Games Like Mario Party

Updated June 2026 · data via IGDB

Mario Party's genius is its board game skeleton wrapped around a minigame engine: players roll dice, race around branching paths collecting coins, and then compete in quick skill-based minigames every turn. The constant reversal of fortune — a well-timed item, a star that teleports to the other side of the board, a last-second minigame upset — creates a uniquely social, chaotic experience where anyone can win until the very last turn.

When people search for games like Mario Party, they're really looking for competitive couch multiplayer with accessible rules, varied moment-to-moment gameplay, and enough chaos to keep every player invested. The ideal match has quick-to-learn mechanics, a strong cast of characters, and systems that allow come-from-behind wins. Board game structure and minigame variety are the core DNA; shared Nintendo character IP is a strong bonus.

Top pick: Mario Party Superstars is the single closest recommendation — it literally remasters five beloved N64 boards and 100 classic minigames in HD with online play, meaning fans of the 1998 original can experience the same star-collecting, coin-earning, dice-rolling chaos with modern convenience. If you want something genuinely new, Pummel Party on PC is the hidden gem that most "games like Mario Party" lists overlook: it replicates the exact board-game-plus-minigame loop for up to eight players online at a fraction of the price.

Some store buttons are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

16 games like Mario Party

98%

Mario Party Superstars 2021

Mario Party Superstars remasters five classic N64 boards and 100 minigames with modern visuals and online play, making it the closest thing to the original 1998 experience available on modern hardware.

Key difference: Remasters only; no new boards or original content.
Best for: Fans of the N64 originals who want HD visuals and online play.
Skip if: You want fresh boards or new mechanics beyond the classics.

Nintendo

Official

97%

Super Mario Party 2018

Super Mario Party on Switch is the most accessible modern entry in the series, featuring the classic four-player board game loop with dice rolls, star collection, and a library of quick minigames played at the end of each turn.

Key difference: Smaller, simpler boards compared to classic N64/GameCube entries.
Best for: Switch owners wanting the classic Mario Party formula.
Skip if: You want deep, complex boards or the chaotic item variety of older entries.

Nintendo

Official

85%💎 Gem

Pummel Party 2018

Pummel Party is a PC indie board game for up to eight players online or local, with dice-roll movement, item collection, and a minigame played after every round — the closest structural clone of Mario Party available on PC.

Key difference: Indie art style; no Nintendo IP; PC/online focused.
Best for: PC players who want Mario Party's exact loop with online friends.
Skip if: You want Nintendo polish, console exclusivity, or brand recognition.

PlayStationPCXboxNintendo

Official Steam

82%

Wii Party 2010

Wii Party is Nintendo's other party board game franchise, featuring board game modes with dice rolls and minigames alongside numerous party sub-modes using Mii avatars. Its structure directly mirrors Mario Party's core loop.

Key difference: Uses Mii avatars instead of Mario franchise characters.
Best for: Wii owners wanting a board game party experience without Mario IP.
Skip if: You want the iconic Nintendo character roster or star-collecting boards.

Nintendo

Official

62%

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 2017

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the definitive Nintendo multiplayer party experience, pitting up to four players in frantic kart races with items, power-ups, and wildly varied tracks. Like Mario Party, it's built entirely around competitive couch multiplayer with familiar Nintendo characters and chaotic moment-to-moment swings.

Key difference: Racing game, not a board game; no minigame variety.
Best for: Fans who want fast, competitive Nintendo multiplayer.
Skip if: You want board game structure or varied minigame types.

Nintendo

Official

60%

Mario Kart 64 1996

Mario Kart 64 shares Mario Party's N64 era, Nintendo characters, and chaotic four-player couch competition. It's the classic party-racing companion to Mario Party 1 and 2, with item-based chaos that feels tonally identical.

Key difference: Racing only; no board game or minigame variety.
Best for: Retro N64 players wanting period-accurate Nintendo multiplayer.
Skip if: You want modern visuals or non-racing minigames.

Nintendo

Official

60%

The Jackbox Party Pack 2014

The Jackbox Party Pack series offers a rotating selection of party minigames — trivia, drawing, bluffing — played via smartphones as controllers, making it extremely accessible for groups. It lacks board game structure but nails the "whole room playing together" feeling.

Key difference: Phone-based trivia/word games; no board traversal or dice rolls.
Best for: Groups who want party games without controllers or Nintendo hardware.
Skip if: You want competitive board game structure or physical dexterity minigames.

PlayStationPCMobileXboxNintendo

Official Steam Epic

59%

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 2003

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! introduced two-character karts and co-op play, making it arguably the most party-friendly entry in the series. Its chaotic GameCube multiplayer mirrors the loud, social energy of Mario Party sessions.

