10 Best Board Games Stages In Mario Party, Ranked

Everybody tends to know and love the Mario Party series for its slew of wacky and entertaining minigames. Yet, one of the biggest elements in the Mario Party series since its debut in the late 90s is its palette of board game maps. These are typically what players turn to when they want to kick back and get a lengthy competitive game going or unlock new goods.

These board games can really provide a fun and competitive way to play through minigames, especially those that run with unique twists and throw down a number of traps, hazards, and other random elements to keep you and your friends on edge.

With that said, let’s dive into over 2 decades worth of Mario Party bonanzas and take a look at 10 of the absolute most inventive, intricate, and enjoyable board games featured in the series.

10 Goomba’s Greedy Gala (Mario Party 4)

This is really a colorful board in more ways than one. This Vegas-themed game contains a myriad of fun elements and diverging paths, ensuring plenty of crazy moments and tense showdowns. Perhaps the neatest aspect is the literal centerpiece of the game, which includes a roulette wheel that determines which of the 4 paths you’ll end up in.

You can also score 20 coins if lady luck is on your side and you land on the space with a star icon, in addition to choosing your own path.

9 Neon Heights (Mario Party 7)

Mario Party 7 on the GameCube is perhaps best known for its handful of goofy mic-controlled minigames. Yet, it also comes with an array of particularly fun board game maps to play around with.

Case in point? The scenic and environmentally diverse Neon Heights, a map that keeps players on their toes with its three randomized treasure chests; one of which greets you with a devastating Bob-omb if you land on it. To further add to the chaos, these chests will be swapped out via a green alien looking to make things difficult for you.

There are a plethora of unique elements in this one, including a baseball diamond and a shooting range that offer quick minigames.

8 Future Dream (Mario Party 5)

This one is a delight to play, thanks in part to its cool sci-fi motif and unique atmosphere. There are plenty of fun elements from a visual standpoint, though also in terms of its gameplay, which blends simplicity with ample curveballs to keep things interesting.

The abundance of teleportation platforms, transporting space taxis, and rocket ships add an element of randomness and fun, and allow players to cover great distances of the map in a short period of time. This makes the scramble to nab the star an excitingly competitive one.

7 Mario’s Rainbow Castle (Mario Party 1)

It’s fitting that the original Mario Party game sports one of the most enjoyable board games which feels about as classic “Mario” as it gets. With Mario’s Rainbow Castle, you get what’s quite literally an “atmospheric” setting in the sky, rife with colorful themes and a web of paths full of game-changing events.

You’ve got the classic Boo space, which you can exploit to steal stars of coins from other players. Then, of course, there are single-player minigame squares, “happening” spots to mix things up, and the dreaded Bowser space. The goal is at once simple and entertaining – get to Toad, who towers above you tantalizingly at the top of the castle, but watch out for the coin-nabbing Bowser.

6 King Boo’s Haunted Hideaway (Mario Party 8)

Who doesn’t love a thrilling adventure with a spooky overlay? This Boo-themed board game feels like a mesh of Luigi’s Mansion and those perplexing ghost houses from Super Mario World.

This insane board works something like a large set of tiles with constantly shuffling pieces, which ensures a different outcome with different paths each playthrough. The mad dash to the coveted star is as chaotic and unpredictable as ever, as you’ll need to seek out King Boo who randomly appears only at certain ends of this shifting maze. You’ll also need to watch out for the occasional pitfall, which sends you back to the start.

5 Pagoda Peak (Mario Party 7)

Similar to our other Mario Party 7 entry, Pagoda Peak is laid out much like a massive world map, which consists of a variety of distinct areas while unifying everything together.

Unlike some of the boards which rely on random chaos to generate excitement, this map simplifies things by giving everyone the same focal point – the peak of the mountain, where Toadsworth’s star awaits. This is just as effective, if not moreso – as this towering, singular destination allows this board to take on the feeling of a thrilling race or mountain climb.

But you’ll want to mind the always-pesky Bowser, who can knock you off a row or two, setting you back quite a bit.

4 Yoshi’s Tropical Island (Mario Party 1)

Sometimes less is more, and this tends to be the case with this enjoyable Yoshi-themed board from the classic Mario Party 1 on N64. what this board lacks in-depth and diverging paths it makes up for in its cheery tropical beach theme and catchy, jaunty tunes that keep you engrossed in this delightful island.

Still, there are a number of factors that allow for opponent sabotages and ruthless heckling among friends. You’ve got the Thwomps guarding both crucial bridge paths and requiring tolls, which you can jack up permanently at your discretion. You’ve also got the amusing (and sometimes annoying) Toad, who swaps positions with the Bowser square each time a player buys a star.

3 Western Land (Mario Party 2)

Many seasoned Mario Party vets will tell you that this second iteration on N64 is the series at its ultimate peak. While that may be true for many of its minigames, it also tends to be the case with its board game options; particularly the uniquely charming Western Land.

Firstly, there are the satisfying train rides, which can cart you around the outskirts of the map if you run into Steamer. This not only can carry you closer to the star but can also knock back some unfortunate players in its path. You’ve also got the game-changing “hootenanny,” the coin-siphoning bank, and the exciting 1 vs 1 duels.

2 Waluigi’s Island (Mario Party 3)

Waluigi’s first-ever themed board in the Mario Party series is a solid one. You’ll need to complete story mode to obtain it, though both the journey and the destination are worth it.

This one keeps you on the edge of your seat with the abundance of hazardous spaces; some of which will knock a number of the ticker of a time bomb. Any unlucky players that find themselves in range of this devastating bomb when the number hits zero will wipe out their hard-earned coins.

This insane map is chock-full of curveballs, webbed paths, and random, often dangerous traps at almost every turn. But hey – what else would you expect from the troublesome Waluigi?

1 Castaway Bay (Mario Party 6)

Similar to Yoshi’s Tropical Island, Castaway Bay takes on a cheerful vibe not unlike a fun vacation. Yet, this MP6 stand-out board adds some depth and even a bit of strategy, as players must maneuver and venture to Donkey Kong’s boat to nab a coveted star. The location of both Donkey and Bowser’s boat will change when happening spaces are hit.

One of the coolest traits in this one is its dynamic sense of atmosphere through the day and night transitions; a Mario Party feature unique to Castaway Bay. The distinct, segmented regions and frequently shifting elements ensure you’ll always have a good time full of thrills and laughs.

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