While I love playing single-player adventures, there’s something special about playing a video game with others. It just makes the resulting chaos that much more enjoyable. Especially when you’re tackling a party game.
One of the most iconic (and often frustrating) party games of all time is the Mario Party series. But there are plenty of examples of the genre outside those games.
These party games are all crazy, unpredictable, and a lot of fun to play with a group. Whether you compete against those friends or work together with them, these provide hours upon hours of fun.
Without further ado, let’s all roll the dice and play some party games!
10
Moving Out
Let’s Flip Some Couches
Almost everyone has horrible memories of when they had to pack up their belongings and move to a new home. It’s never fun, and usually fraught with emotions. But thankfully, Moving Out puts a fresh coat of paint on the experience.
This adventure from Team17 is a colorful and cooperative game full of wacky physics. Sure, you’re moving a variety of stuff, but you’re doing so in absurd ways. Hurling pillows, smashing through walls with a bedframe, and the like.
There is a lot to do in the town of Packmore, and it’s much better to do so with some friends. Just be ready for Moving Out to test your friendship, since coordinating properly can be a challenge.
9
WarioWare: Get It Together!
Life Is But a Microgame
Ever since Wario went from an anti-hero to a money-grubbing bozo in the first GBA WarioWare game, I’ve been a fan. Sure, it was fun putting on various hats and attacking genies, but it turns out Wario is much more fun when he’s playing insane microgames.
In WarioWare: Get It Together! fans got the best of both worlds. Not only does it feature a robust story mode, but it also has Variety Pack and online Wario Cup modes. And best of all, you can play every mode with at least one friend (or nemesis).
Your goal is to get through each of the 200+ microgames in one piece, and there are some zany examples. From brushing teeth to plucking armpit hair, you’ll be doing increasingly absurd activities, all colored with a cartoony visual style.
The only downside to the game is that eventually you’ll master each of the microgames, by which point there isn’t much reason to keep playing the game. But while it’s novel, WarioWare: Get It Together! can be a lot of fun.
8
Ultimate Chicken Horse
A Zoo Full of Fun
Have you ever wanted to show off your incredible platforming skills? Well, that’s exactly what you can do in Ultimate Chicken Horse. It’s a party game where you literally build the level as you play, trying to screw over your friends but not yourself.
Placement is key, and you’ll throw many dangerous traps around as you wall jump and duck at the last possible second. The game also features a barnyard of different animals and challenges. Heck, it’s even cross-platform.
There are just a couple of things that held Ultimate Chicken Horse back from a higher score. One is that, while it’s fun, the challenge threshold can be unpredictable depending on who you play with.
The other big problem is that the Nintendo version of the game features fewer levels and content overall. Which is a bummer if you want to play on Switch with your friends. Still, this is a very fun game on Steam.
7
The Jackbox Party Pack 6
Uncrank that Jack in the Box
There was a very long period in which I believed the Jackbox games were all garbage. They just seemed generic to me. That is, until I played The Jackbox Party Pack 6 at a friend’s house, and had a blast.
This is a game where you’re trying to defeat your friends, but you do so in a democratic fashion. Voting is key in the game, and it will have you deciding who wins in utterly absurd games.
Perhaps the coolest part of the game is that you can play with any web-enabled device, which opens the zany experience up.
Some of my favorites include Trivia Murder Party and Push the Button. But there aren’t any bad games here, and you’ll find yourself immersed in the wacky adventure for a while. Or at least until you’ve gotten accustomed to the mini-games.
6
Heave Ho
Swing Into Action
Devolver Digital always impresses me with the incredible variety of games they publish. But even then, I was surprised by Heave Ho – zany party game where you move by grabbing onto things with either hand and swinging.
Honestly, that description doesn’t do the game justice. It’s utterly nuts, and that’s when you’re playing cooperatively. If you’re playing a versus mode level, Heave Ho becomes a colorful grudge match.
Much of the fun of the game is finding novel ways to perform platforming feats of derring-do, despite the odds stacked against you. And trust me, there’s plenty, though falling to your death is a recurring threat.
The only reason that Heave Ho isn’t higher up on the list is that sometimes it can be ridiculously challenging, which puts a damper on the fun.
5
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Amateur Bomb Disposal
We’ve all seen movies or TV where someone has to work against the clock to miraculously defuse a bomb. It usually comes down to the last second, and gets our pulses pounding. What’s remarkable is Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes translates that energy into a party game.
You’ll only need one copy to play the game, though it will separate you into two groups – the defuser and the Experts. Only the former can see the bomb, while the others have to read a manual and walk them through safely disposing of the ticking explosive.
While the premise is pretty simple, it proves for hectic fun, especially when you factor in procedural generation. If you really want to get into bomb disposal, there’s even VR functionality and mod support.
4
Stick Fight: The Game
One Stick To Rule Them All
Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of games with wacky physics. I prefer a solid foundation to build upon. But in Stick Fight: The Game, they make wacky physics shine in an unhinged party game.
While the game won’t win any awards for its minimalist aesthetic, the actual gameplay is another matter entirely. There are tons of different levels littered with dangerous weapons, such as a cannon full of snakes, various guns, and swords.
My favorite thing in Stick Fight: The Game is to go full berserker, running screaming into the faces of my friends and pummeling them with my tiny fists. Though it’s also fun to hang onto a chunk of rock while the level explodes around you.
When you factor in user-created content, this is a game that will have you coming back for one more battle for a long while.
3
Overcooked! 2
Cooking Up Some Fun
It took me a while to get into the Overcooked! series of games. Once I did, I found it to be an incredibly fun and satisfying party game. At least, when things go as planned.
In Overcooked! 2, the land is threatened by the hordes of the Unbread. Your job is to keep calm and cook on, no matter how crazy things become. That’ll include the stages moving things around, ghostly mayhem, portals, and much more.
What’s fun about Overcooked! 2 is that you can play cooperatively with a friend, which makes everything a lot more enjoyable. Divvying tasks between two people makes a lot of sense, though beating the clock can be tricky.
2
Among Us
A Vicious Imposter
Managing a spaceship can be a hell of a thing. But doing so when some of your crewmates are vile aliens in disguise is another thing entirely.
That’s the basic premise of Among Us, a twisted social deduction party game. If you’re an actual member of the crew, your job is to get your ship ready to launch and identify and deal with the impostors.
But if you’re an impostor, your goal is instead to murder and frame others. Which makes for a hectic time.
Mix in Discord integration, multiple maps, different ways to play, and tons of visual customizations, and Among Us nearly had what it took to take the gold.
1
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Sakurai’s Masterpiece
At first, I wasn’t sure if Super Smash Bros. Ultimate qualified for this list. But the more I thought about it, this isn’t just a fighting game. It’s a chaotic brawler that’s much more of a party game than a simple fighter.
You can play without items to keep things basic. But it’s a lot more fun to play with randomized items and stages, and going all out to smash the hell out of everybody.
And I do mean everybody, since the massive roster of the game features a stunning variety of fighters, from Ridley to Simon Belmont, as well as returning champs like Ness, Yoshi, and Mario.
You can even create your own stages, as well as try a huge variety of modes both locally and online. Honestly, this is one of those amazing games you can keep playing even years after it first released.
