Piranha Plants are typically portrayed as tethered enemies which emerge from green-coloured "warp pipes" scattered throughout the game world that player characters must evade or overcome, though multiple subspecies with different abilities as well as physical attributes have appeared in various titles: some may simply stick up from the ground, and in some cases even walk freely on its own roots.

[3] In Super Mario 3D World, players could pick up Piranha Plants which grow on pots by holding the run button, which allows them to be weaponized against opponents.

Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai chose the Piranha Plant as a post-release addition because he considered it to be a very well known character, and felt that making it a complimentary early purchase bonus as part of a limited-time offer would be an effective promotional effort.

[6] While Sakurai acknowledged that the Piranha Plant is an example of a playable character that lies outside of players' typical expectations, he emphasized that having a "good balance" is prioritized over the element of surprise when it comes to the planning of the game's roster.

Reflecting the elevated difficulty of Lost Levels, it has a faster movement pattern compared to the original green version, and is bold enough to emerge from a warp pipe even when the player character is standing right next to it.

[1] In New Super Mario Bros. U, Piranha Plants rarely retreat into pipes; they may appear on moving platforms and would constantly make gnashing movements.

Notable examples include Tetris Attack;[14] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and its 2019 remake;[15] Lego City Undercover;[16] and in Sonic Lost World as DLC content.

[28][29] The addition of the Piranha Plant as a playable character in Smash Ultimate drew an enthusiastic response from video game publications,[39] as well as players.

[46] In his in-depth review of the DLC content, Justin Berube from Nintendo World Report said he originally had reservations about Piranha Plant taking up a roster spot at the expense of a more prominent character like Waluigi, but admitted that its playstyle grew on him.

[47] Writing for Kotaku, Cecilia D'Anastasio summarized the gameplay for Smash Ultimate's Piranha Plant to be "sluggish but fun", faulting its lack of speed and low mobility while lauding its "toolkit" for offering a range of unusual moves that could interlock to form interesting combos at the player's discretion, which enables a skilled player to effectively control space on a stage and defend against aerial enemies.