What is a Party Game?

Party games are always great at bringing people together-be it for a casual night with friends, a birthday, or a game night. They are that secret ingredient that keeps the energy high and the laughter going. Within the past couple of years, the new breed of digital party games has actually rewritten the rules on how we play and offer innovative ways to entertain people opposite sides of the world or in the same room. But what is it about these games that guarantees fun and popularity at gatherings?

Think of a game that anybody can jump into, full of surprises, and is designed for pure fun. No complex controls or long instructions, just laughter, competition, and chaos. That is the magic of party games: They're made for everyone to laugh and have that moment.

What is a Party Game?

Party games are a genre of games aimed at group fun with its main theme aimed at keeping everybody amused. They are light, simple to learn, and apt for social settings like family gatherings, hangouts with friends, or even online meetups. These games stress quick, light-hearted fun for players of all skill levels.

Party games are well-known for their accessibility. Many of them have very light rules and mechanics; thus, literally anyone can join in to play without much explanation. This makes them great for mixed groups where not everyone might know anything about gaming. The competition is usually friendly, and the fun actually lies in the laughter, unexpected events, and in sharing the moments together rather than in the winning at all.

Gameplay

Party games are all about simplicity and fun. Other genres might require one to spend hours practicing or deeply thinking through strategies, but party games are devised to be very effortless to learn and to play. Most of them have very simple rules that players can grasp in a few minutes. Also, most party games require quick action so that everybody can jump in and have some fun without much preparatory processes.

The second important characteristic of party games is the presence of multiplayer interaction. These games either breathe on or because of interactions among the players. Some games involve teamwork to achieve a common goal while others pitch players against each other in light-hearted combats. At any rate, the social aspect in these games is just what makes them so enjoyable. People laugh at each other, react to each other, and involve each other, making as much of the gameplay about the players themselves as the game mechanics.

More than anything, though, party games usually involve something utterly unpredictable to make things chaotic. You never really know what is going to happen next, and that's where the fun stays. Be it some kind of random event turning the entire course of the game upside down or an underdog winning in the very last second, it is such moments of unpredictability that present party games with their entertainment value. Gameplay is usually fast, dynamic, and full of surprises, and hence makes no two rounds alike.

Best Party Games

5. Among Us

First released in 2018, Among Us suddenly gained overwhelming popularity in 2020 as a perfect mix of social deduction and teamwork. The concept is rather simple: you are on a spaceship with your crew, but some of you actually are impostors looking to sabotage the mission and get rid of the other players. The crew is supposed to finish tasks around the ship, while impostors aim to mingle and take down the crew one by one. Among Us is a great party game because it causes collaboration and deception at the same time. You have to talk with your fellow players, but trust no one, since any of them might be the impostor.

4. Draw & Guess

Draw & Guess is an online party game where players take turns trying to draw and guess in several fun modes. In Draw & Guess, up to 16 players can be accommodated, which is great for both small and large groups. Here, one player draws a word or phrase, and the others try to guess what it is. Such is the challenge, as not everyone is an artist, and that's what constitutes some hilarious and unpredictable results. This game doesn't test just your artistic skills, but also gets some challenge for your guessing powers. You got to think fast and sometimes make out confusing drawings before others do.

3. Pummel Party

Pummel Party is a wild party game in which up to 4-8 players can compete locally or online on the same screen. With the excitement of board games combined with insane mini-games, this is just about as much fun as one could have. Players will be able to move around in Board Mode, collecting ridiculous weapons and items. The aim is to either stand last or to collect the most trophies. However, the board is full of traps and risks that can get in the way and mess up your plans at any moment. Moreover, you can collect items like a giant boxing glove or a radio-guided eggplant to hit your friends with and delay them.

2. Gang Beasts

Where Gang Beasts shines is in its slapstick hilarity. In this game, players take the role of gelatinous, wobbly characters and fight one another in a variety of hazardous environments. Controls are intentionally clunky, making every punch, throw, and grapple an image akin to a wrestling match gone wrong. But it's the absurd physics that gives Gang Beasts its charm. Characters wobble and fall and wildly wave their arms, often getting into accidental victories and laugh-out-loud moments.

1. Party Animals

Last on this list is Party Animals: the game that took everything great about party games and mushed it into one delightful little package. Much like Gang Beasts, players control cute, floppy animals and fight each other using physics, but Party Animals amps up that cuteness level with its wide array of adorable characters.

So, what’s your go-to party game when you’re hanging out with friends? Let us know on our socials here!