If you partook in a family zoom call reunions during lockdown, chances are you experienced the wacky world of Jackbox Games. From Quiplash to Drawful to Tee K.O., Jackbox provides endless laughter and play for families, friend groups, and anyone looking to have a good time. The draw is in the simplicity of the games: you join by inputting the game code into a website, and your phone becomes your controller. Each game is different, and each “party pack” has different games. Some involve drawing, others involve trivia, but most involve trying to be funnier than your friends and family. During COVID, these games were an oasis of social interaction in a desert of isolation. Some of my greatest friendships began through these games, and it’s only fair to pay tribute to them by ranking my top five favorite Jackbox games.
#5 – Role Models
A fun game where you stereotype your friends! That might sound harsh, but it’s fun to place members of your friend group into different categories such as Sesame Street characters or types of food groups etc. You get a nice consensus of what your friends think of you, which can lead to some funny conversations, especially when certain people are way far off from the consensus. The categories in general are fun to see. There’s very little strategy involved besides just “place your friends under the title that fits them best.” Simple, yet effective!
#4 – Trivia Murder Party 2
The quintessential trivia party game—the horror movie vibe and the hilarious narrator elevate this game to new heights. Also, after each round of trivia, anyone who misses the question has to play a game of life or death. This minigame is always different and keeps things fresh. I feel more competitive playing TMP2 than any other Jackbox party game. The final round where you race each other in trivia to escape the haunted mansion is always tense, and always ends in me losing at the last second.
#3 – Push The Button
Basically Among Us (there’s a throwback) if it were a little more focused on deduction rather than sporadic decisionmaking. You and your friends play as shipmates, using various prompts and challenges to probe your fellow players to test whether or not they’re an alien (aliens receive different prompts from humans). The tests can lead to some hilarious results where it’s abundantly clear who the alien is, as you listen to them frantically try to defend their response. This game also gets tense, but the kind of tense where everyone continues to laugh through the chaos.
#2 – Tee K.O.
In this game you get to design and combine terrible drawings with terrible captions to create the most atrocious T-shirts ever conceived. I think Tee K.O. might have provided my friends and I more laughs than any other piece of media I’ve ever touched. It gets that funny. This game is the breeding ground for new inside jokes, running gags, and callbacks to things you and your friends/family like to laugh about. Plus as a bonus, you can actually purchase a real life version of any of the T-shirts you design! Truly an incredible little drawing game.
#1 – Talking Points
The concept of watching your friends have to give TED-talks on the spot with zero preparation or idea of what the next slides look like is unbelievably funny, and it’s even funnier in practice. Talking Points continues to be my favorite Jackbox game because it forces players to really put their heart and soul into a game for a full couple of minutes as they deliver ridiculous and extravagant speeches about insane topics that probably cannot be discussed in any other setting. Talking Points is the most interactive, most engaging, and most entertaining Jackbox game. I will never tire of watching my loved ones give presentations about disturbing topics. Among my favorites, Talking Points stands alone as the pinnacle of Jackbox’s offerings.
Jackbox Games have completely revitalized the party game genre. They’re accessible, comedic, and universally beloved by all age demographics. I’m sure they’ll be a staple in my friend hangouts and family gatherings for decades to come.