SMITE is the latest title for emerge from the Hi-Rez Studios development team, the same experienced developers behind other popular online MMO games such as Tribes Ascend. The game utilizes a large number of MOBA mechanics from various other MOBA titles such as League of Legends, Bloodline Champions and Realm of the Titans, and merges them with common MMORPG mechanics such as character progression and gear advancement.

There will be 30 playable characters available at launch, in the form of Gods. Players can currently play as a number of Gods from throughout history such as Zeus, Hades, Artemis, Wukong and Odin. Each God has 3 main abilities, an auto-attack and an ultimate ability. As players progress through each game they can upgrade each of the skills and unlock others whenever they choose. Each ability is totally skill-based, removing any lock-on abilities or auto-targeting features, providing a totally skill-based experience.

Similar to other MOBA titles, SMITE is also home to a huge variety of items that players can purchase. There are multiple archetypes in the game such as Assassin, Tank, Ranged DPS and Support. Each archetype and God requires different items to be used at maximum efficiency. Players can either choose to use the automatic feature that levels items and abilities automatically, or they can choose to do it manually and upgrade skills based on personal preference.

Another area of SMITE that separates it from other MOBA titles are the tower fights. Each lane features typical static towers that can damage players and minions, but each lane also features a Phoenix. The Phoenix is the last line of defense before your Minotaur can be attacked. Once a team has defeated an enemy Phoenix they can attempt to take on the Minotaur, the final line of defense. Unlike League of Legends, the last line of defense is a fully mobile AI boss fight, which adds a whole new depth to the end-game for MOBA titles.