If you're looking for new video game titles to discover and enjoy with friends and family, we've got you covered. In this list, we're going to highlight some of our favorite party video games to pull off. That said, since these games are so different in terms of genre and how many players can participate at any given time, don't think too much about the ranking system here. Instead, think of them as just a collection of games that can be put in any order.
#20 Gang Beasts
Gang Beasts is a fun enough game to beat the title as it throws players into humanoid characters that will wobble as players attempt to knock out opposing players. With a variety of levels filled with dangerous obstacles, the goal of this title is to force other players to die. This could be knocking a character out and sliding their body off a ledge or into a fire pit. Meanwhile, players can mash buttons and attempt to wake up their fighters in hopes of breaking free from their attacker and delivering their brutal blows. It is a wacky game that is made to be enjoyed by multiple players.
#19 Move
Fans of the Overcooked franchise will likely find Moving Out to be just as fun. That said, we'll get into Overcooked a bit more in our next point. With Moving Out, players work together as a moving company that must clear buildings. Items in the building must be taken out and placed in the moving truck. However, oddly shaped rooms and furniture may require more than one player to navigate around obstacles safely.
With a time limit, it is urgent to get the items out in the truck. However, there are ways to get through the building a little faster by throwing objects to be caught by another player or simply coordinating your movements with the team of players. At the end of the round, players are ranked by how well they completed the level when trying to unlock additional levels.
#18 Overcooked
As mentioned, there is the Overcooked series which currently consists of two installments. It was a huge hit upon release as it threw players into the roles of cooks where you work on various dishes and try to get the dish out not just on time but with the right ingredients. With a team of players working on the dishes, it seems like an easy game to play, but it's far from a simple simulation game.
Instead, the game features constantly changing cuisines. With a small window of time to work on each dish, the layout of the kitchen will change giving you obstacles preventing you from accessing certain areas of the kitchen. Not to mention that the kitchens can be very different, from a traditional restaurant kitchen to kitchens split between two big trucks speeding down the highway. Players will need to work together and constantly change what they are doing if they end up getting stuck.
#17 Box Party Pack
box Party Pack is quite the iconic video game franchise and it's had several installments over the years. After starting in 2022, the series has continued to find new installments with The box Party Pack 8 set to launch later this year, 2022. In the game series, players are given a variety of mini-games to compete against. They are also simple games with a lot of interaction and it has become a very popular video game to play through online streaming services such as Twitch.
Either way, players can connect through a variety of devices instead of just being on a single console or even requiring players to all have a copy of the game to join in on the fun. Instead, the host is given a code to send to players which they can log into the game through a smartphone or web browser.
#16 Hidden Agenda
Hidden Agenda comes from the Supermassive Games development team you may know from Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology. This particular episode features a crime thriller cinematic experience where players follow two people. We have homicide detective Becky Marney with district attorney Felicity Graves, who are both involved in a serial killer case.
While the main player will run through the game, this title unlocks some multiplayer features through the PlayLink feature. Players can join the game through their smartphones in which they can vote on different decisions to be made in the game. It is a simplistic board game as players can participate in the gameplay which should take no longer than two hours.
#15 An exit
A Way Out is another cinematic style of video game that gamers can enjoy. Although it's primarily available for two players, it's a fun tale to follow. The interesting aspect of this game is that it requires two players to complete. Players follow two inmates as they attempt to escape from prison and complete unfinished tasks. As mentioned, this game requires two players, with the display split into two halves.
While a protagonist may be stuck in a cutscene, the secondary player may be able to pursue their objectives. This setup also provides interesting puzzles and mini-games, such as a player distracting a guard to allow your co-op friend to sneak into a restricted area or a mini-game that requires both players to synchronize their button presses.
# 14 Ligue Rocket
Rocket League is an easy to understand game. It's a title like football where the objective is to kick a ball into the opposing team's goal. However, in this game, players are in vehicles equipped with a giant ball. In a large futuristic arena, players will race around the terrain at speed and work as a team, but there is definitely a learning curve in this game. With cars being able to race around the terrain with rocket boosters and even the ability to jump in the air, it is quite important here to know the physics of maneuvering the car and the reaction of the ball.
