Mario Party games join Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack's N64 library next month

Mario Party 2
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Two classic Mario Party games are on the way to Nintendo Switch's retro library.

As confirmed by Nintendo of America via its social media channels, Mario Party and Mario Party 2 - both of which launched on the Nintendo 64 console over 20 years ago - will be available to play on Nintendo Switch from November 2.

However, the games will only be available to subscribers of its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack premium subscription service.

"Party like it’s the year 1999 (and 2000)!" teased Nintendo of America in a tweet. "Hit some Dice Blocks and become a Super Star in Mario Party and Mario Party 2, coming to Nintendo Switch for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members on 11/2!"

While the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack basic subscription gives you access to online play, a range of NES and SNES titles, the ability to save your data in the cloud, and the odd free game, the Expansion pack goes a step further. The boosted membership includes games from N64 and Sega Genesis, a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Happy Home Paradise package, and the Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion. 

If you can't wait until November to spend some quality time with Mario and friends, don't forget that Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope released on Nintendo Switch earlier this week.

Not sure if it's for you? Well, our EIC Sam awarded it an impressive 4.5 stars out of 5 in our Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope review, saying it "captures everything that made the original so special, all while delivering a more complex and complete experience".

"I didn't expect my time with Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope to start with finding Rabbid Mario's trousers while he was hiding in a bush, but that's just the sort of humor we expect from this bizarrely wonderful crossover," Sam wrote. 

"A little juvenile, yes, but oddly endearing. And yet, it's one of the only things that has carried over from the original title, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, because everything else has had quite the update. Going hands-on with a duo of the game's early levels, it's immediately apparent that this is much more of a Super Mario game than I'd expected."

To find out what other games we can look forward to in the near future, take a look at our upcoming Switch games list. 

Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, 12DOVE

Vikki Blake is 12DOVE's Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.