Depths in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Finish 50 VS matches.
The giant rock can rotate when Kraid strikes it, and the Melee version has no ordinary ledges to grab. The lava at the bottom marks danger rather than a floor to recover onto. Our recommendation is to check which surface is currently walkable before committing to a jump; a recovery plan that worked before a rotation may no longer reach safe ground.
Fourside
Fourside in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Finish 100 VS matches.
Fights take place across rooftops separated by narrow pits. A crane platform changes position, and a visiting UFO has a slippery surface. Our recommendation is to take your first match slowly and practise crossing one gap at a time. Falling between tall buildings can be more difficult to recover from than being launched beyond an open side.
Big Blue
Big Blue in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Finish 150 VS matches.
The race track and F-Zero vehicles move rapidly beneath the fight. Standing on the road instead of a vehicle can carry you into danger. Our recommendation is to use the Falcon Flyer and car rooftops as temporary footholds, saving a jump for the next transfer. Follow the next safe landing area before chasing an opponent off your current platform.
Poké Floats
Poké Floats in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Finish 200 VS matches.
The Pokémon platforms move through a repeating sequence while the camera stays in place. A float eventually leaves the usable battlefield, so standing still on it can carry a fighter past a blast boundary. Our recommendation is to watch for the arriving foothold and transfer early, using the screenshot to distinguish solid bodies from small appendages.
Mushroom Kingdom II
Mushroom Kingdom II in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Obtain the Birdo trophy.
The stage opens when the Birdo trophy enters your collection; a Luigi unlock duel here does not award it. Birdo is a random trophy reward, so the Lottery can be useful alongside normal trophy collection. The arena contains pits, falling logs, Birdo’s eggs and occasional flying carpets. Our recommendation is to cross the center carefully instead of assuming a falling log remains a safe platform.
Flat Zone
Flat Zone in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Clear Classic Mode as Mr. Game & Watch.
Unlock Mr. Game & Watch first, then finish Classic with him on a manageable difficulty. The small Game & Watch screen has platforms that appear and disappear, and falling tools can interrupt attacks. Our recommendation is to avoid getting pinned near a screen edge and leave space to react to a hazard. Winning the fighter’s duel here and selecting Flat Zone in ordinary VS are separate rewards.
Past Stages: Dream Land
Past Stages: Dream Land in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Clear Target Test with all 25 selectable fighters.
Use the Stadium Target Test records as a checklist for every selectable fighter, including Mr. Game & Watch after he is unlocked. The stage is the returning Nintendo 64 arena with three platforms and Whispy Woods in the background; it is distinct from Green Greens. Our recommendation is to finish one fighter’s target layout fully before moving on, then verify that every roster slot has a recorded clear.
Past Stages: Kongo Jungle
Past Stages: Kongo Jungle in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Survive 15-Minute Melee.
This unlock requires surviving the complete 15-Minute Melee challenge, not merely reaching a high KO count in another Multi-Man mode. The reward is the returning Nintendo 64 stage, separate from the starter Kongo Jungle arena with its waterfall. A rotating Barrel Cannon below the stage offers a possible recovery route. Our recommendation is to practise its launch direction in a low-pressure match before relying on it to save a stock.
Past Stages: Yoshi’s Island
Past Stages: Yoshi’s Island in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Hit Sandbag beyond 400 m (about 1,312 ft) in Home-Run Contest.
The requirement is one Home-Run Contest distance beyond 400 m, approximately 1,312 ft, with any fighter. It is not a combined-distance target and does not require Yoshi. The reward is the Nintendo 64 storybook arena, distinct from Melee’s starter Yoshi’s Island and Yoshi’s Story. The side clouds disappear after standing on them. Our recommendation is to return to the book platform promptly after landing on a cloud.
Battlefield
Battlefield in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Clear All-Star Mode with any fighter.
Unlock all 25 selectable fighters to open All-Star Mode, then complete one run with any fighter. Seeing Battlefield in 100-Man Melee, Adventure or a Falco challenger fight does not make it selectable in VS. The arena has three stationary platforms above a main floor. Our recommendation is to practise landing on the side platforms and returning from both ledges before using the stage for a serious match.
Final Destination
Final Destination in Melee. Open the picture for a closer look. © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory; image hosted by SmashWiki.Unlock condition: Clear Event 51: The Showdown.
Clear the first 50 Event Matches, with Classic and Adventure each cleared at least once, to open Event 51. In The Showdown, your chosen fighter has three stocks against three-stock Giga Bowser, Mewtwo and Ganondorf. Win to unlock the selectable arena. Its flat main platform has no upper platforms to interrupt a landing. Our recommendation is to keep enough room to avoid a surrounding attack before trying to finish one opponent.
Stadium tips for the endurance and distance rewards
For 15-Minute Melee, survival is the goal. Our suggested starting drill is Donkey Kong’s grounded down-special for nearby enemies, with a deliberate jump or reposition whenever that leaves you vulnerable; it is not a guarantee of surviving the full timer. For Home-Run Contest, practise building Sandbag’s damage while keeping it on the starting platform, then leave time for the bat’s forward smash. Melee’s contest does not have the protective barrier seen in later Smash games. A slightly shorter damage sequence with a clean final swing is more useful than knocking Sandbag off before the launch.
