So, you’re having a party. You own an Xbox, and you’re having friends over for a good time. What to do? Play some games, of course.
Can you even have a party without playing party games? We’re not sure. We don’t think so. And the best way to play party games is, of course, by turning on your console of choice. And if you have an Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S, you’re in luck: there are dozens of excellent party games for you to choose from.
No matter what type of game you want to play with your friends, we’ve got you covered. Competitive games? Check. Trivia games? Check. Co-operative games? Check. These are all easy to play, and many of them don’t even require multiple controllers – you can use your phones (ah, the wonder of modern technology) or simply pass around a single controller. Read on for our picks of the best party games on Xbox, and party on.
Related: The Best Party Games on Xbox Game Pass
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1. Quiplash
You’ll find Quiplash included in a couple of Jackbox Party Pack games – one of which you’ll find below– but this is by far one of our favourite titles from Jackbox so far. You really don’t need any other game than this. The idea of Quiplash is simply to be ridiculous – and the more ridiculous you are, the more fun you’ll end up having.
The game provides you with a prompt, and it’s your job to fill in the blank. You can be sensible if you want, but you’re going to have more fun if you’re silly, rude and a little bit inappropriate. When it comes to the best party games on Xbox, Quiplash is an absolute classic.
2. Jackbox Party Pack 9
We could pick any Jackbox Party Pack to put here – there are now nine of them, and they all offer excellent party game fun. Each Pack has five different games in it, all asking you to compete with your friends in weird and wacky ways. Whichever one you pick up is sure to be a blast.
Jackbox Party Pack 9, for example includes Roomerang, pictured above, which tasks players with engaging in a fake reality TV-style gameshow that reminds us of The Circle. There’s also the classic Fibbage making a return here, and the more sensible but engrossing trivia sorting game Quixort. But even if you go for one of the eight other Jackbox games out there, you’re guaranteed to find something you’ll love.
Read our review of Jackbox Party Pack 9
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3. Nidhogg 2
Only two people can play Nighogg 2 at any one time, but it’s still worth bringing out at any party. The goal is simple: reach the end of the stage before your opponent. But with your opponent’s goal in the opposite direction to you, and with each of you armed with a variety of weapons, it’s less of a race and more of an all-out brawl.
Nidhogg 2 is positively hilarious as both players battle for victory, stabbing each other and jumping over each other’s attacks. Pass around some controllers and take it in turns to reign victorious – Nidhogg 2 is one of the best party games on Xbox, hands down. You’ll die, die and die again, but you’ll keep jumping back in, side-splitting with laughter every time.
4. Overcooked 2
Imagine the chaos of a busy commercial kitchen – then put a volcano in the middle of it. That’s essentially the elevator pitch for Overcooked! 2, one of the best party games available on Xbox Game Pass. Heck, one of the best party games full stop.
In Overcooked! 2, you and your friends must work together in order to prepare food for customers as quickly as possible. Sounds easy enough, right? Not when you consider your cooking environments. Maybe an earthquake will rip right through your kitchen. Or maybe you’re working on the back of two lorries, speeding down the motorway. It’s a game that sets out to make your life as difficult as possible – but the results are often hilarious. This is one for party groups who want to work together, and don’t mind being put under pressure.
Read our review of Overcooked! 2
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5. Gang Beasts
There’s a reason why Gang Beasts was so popular on Dave’s video game TV show, Go 8 Bit: it’s absolutely riotous fun. Up to four local players can take control of a squishy, gelatinous character with the sole goal of surviving. With a variety of stages, each filled with numerous dangerous hazards, each player must kick and punch their way to victory, and not let anyone stand in their way.
If you like to get a little competitive but still have plenty of fun, Gang Beasts makes for one of the best party games available on Xbox Game Pass. It’s bright, it’s colourful, it isn’t to be taken seriously at all. But slapping and jumping on your friends, or throwing them into a vat of goo, has never been so much fun.
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6. It’s Quiz Time
There aren’t many pure trivia games available these days; we remember with fondness the joys of playing the likes of Buzz! in the early 2000s. It’s Quiz Time might not carry the charisma of Jason Donovan but it fills the trivia gap rather nicely, offering over 25,000 questions in a variety of categories. And with players able to jump in using just their phones, there’s no excuse for not getting everyone involved.
Questions are broken down into categories, so you can absolutely nail the video game round, and with different rounds providing different challenges, there’s a lot of fun to be had. If you like quiz games and general knowledge, then It’s Quiz Time is one of the best party games on Xbox, hands down.
Read our review of It’s Quiz Time
7. Hotshot Racing
Okay, so a racing game might not exactly be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the best party games. But stick with us. Hotshot Racing isn’t a serious racing game; it’s an arcade racer that apes classic arcade games of the 90s. And, better yet, it can be played in up to 4-player split screen multiplayer, allowing four of your to all compete against each other.
It’s a fantastic-looking game, with players able to race around a variety of tracks in a range of superfast sports cars. There’s nothing better than coming out of a race victorious, especially when your friends are the ones trailing in your dust. As far as racing games go, Hotshot Racing is a lot of fun, and we think it makes for one of the best party games available on Xbox.
Read our review of Hotshot Racing
8. Worms W.M.D
Remember Worms? Of course you do. Worms W.M.D is one of the best games in the series from recent years, for one simple reason: it apes the format and style of the original Worms games. It returns to its 2D side-scrolling roots, allowing groups of friends to engage in wormish warfare with a series of ridiculous weapons. Exploding sheep? Homing missiles? It’s all here.
Worms W.M.D. is one of the best party games on Xbox for those who like to get a little bit competitive. You can each create your own team of worms, squaring up against each other and going in for all-out war. Even if you lose, it’s still great fun though – seeing those poor worms get blown to smithereens will never not be funny. Sorry, worms.
Read our review of Worms W.M.D
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9. Moving Out
Moving Out takes the Overcooked formula and transports it from a kitchen to a removals company. Here, you have to work as a team to move people’s furniture out of their house and into the back of your removals truck. It sounds easy and perhaps a bit boring, sure, but in practice, it’s every bit as chaotic and hilarious as its inspirations.
Try getting an L-shaped couch down a set of stairs, for example. Or maybe you’ll run out of time so you’re forced with no other option than to throw an expensive-looking TV out of an upstairs window. Whoops. Then loading the van is a whole other dilemma: you’ll have to think logically about how best to fit everything in. And maybe it’s parked across a busy road, so you have to get to it first. Good luck. You and your party guests are going to need it.
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10. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
Who doesn’t love a trivia game at a party? Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? turns the popular TV format into a video game, putting you and your party guests up against precocious 10-year olds as you answer a bunch of trivia questions.
Be warned if you live elsewhere in the world: some of the questions are very America-centric. But we Europeans are used to that by now. It’s not enough to stop this trivia game being great fun. It helps that it looks nice, too, and there’s a huge range of categories and questions on offer.
