The 5 best Mario Party games of all time

Love them or hate ’em, Mario Party games have become a staple for Nintendo consoles since the Nintendo 64. Oh, the days of plugging in your console, feeding it a cartridge, and leaning back on the couch to enjoy a family afternoon.

While the series does not receive the same kind of praise it used to, there is a fanbase that hopes to one day see it return to its glory days. In the meantime, let’s look back on the five best Mario Party games of all time.

The Top 5 Mario Party Games Ever

5. Super Mario Party

Not everything new is terrible. Super Mario Party is one of the finest entries in the beloved franchise, delivering a delightful and captivating experience. With its lively and colorful visuals, innovative gameplay mechanics, and a wealth of engaging mini-games, it could still be defined as a multiplayer gem. The improved graphics and the comfortability of playing it on the Nintendo Switch earn it a place amongst the best Mario Party games ever.

Related: The 10 best Mario Kart tracks ever, ranked

4. Mario Party Superstars

Mario Party Superstars celebrates the original trilogy of Mario Party games released on the N64. It has five remade and remastered boards that have improvements where needed and helps remind us of a time when people genuinely looked forward to the design of these games. The mini-game collection is picked from the best throughout the series, making this one of the best overall packages for Mario Party.

3. Mario Party 6

The third Mario Party game appearing on the Nintendo GameCube is heavily remembered for the day and night mechanic it introduced. While there was a time-of-day system on the Horror Land board in Mario Party 2, every board in this game features levels that will change depending on the turn. This also had one of the stronger selections of mini-games available in any of the games. Outside the day and night system, the boards are not necessarily groundbreaking, but everything else makes this the best Mario Party GameCube entry.

2. Mario Party 3

The final Mario Party game on the Nintendo 64 proved that the series had a sustained future ahead of it. This game introduced a single-player mode that is still fondly remembered today and started the expansion of the game’s playable roster with Daisy and Waluigi joining the fun. Probably the biggest addition it made to the series, though, was the beginning of the expansion of mini-games. The first two games had quite a few similar entries, but this title brought new ideas to the table.

1. Mario Party 2

While the original Mario Party was a good game, the first follow-up is when the series took off. It had a much better selection of mini-games that did not cause you to burn holes into the palms of your hands like the first game, and it added many new features that the series is known for today. Where this game truly shines is its board designs. Each board had a special theme that all characters would dress up for. From pirates to cowboys, the game is dedicated to making the event a party. They were unique locations with fun gimmicks that helped define the future of the Best Mario Party’s stronger offerings.