Mario Party: Star Rush is the latest installment on the Nintendo 3DS following the release of the 2014 3DS game Mario Party: Island Tour. The general concept of playing the game is still the same and does not much differ from previous iterations of the Mario Party franchise, with one exception. The turn-based gameplay of the previous games has been replaced with the ability to move at will, simultaneously, and without set paths on the game board.

The main game-play mode is Toad Scramble in which the player is represented by Toad, depicted in a different color, depending of the amount of players available. In total 10 different game modes are available: Toad Scramble: Compete to win the most Stars! Nab Stars by getting 1st place in boss battles and by trading your coins at the end of the game. Main game-play mode*

• Coinathlon: Play minigames to earn coins as you race around a track! Each coin moves you forward one space. Use items to help you reach the finish line first!
• Mario Shuffle: Team Red vs Blue, 3 characters on a simple straight course opposite each other. Winner is the first to get their characters on the other side. (Amiibo compatible)
• Balloon Bash:"Classic mode", 10, 20 or 30 turns, and minigames when a player touches a coin balloon.
• Challenge Tower: A single player game where a player must climb a tower with LED spaces while avoiding enemies. The higher the better.
• Rhythm Recital: Musical minigame using the touchscreen. Play famous Mario tunes. Each character has instrument.
• Boo’s Block Party: Rotate the blocks, and line up three or more of the same number. Clear a shiny block to clear all other blocks of that same color. Try your best to earn a high score! (Endless)/Try your best and play to win! (Versus)
• Character Museum: Look at characters you collected, amiibo option, can use them as a main hub character.
• Mini-Game Mode: Players can play Free-For-All, Boss Battle, Bowser's Gauntlet, and Coin Chaos minigames they have unlocked in this mode.
• Multiplayer: Challenging your friends through the Download and Local Play features.