Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts.
Media is supposed to make people feel things, and one medium that has done this better than most is video games, which have provided nostalgic masterpieces like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and modern classics such as Red Dead Redemption 2. And like most forms of media, video games also present a handful of genres for fans to enjoy.
However, as movies and TV shows have comedies, there aren’t many video games in this genre. That is why this list will rank the funniest video games of all time based on aspects such as comedy, how it is portrayed in writing, story, gameplay, style, as well as fan opinion, and overall quality. Video games can brighten a day in many ways, and making players laugh is one of the best ways to do so.
10
'Hitman' (2016)
Image via IO Interactive
Not all funny games are comedic because they want to be; others naturally become hilarious, as was the case with the Hitmanrevival. Agent 47 is a cloned assassin whose job is to travel across the world and carry out important missions tied to a mysterious organization that controls the world from behind the scenes.
Hitman isn’t inherently funny; in fact, it is quite a serious game where players must assassinate targets. However, it has inadvertently become hilarious because of the juxtaposition of assassins and methods. It blends this grim professionalism with cartoon-style absurdity, where players can kill an entire room of characters with a newspaper or dress up as a clown as they take down high-profile targets.
9
'Grim Fandango' (1998)
Image via LucasArts
The point-and-click genre is a treasure trove of comedic masterpieces, and one of the best games from it is Grim Fandango. Manny Calavera is a travel agent for the dead, but when he learns of a conspiracy that officials are stealing premium tickets from souls, he sets out on a journey across the Land of the Dead in order to save a righteous soul who was forced down a dark path.
Unlike Hitman, Grim Fandango is hilarious by intention, boasting a sharp and cynical writing style that makes the dialog pop and the eccentric characters come to life. It proves that the ‘90s were one of the best decades of video games with its satirical plot that is just as much of a commentary as it is a hilarious video game. Not to mention, Grim Fandango has so many quotable lines.
8
'Gang Beasts' (2014)
Image via Boneloaf Studios
Some games are funny because of their writing, but in party games, the comedy lies in the gameplay. Gang Beasts is a multiplayer party brawler, where players can take on friends, family, strangers, or the computer in a series of matches. However, the floppy combat and hazardous locations make the battles anything but badass.
The best way to describe the combat is floppy, with gamers having a hard time controlling these unpredictable characters and their physics. But this just makes the gameplay hilarious, with fights being chaotically goofy and not what players intend. It is easy to fall into a hole or bring down an elevator full of people, displaying an engaging drunken grapple and brawl that is funny in the best way possible.
7
'Yakuza 0' (2015)
Image via SEGA
Games can be funny and serious at the same time, and this list will show that with multiple entries, starting with Yakuza 0. Kiryu is a junior yakuza member who is framed for a murder he didn’t commit, and Majima is a disgraced yakuza who chooses to protect a civilian instead of killing her to get back into the family.
Yakuza 0 is epic from start to finish, and it achieves this while switching tones between a deadly serious crime drama and an overly silly comedy. The eventful location draws endearing and bizarre characters, leading to some of the most ridiculous side quests that are also the heart of the game. Yakuza 0 maintains its humor alongside its seriousness to become one of the greatest comedy games.
6
'The Stanley Parable' (2013)
Image via Galactic Cafe
Work is boring, especially an office job, but fans may find it to be at least a little bit more interesting after playing The Stanley Parable. The titular character is an average office worker who one day has no coworkers or instructions. The player can either decide to listen to the disembodied voice telling them what to do or forge their own path, with every decision leading to a different ending.
This game can be silly, but the laughs are mostly because of its meta-comedy and sharp writing, which mocks video game tropes, player agency, and the illusion of choice. An intelligent game at its core, The Stanley Parable is a witty satire that makes fun of video games, with each new piece of dialog adding to the humor while also being a stimulating experience that makes players think about their choices.
5
'Octodad: Dadliest Catch' (2014)
Image via Young Horses
It is usually horror games that get massive amounts of attention on YouTube, but some comedy games have become trendy, like Octodad: Dadliest Catch. Playing as an octopus disguised as an average man, gamers follow his life as it escalates from mundane family chores to surviving an increasingly unhinged plot where he can die at any moment.
The premise is already ridiculous and absolutely hilarious, but the deliberately terrible physics engine makes it even funnier. Octodad’s controls are awful, making simple tasks like pouring coffee a struggle. But this only adds to the chaotic slapstick nature of the game that has made it one of the funniest video games of all time.
4
'The Secret of Monkey Island' (1990)
Image via LucasArts
Grim Fandango was a game by LucasArts, which provided more than one hilarious point-and-click adventure. The Secret of Monkey Island. Guybrush is determined to be a great pirate, and to prove this, he must sail to the legendary Monkey Island and save a governor from the undead ghost pirates inhabiting the island.
This was the first game to really kickstart LucasArts’ style of humor, relying on witty wordplay to create smart and funny jokes. The Secret of Monkey Island is also known for insult sword fighting, where duels are won with sharp comebacks, instilling comedy into the fabric of gameplay. With fourth-wall breaking and some of the best comedic writing in games, it easily establishes itself as a must-play comedy game.
3
'Disco Elysium' (2019)
Image via ZA/UM
Yakuza 0 isn’t the only comedic game that can switch to a serious plot, because Disco Elysium is specifically known for that. Set in a dystopian world, players are an intoxicated detective with amnesia who must solve a politically charged murder among a web of union strikes and corporate espionage. Thankfully, he has his many other personalities to help him.
Disco Elysium is one of the smartest and most unique video games ever, but it backs this up with a hilarious script that doesn’t undercut the complex narrative. The protagonist isn’t great at his job, but those failures are nothing if not funny, especially when he bickers with the voices inside his head. Disco Elysium isn’t the usual kind of funny, but its intelligent comedy has made it a standout and a video game that should have won Game of the Year.
2
'Untitled Goose Game' (2019)
Image via House House
Some of the funniest stories are about awful people, or in this case, animals. Untitled Goose Game is about a mean goose whose only purpose is to disrupt a peaceful English village. With a checklist of chaotic tasks, players must terrorize the locals in any way they see fit, resulting in hilarious encounters.
Sometimes, it’s fun to be bad, or at least funny, because it is such a joy to play this game. Gamers will be maniacally laughing throughout its entirety as they cause mayhem everywhere they go. The arrogance and power the goose holds is hilarious compared to the seemingly mildly inconvenient tasks it completes. Untitled Goose Game is meant to be funny, and it easily achieves that as players become a honking fiend.
1
'Portal 2' (2011)
Image via Valve
This list has proven that comedy can come in so many different ways, from intentionally comedic writing to unexpected emergent gameplay. While it isn’t easy to decide the funniest, that honor arguably goes to Portal 2. Years after the first game, Chell wakes up in the same scientific facility, except this time it is abandoned. With the help of a robot named Wheatley, she tries to escape the facility, but the reactivation of GLaDOS makes that even more difficult.
Portal 2 is one of the greatest video games of all time, establishing that legacy through unmatched gameplay and innovative mechanics. However, it is also a comedic masterclass that blends the puzzles and mechanics with its corporate satire and flawless dialog. Portal 2 was a monocultural event, and that satirical nature of it helped. GLaDOS and Wheatley are a perfect blend of comedy styles that make every punchline worthwhile, proving this game isn’t just smart and fun, but also witty and funny.
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