It's quite impressive to see teams that play this game perfectly, as they can bounce the ball to another member of their team and hit the ball perfectly into the goal from a pass. Meanwhile, you have players like me running desperately trying to get the ball. As a free-to-play title, it's a game you can enjoy with your friends online right now.
#13 Keep talking and no one explodes.
Keeping Talking And Nobody Explodes is a mind-bending puzzle game available on many platforms, as well as virtual reality options on PC and PlayStation VR. This game puts players in a team with one player stuck with a complex bomb and at least one or more players working together to find manuals. The player with the bomb, known as the Defuser, cannot view the manuals. Meanwhile, those with access to manuals, or better known as experts, cannot see the bomb.
With a limited countdown, the Defuser is forced to describe what he sees on the bomb to the Experts. From there, it's a race to find out how to successfully disarm the bomb before time runs out. If the players get it wrong and the defuse ruins the puzzle, the bomb will explode as it would with time elapsed. Luckily, the levels will generate different bombs, which will give players a bit of difficulty with each game, so it's not as easy as remembering the solution to a puzzle.
#12 Ultimate Chicken Horse
Chances are you've heard of Ultimate Chicken Horse. It was an indie title that attracted a lot of board game fans. In this game, players go through a platform game in hopes of being one of the few to complete the level. Here's the catch, the game is based on players building the levels. At the start of the game, players have access to a box full of traps or items that can be placed anywhere on the map.
With these items, players attempt to place traps that would prevent others from completing the level. However, if too many players complete the level, you have to start over leaving you with another assortment of items to change. With the diverse selection of levels and items, this game might feel a bit fresh to keep players entertained.
# 11 Broforce
Broforce is another indie title that has gained a number of fans. The game is designed to feature the iconic action stars of the 80s and 90s. Here, these characters will fight against alien forces by liberating the land. With enemies ready to shoot on sight, players can easily blast through the landscape with their assortment of weapons such as burrowing under and creating a tunnel system to ascend and take out an enemy.
What makes this game a little more exciting is the fact that there are so many iconic characters to unlock that are based on fictional icons such as Rambo, Indiana Jones, Ash Williams, James Bond, Predator and Robocop to to name a few. However, each of these characters brings their unique weapons that will help change the gameplay into even more chaotic fun.
#10 Lego Games
Lego games are quite popular and they feature a number of different IP addresses. These are usually parodies that only offer the bare bones of the narrative storyline along with the mostly platform-centric gameplay. Players will have beat 'em up style combat as well as puzzles to solve. It is difficult to simply identify a particular game for this selection. For example, there are Lego games based on Marvel Comics, Batman, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, the list goes on. Which boils down to what you're interested in when it comes to licensed properties for Lego video games.
# 9 SpeedRunners
SpeedRunners is a pretty fun side-scrolling racing game. It's a bit of parkour mixed with a runner as players try to be the fastest person in the pack. Here players race the course with the camera automatically focusing more on the front runner. With a series of power-ups and grappling hooks, players try to maneuver through obstacles as you try to place runners behind you far enough away that they end up being wiped out. However, the back runners have the advantage of seeing where the obstacles are to get over them quickly while the lead runner has much less space in front to see what exactly is going on.
# 8 Just Dance
The Just Dance series debuted in 2022 and continues to thrive today with new installments. It's a simple rhythm-based game where players dance to the beat of the on-screen movements. There is usually a device that players hang onto or a camera system that tracks players' movements to get their scores. It's a game series that can also keep up with multiple players with some of the latest installments featuring group dances.
Meanwhile, there is a wide range of popular music tracks and choreographic dances ranging from beginners to dance enthusiasts. If you love dancing in general, chances are you've been a fan of the series before, otherwise the latest installment for newcomers is Just Dance 2022, released November 2022 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch platforms.
