There’s no shortage of excellent Jackbox games, but if you’re looking for something different, there are other options available. Whether you’re planning a game night or want something fun to break out at a family gathering, here are nine of the best games like Jackbox, with each offering a unique spin on the digital party game format.
It’s worth noting that Jackbox games cover a wide spectrum, from trivia to memory games and beyond. Each of the games below is like Jackbox in one way or another. however, there’s no real alternative that combines so many different gameplay experiences in a single package.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
87%
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows Mixed Reality, SteamVR, Daydream, PlayStation VR, Meta Quest, Meta Rift, Meta Quest 2, Gear VR
Genre
Puzzle, Simulator, Indie, Card & Board Game
Developer
Steel Crate Games
Publisher
Steel Crate Games
Release
July 16, 2015
No one asked for a VR bomb defusal game, but developer Steel Crate Games went ahead and made one anyway. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes puts one player in the role of the bomb defuser and all other players in the role of experts. Using the bomb defusal manual, the experts must communicate with the bomb defuser to disable the various modules placed around the bomb. “Stressful” doesn’t begin to describe how frantic Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is. Experts will violently rip through pages while the defuser tries to figure out how to communicate what they’re seeing. It’s a breathless experience, but once the dust has settled, your playgroup will quickly realize how much fun they’ve been having.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat
82%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia
Genre
Simulator, Strategy, Indie
Developer
Team17, Ghost Town Games
Publisher
Team17
Release
November 12, 2020
Overcooked is a cooking game where you and three other players must work together to get orders out accurately and on time. The core gameplay is simple, especially if your group designates players to certain areas of the kitchen. However, it quickly becomes complex as your team struggles to move around increasingly dangerous kitchens with increasingly complex orders. Overcooked: All You Can Eat combines all the content from the first and second games into a single package. This is a game about the journey, not the destination. As you move into later levels, keeping up with the orders can become nearly impossible. The fun comes from trying your best to cook food in ridiculous circumstances.
Mario Party Superstars
84%
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Card & Board Game
Developer
Nintendo, NDCube
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
October 28, 2021
Mario Party Superstars is one of the best party games on Nintendo Switch. Following the mixed reception of Super Mario Party, Nintendo went back to basics with Mario Party Superstars by simply picking the best boards and games from the original N46 titles. It’s fun, charming, and endlessly replayable, offering dozens of hours of competitive couch gameplay. The fact that Mario Party Superstars is on Switch makes the tired series feel new again. Each player uses a Joy-Con to get around the board for some mini-game fun.
Moving Out
71%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Simulator, Strategy, Adventure, Indie
Developer
DEVM Games, SMG Studio
Publisher
Team17
Release
April 27, 2020
Moving Out is a lot like Overcooked, which makes sense, considering they both come from the same publisher. However, in Moving Out, you’re moving instead of cooking. It’s a physics-based game where you and up to three other players must move furniture in increasingly difficult circumstances. Like Overcooked, Moving Out is at its best when you fail. As you and your teammates move furniture around each area, there’s no shortage of hazards waiting to mess up your day. These hazards are usually played for laughs, though, and make the overall experience feels over-the-top in the best way.
Pummel Party
69%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Indie, Arcade, Card & Board Game
Developer
Rebuilt Games
Publisher
Rebuilt Games
Release
September 20, 2018
Pummel Party, a game for four to eight players, is meant to “destroy friendships.” It’s a lot like Fusion Frenzy on the original Xbox, in that you’ll compete with your friends across a variety of mini-games. This isn’t Mario Party, though. As you progress through the game board, you’ll be able to pick up items and trigger traps to make your friends explode in a gory display. Everything about Pummel Party is extreme, and we love it for that.
Trivial Pursuit Live! 2
Platforms
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia
Genre
Quiz/Trivia, Card & Board Game
Developer
Snap Finger Click
Publisher
Ubisoft Entertainment
Release
March 17, 2022
Trivial Pursuit is a classic tabletop game, and now you can play it digitally. You’re still answering trivia questions with three other players, competing for the coveted colored wedges. This time around, though, you’re positioned in a game show arena with questions handed to you. The questions aren’t especially difficult, and some of the magic is lost with the lack of a board, but Trivial Pursuit Live 2 still gets most of the way there. Plus, it’s a great way to introduce reluctant friends or family to video games.
Use Your Words
60%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Puzzle, Indie, Card & Board Game
Developer
Smiling Buddha Games, LLC
Publisher
Screenwave Media
Release
April 03, 2017
What makes Use Your Words so fun is how it facilitates fun beyond the screen. Yes, each player will need a device to play one of the four included games: Sub the Title, Extra! Extra!, Blank-O-Matic, and Survey Says. Each is a different spin on coming up with funny prompts to write in, so there’s no drawing or acting out done here, and winners are all chosen by player votes. To spice things up, each round also has a House Answer included by the developers!
What the Dub?!
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Quiz/Trivia, Indie, Card & Board Game
Developer
Wide Right Interactive
Publisher
Wide Right Interactive
Release
April 07, 2021
If you’re a fan of the old Mystery Science Theater 3000 series, or just making jokes during bad movies, then What The Dub! will be your new favorite game. This game lets you dub over clips by writing in text from the worst B movies, PSAs, and more with whatever hilarious dialogue you can come up with. Up to six players join in, do their dub, and then watch them all to vote on whichever is funniest. Since you just write in the text, and the game vocalizes it, there are no worries about delivery or not having the proper equipment either.
Gartic Phone
81%
Platforms
Web browser
Genre
Quiz/Trivia
Developer
Onrizon
Publisher
Onrizon
Release
October 02, 2020
Gartic Phone feels almost like it was directly ripped out of a Jackbox game, which makes it perfect for this list. The idea is that one player will write in a sentence, which is given to another player to draw. That drawing is passed to a third player, who has to try and determine what the original sentence was that inspired the drawing, repeating the process with as many players as you have. Once they have all gone around the group, the game will compare all of the starting sentences with the final drawing to compare. This is a great game for creative and improvisational groups, regardless of artistic talent.
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