Key difference: Co-op kart teams replace board game structure entirely.
Best for: Groups who want a co-op twist on party racing.
Skip if: You dislike racing games in any form.

Nintendo

Official

57%

Mario Kart DS 2005

Mario Kart DS brought the party-racing formula to handheld, with solid four-player local wireless multiplayer and a broad track selection from multiple eras. Its accessible, item-driven chaos echoes Mario Party's pick-up-and-play design.

Key difference: Handheld single-screen racing; no board or minigame rotation.
Best for: DS owners wanting portable Nintendo party racing.
Skip if: You want TV couch multiplayer or board game depth.

Nintendo

Official

55%

Super Mario Kart 1992

Super Mario Kart is the SNES origin of competitive Mario multiplayer, with battle mode and GP racing playable with a friend. It established the party-competitive DNA that Mario Party would later formalise into a board game.

Key difference: SNES-era racing only; no minigame collection or board.
Best for: Retro enthusiasts tracing Nintendo party game history.
Skip if: You want more than two-player action or variety beyond racing.

Nintendo

Official

55%

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 2018

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the other pillar of Nintendo couch multiplayer, supporting up to eight players in free-for-all brawls with the full Nintendo roster. Like Mario Party, it thrives on shared-screen chaos, occasional come-from-behind moments, and broad accessibility.

Key difference: Fighting game; no board traversal, dice rolls, or minigame rotation.
Best for: Groups who prefer direct combat over board game strategy.
Skip if: You want cooperative or turn-based party structure.

Nintendo

Official

55%

Hasbro Game Night for Nintendo Switch 2018

Hasbro Game Night digitalises Monopoly, Scrabble, Risk, and other board games for up to four players, scratching the same "gather around a board and compete" social itch that Mario Party formalises with minigames.

Key difference: Traditional licensed board games; no action minigames.
Best for: Fans who want real board game depth over minigame chaos.
Skip if: You want quick minigames, Nintendo characters, or action elements.

Nintendo

Official

52%

Super Smash Bros. Brawl 2008

Super Smash Bros. Brawl introduced the Subspace Emissary co-op campaign alongside the signature party-fighting mode, making it a versatile group game. Its chaotic multiplayer and Nintendo-all-stars cast echo Mario Party's broad appeal.

Key difference: Fighting focus; no board game structure or minigame variety.
Best for: Wii owners or fans of Brawl's co-op adventure mode.
Skip if: You want turn-based structure or non-combat minigames.

Nintendo

Official

50%

Crash Team Racing 1999

Crash Team Racing is a kart racer built around four-player couch competition with item chaos, character variety, and a party-friendly pick-up-and-play feel similar to Mario Kart. Its battle modes and item-based mayhem scratch a similar chaotic multiplayer itch.

Key difference: PlayStation kart racer; no board game or minigame collection.
Best for: PS1 owners or fans wanting a non-Nintendo party racer.
Skip if: You want board game structure or diverse minigame types.

PlayStation

38%

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock 2007

Guitar Hero III is a party music game designed to be played in groups, with competitive head-to-head modes and instantly readable score feedback. It captures Mario Party's "everyone in the room reacts" social energy, even if the mechanics are entirely different.

Key difference: Rhythm game with a plastic guitar controller; no board or strategy.
Best for: Groups who want a music-performance party game alternative.
Skip if: You want Nintendo characters, dice rolls, or board game flow.

PlayStationNintendoPCXbox

Official

30%

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga 2007

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga supports two-player co-op with slapstick humour and a kid-friendly tone that fits the same family-party audience as Mario Party. It lacks any board game or minigame-collection structure but shares the accessible, couch-friendly energy.

Key difference: Linear co-op platformer; no competition, board, or minigames.
Best for: Families wanting co-op rather than competitive party play.
Skip if: You want competitive multiplayer or minigame variety.

