Super Mario Party gets the ultimate multiplayer update — and it's free

Super Mario Party
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Super Mario Party is expanding its online multiplayer from a miniscule 10 minigames to a more beefy selection. Gamers can now play 70 of the title's 80 minigames, as well as Mario Party and Partner Party games modes.   

The multiplayer update is free, and will be installed automatically the next time your Nintendo Switch (or Nintendo Switch Lite) is connected to the internet. Bear in mind that you'll need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to dive into online multiplayer, which starts at $3.99 / £3.49 / AU$5.95 for one month's membership.   

Super Mario Party launched for the Nintendo Switch back in 2018. And while it's taken a while for the online portion of the game to get up to speed, players will no doubt be excited to play the Super Mario Party board game with friends online. It's the first time this has been available for online play.

There are a couple of limitations on how the multiplayer aspects shake out. Nintendo has laid out the specific combinations for playing over the internet with friends. You can either play with one person per system, with between two and four players; or up to two players per system with between three and four players total. 

Nintendo noted: "If two players are each playing on their own systems, they cannot play with two players using a third system." The patch notes also list the 10 minigames that still aren't playable online, but all 20 characters and maps will be available, regardless of your in-game progress. 

You can dive in and play with friends who also have a copy of the game using the Invite Friend feature. Alternatively, you can host a Private Game where you can play with anyone using passwords. 

Super Mario Party update 1.1.0 is live now, so if you're still hesitant to start mingling in real life, this is the perfect way to socialise with friends from the comfort of your individual homes.

Shabana Arif

Shabana is T3's News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). As well as contributing to Tom's Guide, she's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies.