Super Mario Party finally gets online multiplayer support

LETSA GO! Super Mario Party is getting an update to online features which will enable internet-based games to be held! It isn't the full experience, but it's something fans have wanted for a long time after being locked up during the various COVID-19 Lockdowns.

Here's everything we know ahead of any future updates from Nintendo at E3 2021.

Mario Party Online Update

Before we start, it's worth noting that you're going to need an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play online. We can imagine you might have already known that, but it's still worth pointing out!

Anyway, Super Mario Party is getting an update to its online services and you will now be able to play a few of the major game modes online with friends (or in a password-locked Private match).

Mario Party, Partner Play, and Free Play (Minigames) are all available. Annoyingly, you won't be able to flex your rafting skills with River Survival Mode in the update. However, we wouldn't rule this out to be added in a future update.

There's no mention of how big the update actually is, but we can't imagine it'll be more than a couple hundred MBs. Mario games are usually very well optimized for Nintendo Switch systems, as you might imagine.

Full Patch Notes

Super Mario Party Ver. 1.1.0 (April 27, 2021)

Feature Added

• You can now play the following modes over the internet:
  • Mario Party
  • Partner Party
  • Free Play (Minigames)

Playing over the internet

• To play over the internet, select either Mario Party, Partner Party, or Minigames, then select Online Play.
• There are two ways to play over the internet: Friend Match, where you can play with Friends, and Private Game, where you can play with anyone using passwords.
• The combinations through which you can play over the internet are as follows:
  • Up to 1 player per system (you can play with between 2 and 4 players)
  • Up to 2 players per system (you can play with between 3 and 4 players)

READ MORE: Super Mario 3D World (+ Bowser's Fury) Review

If two players are each playing on their own systems, they cannot play with two players using a third system.

• Playing over the internet supports the Invite Friend feature. If you select Invite Friend on the screen at which you’re waiting for rivals, your selected Friends can join from the Online Play Invites on their user-page icon in the top left of the HOME Menu.
  • Online Mariothon does not support the Invite Friend feature.
• When playing over the internet, all 20 characters and all maps are available, regardless of your current in-game progress.
• When playing over the internet, 70 of the total 80 minigames are available to play.

Unvailable Minigames

• The following 10 minigames are not available when playing over the internet.
  • Strike It Rich
  • Time to Shine
  • Take a Stab
  • All-Star Swingers
  • Rhythm and Bruise
  • Pep Rally
  • Wiped Out
  • Fiddler on the Hoof
  • Clearing the Table
  • Baton and On
• Play data won’t be saved when playing over the internet.