PlayStationNintendoMobilePCXbox

Official Steam GOG

At a glance

Game	Match	Shared DNA	Biggest difference	Platforms
Mario Party Superstars	98%	Card & Board Game, Party	Remasters only; no new boards or original content.	Nintendo
Super Mario Party	97%	Card & Board Game, Party	Smaller, simpler boards compared to classic N64/GameCube entries.	Nintendo
Pummel Party	85%	Card & Board Game, Action	Indie art style; no Nintendo IP; PC/online focused.	PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo
Wii Party	82%	Quiz/Trivia, Action	Uses Mii avatars instead of Mario franchise characters.	Nintendo
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	62%	Action, Party	Racing game, not a board game; no minigame variety.	Nintendo
Mario Kart 64	60%	Action, Party	Racing only; no board game or minigame variety.	Nintendo
The Jackbox Party Pack	60%	Quiz/Trivia, Party	Phone-based trivia/word games; no board traversal or dice rolls.	PlayStation, PC, Mobile, Xbox, Nintendo
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	59%	Action	Co-op kart teams replace board game structure entirely.	Nintendo
Mario Kart DS	57%	Party	Handheld single-screen racing; no board or minigame rotation.	Nintendo
Super Mario Kart	55%	Party	SNES-era racing only; no minigame collection or board.	Nintendo
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	55%	Action, Party	Fighting game; no board traversal, dice rolls, or minigame rotation.	Nintendo
Hasbro Game Night for Nintendo Switch	55%	Quiz/Trivia, Party	Traditional licensed board games; no action minigames.	Nintendo
Super Smash Bros. Brawl	52%	Action	Fighting focus; no board game structure or minigame variety.	Nintendo
Crash Team Racing	50%	Action	PlayStation kart racer; no board game or minigame collection.	PlayStation
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock	38%	Party	Rhythm game with a plastic guitar controller; no board or strategy.	PlayStation, Nintendo, PC, Xbox

What makes a game truly feel like Mario Party?

Mario Party's formula rests on three pillars: a shared board with branching paths, a hard currency (coins/stars) that creates meaningful tension, and a minigame rotation that can flip standings every turn. Games that merely share a "party" tag — like Guitar Hero III or Jackbox — only capture one of those pillars. The only candidates in this pool that hit even two of them are the Mario Kart series entries, which replace the board with a race track but preserve the item-driven chaos and competitive multiplayer structure.

For the full three-pillar experience, you have to go outside this pool: Pummel Party on Steam is the most mechanically faithful clone, while Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars on Switch are the definitive modern versions of the formula itself.

Best picks for couch multiplayer parties right now

If you're setting up a party night in 2024, the strongest line-up starts with Mario Party Superstars (Switch) for the classic board game loop, then rotates into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for racing rounds and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for brawling — all three support four local players and use the same Nintendo character roster, making them feel like a coherent party suite. Jackbox Party Pack is worth adding if your group has more than four people, since it uses smartphones as controllers and scales to larger crowds.

For PC-based groups who want something close to Mario Party's board game structure without a Nintendo console, Pummel Party is the standout hidden gem — it supports up to eight players online and replicates the dice-roll, minigame, star-hunt loop more faithfully than any other non-Nintendo release.

If you want the minigame chaos without the board game

Some players love Mario Party's minigames but find the board traversal too slow between action moments. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate scratches that itch with pure competitive action — every round is the equivalent of a high-stakes minigame. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also works well in this role: its 200cc races and battle mode are short, chaotic, and immediately readable, delivering the same endorphin hits as a well-executed minigame win without any board downtime.

For something entirely different in tone, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock delivers the "whole room reacting simultaneously" social energy of a Mario Party minigame through its head-to-head guitar battle mode — though it requires specific hardware and a very different skill set than anything on Mario Party's roster.

More games to explore

Frequently asked questions

What is the closest game to the original Mario Party on N64?

Mario Party Superstars is the most direct equivalent — it remasters five N64 boards (including Yoshi's Tropical Island and Peach's Birthday Cake from the original game) alongside 100 classic minigames, rebuilt in HD with online multiplayer. It's the definitive way to experience the 1998 formula on modern hardware.

Are there any PC games like Mario Party?

Yes — Pummel Party on Steam is the best PC equivalent. It replicates Mario Party's board-game-plus-minigame structure for up to eight players online or local, with dice rolls, items, and competitive minigames after each round. It lacks Nintendo's production values but is mechanically very faithful to the formula.

Is Mario Kart similar to Mario Party?

Mario Kart shares the same Nintendo characters, chaotic item systems, and competitive multiplayer structure, but it's a racing game rather than a board game. There's no dice rolling, star collecting, or board traversal. It's the best couch-multiplayer alternative from the same franchise ecosystem, but the core game loop is entirely different.

What's a good Mario Party alternative for more than four players?

Jackbox Party Pack scales well beyond four players by using smartphones as controllers and running games on a shared screen. While it lacks Mario Party's board game structure, its trivia, drawing, and bluffing games create a similar "everyone in the room competing" atmosphere. For board-game-style play with up to eight people, Pummel Party on PC is the stronger choice.

Is Super Smash Bros. a party game like Mario Party?

Super Smash Bros. is a party game in the broad sense — it's designed for multiplayer, accessible to newcomers, and built around chaotic shared-screen competition. However, it's a fighting game rather than a board game, with no dice rolls, coins, stars, or minigame rotation. Players who love Mario Party's social chaos often enjoy Smash, but the core mechanical experience is very different.