Originating from the makers of You Don’t Know Jack, the Jackbox Party Pack has reached its twelfth release over the course of the same number of years. Each pack contains a unique bundle of casual pick-up-and-play games that can be enjoyed by a group online, even with only one copy of the game, so even the earlier entries retain popularity to this day. Although every Jackbox Party Pack has its merits, some ultimately make for better experiences than others.
Each Jackbox Party Pack contains five games, covering everything from trivia contests to artistic challenges to frenzied joke concoctions. Some of the included games have managed to get sequels across multiple packs due to standout popularity, while many of even the most memorable ones stick to a singular appearance. The best Jackbox Party Packs feature a strong overall lineup with diverse gameplay styles, making it hard not to find something to love inside.
12 Jackbox Party Pack
The game that started it all is certainly a classic, but it's hard to argue that newer entries haven't somewhat outmoded it. This pack features a solid variety, but it doesn't do much that hasn't been done better elsewhere. The popular standouts Drawful, Fibbage XL, and You Don't Know Jack have received further iterations since, and Lie Swatter is only particularly interesting as an option for huge parties with an absurd limit of 100 players. Word Spud can definitely be a lot of fun with the right group, but it isn't the kind of game that's going to sell a pack single-handedly.
11 Jackbox Party Pack 2
Jackbox Party Pack 2 runs up against a similar problem as the first, where some of its highlights have been redone since, but it acquits itself better overall. Having a version of Quiplash and Fibbage in the same pack offers fun for anyone who likes to make up silly answers. Earwax offers a uniquely auditory game, even if it can descend to lowbrow cheap shots depending on the group.
Bidiots is arguably the standout of Jackbox Party Pack 2, shaking up a Pictionary-style game with an investment twist. Bomb Corp is also a solid option for anyone interested in tense co-op fun, particularly thanks to an update it received in 2023.
10 Jackbox Party Pack 9
The Jackbox games have proven time and time again that the series never ends up running out of steam, but Jackbox Party Pack 9 is an entry that does feel like it's straining a bit for ideas. Fibbage 4 fails to improve on its predecessors, Junktopia feels somewhat derivative, and Nonsensory is frankly a bit nonsense.
Quixort makes for a solid overall addition, shaking up the trivia format a bit, and Roomerang is arguably the most interesting new game, emulating a reality TV show in a fun way, although it could do with some more encouragement of communication.
9 Jackbox Party Pack 12
Jackbox Party Pack 12 isn't a bad pack by any means, but it fails to make a huge impression. Idol Factions is more chaotic than actually interesting, and it takes a round of sluggish warm-up to even get to that point. We Forgot a Card is predictable, offering a solid but relatively middle-of-the-road joke-writing game.
Debate and Switch could be a highlight for some groups, but it isn't quite as inspired as Talking Points. MegaPals is perhaps the pack's best, as long as you're playing with a group of friends who can match words in fun ways. Hyperface's stock photo manipulation is more fun than you'd think, although it isn't one of the best drawing games Jackbox has provided.
8 Jackbox Party Pack 4
The most obvious draw of Jackbox Party Pack 4 is Fibbage 3, arguably the best iteration of the lie-telling game, which could be enough reason to purchase the pack alone. Nothing else, however, quite lives up to it.
Survive the Internet is a solid inclusion, iterating on a similar premise to Quiplash with an interesting presentation, and Monster Seeking Monster can be fun with close friends, although it doesn't work well with casual acquaintances. Civic Doodle is one of the least inspiring Jackbox drawing games, further harmed by a potentially irritating announcer, and Bracketeering ultimately isn't all that interesting.
7 Jackbox Party Pack 8
Jackbox Party Pack 8 is a solid entry with a couple of standout titles. Job Job does the impossible of making job interviews fun, and Drawful Reanimate brings back a classic with a minor animation twist to freshen things up.
The Wheel of Enormous Proportions relies too much on chance to live up to the best Jackbox trivia games, but it can be enjoyable in a chaotic way, as can the over-complicated murder mystery Weapons Drawn. Poll Mine is solid cooperative fun, just unlikely to generate many laughs.
6 Jackbox Party Pack 10
Jackbox Party Pack 10 finally offers an evolution of the excellent game Tee K.O., adding different types of shirts and fonts to a t-shirt drawing frenzy. The frantic nature of FixyText also improves on past improv games like Quiplash, doing a better job at innately generating humor.
Timejinx offers another solid addition to the Jackbox trivia canon, while Dodo Re Mi takes things to the rhythm dimension for the first time without fully managing to inspire. Hypnotorious isn't as funny as it could be, but that's hardly enough to sink a good new Jackbox entry.
5 Jackbox Party Pack 6
Jackbox Party Pack 6's standout Trivia Murder Party 2 might be the best trivia game in the Jackbox series, evolving on its predecessor in minor but positive ways for a definitive experience. Role Models is also particularly excellent with friends, although it's essentially useless if the players don't know each other well.
Joke Boat is more likely to lead to bad comedy than anything clever, which can be perfect depending on the mood, and the definition-creating Dictionarium is fun but minor. Push the Button offers some decent social deduction, rounding out a solid pack overall.
4 Jackbox Party Pack 11
Jackbox Party Pack lost some of its mojo after the brilliant run of 5-7, with 8-10 serving as mostly middle of the road packs at best. Jackbox Party Pack 11, however, proved that there was still plenty of gas left in the tank. Suspectives can be a blast with a tight-knit friend group, and Doominate is a gleefully destructive game about riffing that serves as a solid iteration on the joke-writing formula.
Legends of Trivia isn't Trivia Murder Party level, but it also avoids being one of Jackbox's worst trivia offerings, and Cookie Haus offers the fun you'd expect from a Jackbox drawing game. Hear Say doesn't work well in-person, but online, coming up with comedic sound effects makes for one of the better sound-based games.
3 Jackbox Party Pack 3
The Jackbox series kicked things into overdrive with Jackbox Party Pack 3, which holds up to this day as an excellent entry. Quiplash 2, Trivia Murder Party, and Tee K.O. have all been iterated on by subsequent sequels, but having all three in one game is a powerful package of fun.
Fakin' It can only be played in person, and Guesspionage is generally minor, so anyone who already has the successors to the big three games included doesn't have much reason to pick this up, but it's a great choice as a starter.
English (US) ·