After the final stage: check the menu reward
Open ordinary VS stage selection and verify every arena is available. The full 29-stage set opens Data → Sound Test. The Random Stage exclusion list appears earlier after the ordinary hidden stages; use it under Additional Rules to remove arenas you do not want selected at random. For the fighter dependencies behind Flat Zone, Dream Land, Battlefield and Event 51, return to all unlockables or the practical unlock route. Every picture below is saved locally and recorded in .
Let the results and unlock notices finish, then confirm the new fighter or stage is selectable before moving on.
All 29 stages, as the stage-select screen shows them
Each stage with its picture and name plate from the stage-select screen (the small line above the name is the world the stage-select screen gives it). The 11 hidden stages say how to unlock them.
Super Mario · Available from the start
The castle rooftop, with switch blocks and Banzai Bills that fly in and explode.
Super Mario · Available from the start
A scrolling course that starts on a flying ship, then climbs moving blocks and swinging platforms into the sky.
Donkey Kong · Available from the start
Platforms over a waterfall, with a rotating barrel below the stage and Klaptraps leaping from the river.
Donkey Kong · Available from the start
Cranky Kong’s cabin above a fast river. Klaptraps jump out of the water, and a fighter who falls in is swept away.
The Legend of Zelda · Available from the start
The Termina coast: a lab on stilts, a turtle that surfaces now and then, and Tingle floating on his balloon.
The Legend of Zelda · Available from the start
The largest stage in the game, a Hyrule temple with a deep lower section.
Metroid · Available from the start
Rising acid and a central platform that breaks into pieces.
Metroid · Unlock: Finish 50 VS matches.
Kraid rises from the lava and turns the whole rock the fighters stand on.
Yoshi · Available from the start
A small storybook stage. Shy Guys fly past carrying food, and Randall the cloud drifts along the side.
Yoshi · Available from the start
Super Mario World scenery, with turning blocks and Support Ghosts as platforms.
Kirby · Available from the start
Two side platforms that rise and sink on the fountain’s streams.
Kirby · Available from the start
Whispy Woods blows fighters away, and blocks, some of them bombs, drop onto the stage.
Star Fox · Available from the start
The roof of the Great Fox flying over Corneria. Arwings fire at the fighters and the ship’s cannon can too.
Star Fox · Available from the start
The Great Fox again, flying through Venom, with Arwings passing beneath it.
Pokémon · Available from the start
The stadium transforms between fire, water, grass and rock arenas.
Pokémon · Unlock: Finish 200 VS matches.
Giant Pokémon balloons float past as the only footholds.
F-Zero · Available from the start
A platform flies over the F-Zero course and sometimes sets fighters down on it, where the racers hit them.
F-Zero · Unlock: Finish 150 VS matches.
The fight is on the racers’ machines; the track itself sweeps fighters away.
EarthBound · Available from the start
Fight on the roofs of Onett’s drugstore and houses while cars race down the street.
EarthBound · Unlock: Finish 100 VS matches.
Skyscraper rooftops; a UFO hovers as a platform.
Super Mario · Available from the start
Super Mario Bros. scenery with ? Blocks, pipes and lifts over the pits.
Super Mario · Unlock: Obtain the Birdo trophy.
Super Mario Bros. 2 scenery: a log that floats down the waterfall, Birdo and Pidgit.
Ice Climber · Available from the start
A mountain that scrolls upwards, so fighters must keep climbing.
Game & Watch · Unlock: Clear Classic Mode as Mr. Game & Watch.
A two-tone Game & Watch screen where props from the old handheld games appear.
Super Smash Bros. · Unlock: Clear All-Star Mode with any fighter.
Three floating platforms above a main stage, with no hazards.
Super Smash Bros. · Unlock: Clear Event 51: The Showdown.
A single flat platform with no hazards.
Past Stages (Super Smash Bros.) · Unlock: Clear Target Test with all 25 selectable fighters.
Dream Land from the first Super Smash Bros., with Whispy Woods blowing wind.
Past Stages (Super Smash Bros.) · Unlock: Hit Sandbag beyond 400 m (about 1,312 ft) in Home-Run Contest.
Yoshi’s Island from the first Super Smash Bros., with clouds that vanish when stood on.
Past Stages (Super Smash Bros.) · Unlock: Survive 15-Minute Melee.
Kongo Jungle from the first Super Smash Bros., with its barrel below the stage.
Pictures taken from the Super Smash Bros. Melee (USA, revision 2) disc: textures decoded from the game’s own archives (character-select portraits, stock icons, stage-select pictures, emblems and menu art), the clear pictures stored on the disc, and frames from the opening movie.
References
- SmashWiki: Brinstar Depths
- SmashWiki: Fourside
- SmashWiki: Big Blue
- SmashWiki: Poké Floats
- SmashWiki: Mushroom Kingdom II
- SmashWiki: Flat Zone
- SmashWiki: Past Stages: Dream Land
- SmashWiki: Past Stages: Kongo Jungle
- SmashWiki: Past Stages: Yoshi’s Island
- SmashWiki: Battlefield
- SmashWiki: Final Destination
- SmashWiki: Home-Run Contest rewards
- SmashWiki: Event Match unlock groups
- SmashWiki: Event 51
- SmashWiki: stage and option unlock list