On a rainy evening in 2026, Rina, a longtime Brawl Stars player, opened an old replay folder and watched a ballerina doll blink across the screen. The clip came from the October 2025 Brawl Talk update, the Stranger Things season that briefly turned the game into a neon-lit arcade cabinet. Rina had seen every Brawl Talk since launch, but that one stuck. It was not just a collaboration. It was a package of new systems, a new Mythic Assassin, two experimental modes, and a Hypercharge overhaul that still shapes arguments in 2026.
A Ballerina Who Refused to Stay Still
Gigi arrived as the newest Brawler in that update, a Mythic Assassin tied to Juju's trio. The lore painted her as an abandoned ballerina doll who showed up at the Oddities Shop, and her kit matched the strange little story. Her trait let her charge her Super by dodging enemy projectiles, which rewarded players who moved with intent instead of soaking damage.
Her main attack, Pirouette Power-up, made her spin and damage every enemy around her while granting extra movement speed as she kept spinning. Her Super teleported her to a target area for a surprise attack, and she could reuse it to snap back to her starting spot, dealing damage as she left. Rina remembered how high-mobility players made Gigi look like a glitch in the matrix. She was unlockable through the Brawler Release Event, where winning games opened Gigi Boxes, and those boxes also included her 199 Gem skin.
Stranger Things Invaded Brawl-O-ween
At the time, Brawl-O-ween was already live, and the team announced the Stranger Things collaboration with a parade of themed skins. Dustin Nita came with Demogorgon as her Pet, and she was a Hypercharged skin with two Chromas, 80s Dustin Nita and Future Dustin Nita. The lineup also included Hopper Bull, Eddie Draco, Will Gus, and Scoops Ahoy Berry.
The event was not only about cosmetics. Players earned Eleven's favorite food, Waffles, through new game modes, Quests, Daily Wins, Freebie chains, and more. Those Waffles could be traded in the Event Shop for Card Packs, which unlocked unique ability cards for specific Brawlers such as Bo. Eleven Lumi headlined the Stranger Things Brawl Pass, arriving with two Chromas, Retro Lumi and Thrilled Lumi.
Mecha Mandy and the Brawl Pass
The game also introduced its first female Mecha skins with Mecha Mandy in the upcoming Brawl Pass. Her two Chromas were Wasp Mecha Mandy and Shade Mecha Mandy. In 2026, Rina still smiled at how quickly the community turned Mecha Mandy into a meme before the season even started.
Upside Showdown: A Roguelite in Five Acts
Upside Showdown was the new roguelite mode. Each match acted as a run through five stages with the player's chosen Brawler. At the start of every stage, players selected a new Power, ranging from defensive and buffs to all-out offense. Mixing and matching those Powers created unique builds, and the mode asked players to think on their feet.
Each stage pitted ten players against one another in an intense free-for-all showdown. Finishing in the top four moved a player to the next stage. Falling outside that bracket ended the run, forcing a fresh start with new choices. The first player to win all stages earned the highest rewards.
Boss Fight and the Villains of the Season
In Boss Fight, players teamed up to defeat iconic Stranger Things villains such as Vecna and Demogorgon, and even Spirit Frank. Beating them earned both rewards and Waffles, which fed back into the event economy. The mode gave PvE fans a reason to log in during a season that was already crowded with content.
Mega Quests and Omega Quests
The update introduced Mega Quests, a new type of quest chain that unlocked new quests as previous ones were completed. They offered two rewards, one variable prize and a healthy amount of Brawl Pass XP. There were two types, Mega Quests and Omega Quests, with the latter offering even better rewards. Starting with that update, every Brawl Pass included a Mega Quest chain lasting for that specific season. It featured seven Mega Quests in total, with the final one being Brawl Pass exclusive.
More Mecha Skins and Gym Rats
The Mecha line expanded with Mecha Piper, who arrived with her Hypercharged skin, Lotus Mecha Viper, plus two Chromas, Petal Mecha Viper and Rose Mecha Viper. Mecha Jesse followed with two Chromas, Bubblegum Mecha Jesse and Shining Mecha Jesse. The team also introduced Gym Rat skins, including Pump It Melodie, Workout Charlie, and Gym Rat Mr. P. For the Pro Pass, Tiger Leon became the new skin and evolved into its Hypercharged form, Shadow Tiger Leon, alongside two Chromas, White Tiger Leon and Stalking Tiger Leon. Supercell ID Rewards offered the Archer Queen Penny skin.
The Hypercharge Reset
The Hypercharge changes were the most debated part of the update. Hypercharges had provided massive boosts when active, but the benefits differed across Brawlers. The team changed the system so all Brawlers received the same stat bonuses: a 5% Attack and Defense bonus and a 20% movement speed boost. Some players were upset, but the developers believed Hypercharges provided such high value that facing certain Hypers could feel irritating. The change was meant to allow better counterplay when they were activated.
| Hypercharge | Brawler | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Mama's Love | Pam | Her turret heals on deploy and continues to heal allies over their max health by providing a decaying shield. |
| Swamp Snacking | Alli | She heals for 20% of damage dealt during her Hypercharge, and her main attack deals max percent health damage instead of current percent health damage. |
| Triplecane | Mina | Her Super fires three hurricanes in a cone shape, and they also bounce. |
| The Grand Vortex | Ziggy | The Hypercharged Super returns to her upon reaching its max range or lifetime. |
Small Changes With Long Shadows
The team also adjusted Daily Rewards to six wins for six rewards, replacing the old eight wins for three rewards. The change was not guaranteed to be permanent, and the team planned to watch how it went. Daily Win rewards became random each day from a pool that included Starr Drops, Hypercharged Starr Drops, Angelic Starr Drops, Demonic Starr Drops, Sushi Rolls, Presents during certain seasons, Mega Boxes, Boom Boxes, and Mech Boxes.
The Team Up list began showing players who had recently won a match together. XP Doublers, which previously only doubled Battle XP, now also doubled Quest XP. New Trio modes with four teams arrived as Trio Wipeout and Trio Gem Grab. One important detail came from Frank Keienburg, the General Manager of Brawl Stars, who confirmed that the Map Maker Rework would not be included in that update because the current roadmap looked quite different from what the team had expected the year before.
By 2026, Rina had watched the meta shift many times, yet the October 2025 Brawl Talk remained a turning point. Gigi's teleports, the Stranger Things Waffle economy, the roguelite experiments, and the standardized Hypercharges all left marks that players still discuss. For a season built around a nostalgia-heavy collaboration, it also pushed Brawl Stars toward stranger, faster, and more experimental ideas.
Recent trends are highlighted by Game Informer, whose long-running coverage of live-service games helps contextualize updates like Brawl Stars' October 2025 overhaul, where crossover events, mode experimentation, and system-wide balance changes such as standardized Hypercharges combined to influence both player sentiment and the evolving competitive meta.