# 7 Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat is an iconic fighting game franchise. After debuting in arcades, it quickly became a controversial title for its gruesome attacks. Looking back now, that first installment is pretty tame to how video games are now, especially with the Mortal Kombat franchise. This series continues to get more and more gruesome with a roster of fighters that fans have fallen in love with.
Mortal Kombat 11, as it currently stands, is the latest installment in the franchise. While the campaign has playtime that gives old-school Mortal Kombat fans a certain nostalgia, the real charm of this game is simply being able to play it with friends. Organize your tournaments and fight with iconic classic fighters as well as guest characters. For example, with Mortal Kombat 11, players could get the DLC packs that come with Joker, Terminator, RoboCop, and John Rambo.
# 6 Injustice 2
Speaking of Mortal Kombat, the same development team that delivered Mortal Kombat 11, NetherRealm Studios also delivered the Injustice franchise. It's a game that looks a lot like Mortal Kombat. The only difference here is that instead of classic Mortal Kombat fighters, we instead have featured characters from DC Comics.
Players can once again go through different battles between characters such as Aquaman, Batman, Cyborg, Supergirl, Superman, Joker, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern, the list goes on. Even better, there are plenty of custom levels to fight through, along with some characters even having chat with each other to give the fight a bit of fun interaction.
#5 Brawlhalla
Following the fighting genre, we have Brawlhalla. It is a platform fighter very similar to Super Smash Bros. While Nintendo continues to dominate the platform fighter with the Super Smash Bros series and a wide range of not only their own IP characters popular, but also some guest video game characters like well, it's good to come up with an alternative.
Brawlhalla is also available on a good range of platforms and it looks a lot like Super Smash Bros. Players have a variety of characters to use, different levels and items. Not to mention, it's free so you can jump straight into the fold with an active community of gamers or battle it out with friends.
# 4 Ascension de Towerfall
Towerfall Ascension is a fierce fighting title designed for four players. In this game, players are thrown into a platform-style map. Players will start in the corners of the map where you will be given a set number of arrows to shoot your enemies. During this, players are forced to dodge attacks, pick up arrows, and try to sink one into an opponent.
A single arrow will take out a player making the game tense. Not to mention that the map will offer chests that can reward players with buffs such as giving them the explosives or turning them into fire. Likewise, if the match takes too long, the game will start to lower the level, forcing the remaining players to get a little closer.
# 3 Castle Crashers Remastered
Gamers can't forget the iconic beat 'em up title Castle Crashers. This title started out as an Xbox 360 exclusive, but over the years it's been ported and even remastered. For example, players can get the remastered edition of this game on the PlayStation 4. This is a game in which up to four knights can go on a rescue mission to rescue the princess of the kingdom after she is kidnapped by an evil wizard.
Along the way, our heroes will have to fight against all kinds of evil creatures and boss fights. Meanwhile, as players level up, they can earn coins to spend in in-game stores on useful items or upgraded weapons. It was such an iconic hit years ago that there are bound to be not only veterans who wouldn't want to enjoy this game again with friends, but also a slew of newcomers who might not. never played this game originally.
# 2 Round of golf
Party Golf is another simple game to understand and play. It's basically a wacky maze putt-putt game. Here, players try to be the first player to sink their golf ball into the hole. However, the maps are full of cliffs and ledges to climb. Not to mention that there are many variables in the maps outside of just changing the maps, but also different types of golf balls. Likewise, the map will eventually count down, giving players a limited time to score points. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins.
# 1 Crash Bandicoot Nitro-Fueled
While Nintendo has dominated the kart racing genre, there are alternatives available for other platforms. One of these is Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. This is a remastered title of Crash Team Racing, a kart racer that launched on the original PlayStation. Overall, it's a game that looks a lot like Mario Kart, but instead of Nintendo IP characters, we're given characters from the Crash Bandicoot franchise.
Players are always going through courses trying to finish first as the level has a series of different power-ups that can be picked up. These power-ups will allow players to gain a speed boost or provide a means of attack against other players on the course.
