Super Mario Party Jamboreeis set to be not only the next-bestMario Partygame, but also a bonafide Nintendo Switch classic and a good reason to pick up the console, even in its final days. This is, in large part, thanks to its wealth of content, which the previous Nintendo SwitchMario Partygames have been sorely lacking. However, whileJamboreecan rest on its laurels for the time being, it still has a lot of room to grow, and a few lessons it can learn along the way.
One of thebest parts ofSuper Mario Party Jamboreeis just how much there is to do, with over 100 minigames, seven different boards, and a bunch of modes to play through. However,the biggest issue withMario Partyis that, like even the best board games, it eventually grows stale. Fortunately, most board games mitigate this by releasing expansions, butMario Partyon the Nintendo Switch never has. It’s a baffling move, and an issue it greatly needs to correct, especially when its cousin,Mario Kart, has proven how effective DLC can be.
Mario Kart’s DLC Releases Have Been Close To Perfect
Perfectly Priced And Packaged
Mario Kart 8 Deluxelaunched at the start of the Switch’s lifespan, and somehow managed to be a bestseller throughout it. However, Nintendo wasn’t done with simply porting the WiiU classic and calling it a day, as it announced theBooster CourseDLC in 2022. This didn’t just add a handful of tracks and some new characters. Instead,the DLC doubled the track list, adding a whopping 48 new tracks and eight new characters to the already stuffed game. Some of thenewMario Kart 8 Booster Coursemapswere remakes of old courses, and a handful were brand-new.
This is already pretty ridiculous value as it’s essentially a whole otherMario Kartgame but bundled in with the already existing and practically perfect entry. However,what made it even more enticing was its extremely low price point, costing only $24.99 for the entire DLC. Naturally, this was a huge success and is likely a big contributor toMario Kart 8 Deluxecontinuing to sell well on the Nintendo Switch so many years later. However, what also made this package appealing was how it slowly drip-fed players new maps over the course of a year or so.
The first wave of theMario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster CourseDLC was released on August 15, 2025, with the final wave dropping on June 07, 2025. Each pack was released a few months apart across this entire period, for a total of six waves.
This approach meant that players not only had newMario Kartcontent to look forward to but could also speculate on which new maps or characters were coming, helping to build hype.It made the DLC feel more like an event, clearly taking inspiration fromSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’sapproachto its fighter packs. So, it’s baffling then that bothSmashandMario Karthave managed to pull this off incredibly successfully, yetMario Partyhas failed to grasp it.
Mario Party Has A DLC Lesson To Learn
It Needs To Release More Maps Not More Games
Nintendo’s current business model withall the SwitchMario Partygameshas been to release a base game with just a handful of maps and then completely abandon itbefore moving on to the next one. While the Switch has only had oneMario Kartand oneSmash, it has had three differentMario Partygames, all roughly offering the same experience just with different minigames and boards. What was stopping Nintendo from simply releasing these boards and minigames as DLC, likeMario Kart 8did, especially when the foundation ofSuperstarswas so good?
Mario Party’s Worst & Most Unnecessary Changes
Mario Party has consistently been one of Nintendo’s best multiplayer series, but a few games tried to change the formula in ways that didn’t work out.
Well, the answer to that is clearly money, as selling brand-newMario Partygames at $60 a pop instead of DLC at $25 is a lot more profitable for them, despite being less consumer-friendly. Unfortunately, it’s gotten away with it too, as each of theMario Partygames has clearly sold well enough for Nintendo to justify making even more. However, while it may have made them more money in the long run,the individual sales of each game will eventually trickle away as newer and better games are released.
Selling brand-newMario Partygames at $60 a pop instead of DLC at $25 is a lot more profitable for them, despite being less consumer-friendly.
There’s really no reason to return to the originalSuper Mario Partyon the Switch, or even the far superiorSuperstars, now thatJamboreeis out. Sure, they offer different maps, modes, and minigames, but when the experience is so different - such asSuper Mario Party’sstars only being worth 10 coins - it can make playing them feel frustrating and odd. It also requires an upfront cost of $180 - at least at full price - to get all three, and Nintendo rarely puts its games lower than 33% off, if ever at all.
Mario Party Has A Lot Of Room To Expand
Plenty Of New & Old Ideas To Draw From
Frustratingly,there are so many ways that DLC could greatly benefit aMario Partygame, especially those on the Nintendo Switch, including the aforementioned modes, maps, and minigames. Adding more maps to aMario Partygame feels like the bare minimum, as it helps to shake things up and give players new challenges to look forward to. That’s not to say thatSuper Mario Party Jamboree’smapsaren’t already amazing, but more of them spread out across a year or so would give players a reason to come back and keep investing in the game.
Of course, adding more minigames makes sense too, as even switching up the maps for a bit of flavor doesn’t quite shake up theMario Partyexperience when players are confronted with the same minigames on repeat. It ends up feeling like there are only ten minigames, even though each of the modernMario Partygames has shipped with around 100.Adding in a new map and around 10 or so minigames per “wave” of the DLC across a handful of waves would be a significant boost to the game’s longevity, much like how it was forMario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Adding in a new map and around 10 or so minigames per “wave” of the DLC across a handful of waves would be a significant boost to the game’s longevity.
There are plenty of amazing mapsSuper Mario Party Jamboreecould take from too, with fans calling for all kinds of maps to be remade.Jamboreeeven has two map remakes in its launch-day lineup, andSuperstars’entire map lineup was just remakes. It is incredibly odd that Nintendo hasn’t already offered DLC that’s entirely repackaging old content for a huge markup. It’s Nintendo’s bread and butter.
Mario Party Now Has A Health Warning On Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch Online version of the original Mario Party has a health warning addressing a notorious lawsuit from the game’s initial release.
Ultimately, if Nintendo wants itsMario Partygames to mean more than a handful of hours at launch and occasionally being whipped out at parties when the mood drops, it should release some DLC likeMario Kart 8 DeluxeandSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatedid. Releasing new maps and minigames across a lengthy period to sustain interest just makes sense, especially for a game likeMario Party. Luckily,Super Mario Party Jamboreeis a great game regardless, but DLC would easily make it the very bestMario Partygame of all time.
