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Mario Party is already a game of tiny betrayals: stolen stars, surprise bonus stars, and mini-games that one friend somehow always wins. Turning it into a drinking game just puts a small, optional price on the chaos. This 2026 guide gives you a fair sip ladder, rules for each mini-game type, star and event rules, a sober version, and a pace plan so nobody is finished before the last few turns.
These rules work with any modern entry, including Super Mario Party, Mario Party Superstars, and Super Mario Party Jamboree, because the boards follow the same basic flow. Want to know which mini-games cause the most trouble? See our Mario Party mini-games ranking, and for more couch picks, our best Switch party games.
Card games for between boards
Mario Party needs your own console and game. These decks keep the fun going between boards, or for guests who would rather not hold a controller.
- Structured sips: King's Cup Extreme — Kings with printed rule cards, so nobody argues about what a 7 means
- Dares: Do or Drink — do the dare or take a sip, with easy outs
- Stories: Never Have I Ever Card Game — ready-made prompts for the couch between rounds
- Sober reset: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza — a fast slap game with no drinking at all
What you need
- A console, a copy of Mario Party, and controllers for four players. Extra guests can team up and swap the controller each turn.
- Small servings of beer, cider, hard seltzer, or anything non-alcoholic.
- Water on the table for everyone.
- A sticky note with your sip ladder taped near the TV, so the rules don't get renegotiated mid-board.
Ground rules before the first roll
- Agree on a sip size. One normal sip, not a gulp.
- Two pass tokens per player per board. Use one to skip any sip, no questions asked.
- Drivers play for coins and glory only.
- Skip the shots. Mario Party hands out penalties every few minutes, so lighter drinks pace much better.
The core sip ladder
- Land on a red space and lose coins: 1 sip.
- Finish last in a 4-player mini-game: 1 sip.
- Lose a duel or a coin battle: 1 sip.
- Get your star stolen (Boo, Chance Time, or a duel): the victim takes 1 sip, and the thief hands out 1 sip to anyone except the victim.
- Buy a star: everyone else takes 1 sip. Drop this rule if the table is already wobbly.
- Trigger a Bowser space or event: 2 sips for you. If it hits the whole board, everyone takes 1.
- Win a bonus star at the end: hand out 2 sips.
Cap it at three sips per player per turn, however unlucky the turn.
Mini-game modifiers
- 4-player free-for-all: last place drinks 1.
- 1-vs-3: if the solo player wins, the team of three each drink 1. If the team wins, the solo player drinks 2.
- 2-vs-2: both players on the losing team drink 1.
- Duels and battles: the loser drinks 1 and the winner picks the next song.
- Big skill gaps: if one player has clearly put hundreds of hours into the game, they score points instead of handing out sips. Keeping newcomers in the game matters more than a perfect ladder.
Sober and low-alcohol versions
The ladder works with anything: a sip of soda, a jelly bean per penalty, ten push-ups, or points toward a loser-does-the-dishes finale. In a mixed group, let each player choose their own penalty type. The ladder stays the same, and nobody has to explain why they're not drinking.
Pick a short board
Choose the fewest turns the game allows, usually 10. A 10-turn board with four players takes roughly 45 to 60 minutes, which is plenty for a drinking game. Most entries announce a last-five-turns event, which makes a natural water break. If anyone looks done by then, drop the celebration sips for the final turns. Ending a board early is good hosting, not a failure.
Controller and fairness fixes
Have more than four players? Rotate who sits out each board. The player sitting out becomes the bartender and can assign one sip per round. If motion-control games are hard for one player, give them a coin head start rather than extra sips. If a controller is drifting, swap it out before anyone blames the player.
Between boards
When everyone needs a break from the screen, move to the table. King's Cup Extreme keeps sips organized, Never Have I Ever gets stories going, and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is a quick sober reset. More ideas: our best drunk card games and easy drinking card games.
FAQ
Which Mario Party works best as a drinking game?
Any version with 10-turn boards and lots of 4-player mini-games. Super Mario Party Jamboree and Mario Party Superstars both work well. On very swingy boards, use smaller sips.
How many people can play?
Four on controllers. With more guests, play in teams that share a controller and split the sips.
Can we mix in card drinking games?
Yes. Between boards works best, while the next round loads or food comes out. King's Cup Extreme is an easy pick.
Agree on the ladder out loud, keep water in reach, and treat the drinking rules as a side dish. The mini-games are already the main course.
