In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, they appear only in World 7-6 and in New Super Mario Bros. U, they appear only in Soda Jungle level Flight of the Para-Beetles, along with their smaller versions. They act as platforms for Mario and company to jump on to get across the level. Despite being three times the size of a normal Para-Beetle, the Heavy Para-Beetle cannot stand the weight of any character and begins to descend when stepped on, unlike their smaller versions, which ascend when stepped on. Like normal Para-Beetles, the Heavy Para-Beetles can be defeated only by being hit with Invincible Mario or being frozen with an iceball from Yoshi then ground pounded. A Heavy Para-Beetle cannot hurt the player while they are standing on its shell, but its exposed head and underside can hurt the player. Like the other Para-Beetles, if the player jumps on eight without touching the ground, 1-Up Mushrooms fall down to the player, or each player depending on the number of people playing.
Heavy Para-Beetles appear as recruitable enemies in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition. They have a double Light attribute and have among the highest HP in the game, with a rating of 6/6, though their attack and RCV stats are 3/5. Their primary special ability is Mega Support, which cures the team of status defects and their secondary ability is Bind Barrier, which prevents paralysis if the team is lucky. Heavy Para-Beetles can be created if a Para-Beetle is given 4 P-Wing transformation items.