The most interesting party games released in 2016
All the best and most popular games of the year, upcoming releases, and hits from the past. Use filters to narrow down search.
Amplitude
Party
January 5, 2016
A re-edition of the classic music game for PlayStation 2, one of the first productions of Harmonix, the creators of the Guitar Hero franchise, as well as the Rock Band and Dance Central series. It was developed thanks to a successful fund-raising campaign on Kickstarter. Amplitude combines typical music game features with elements of a 3D space shooter. We sit in the cockpit of a spaceship, called Beat Blaster, which races through the musical cyberspace on a track that reflects the rhythmic notation of the currently played song. It is divided into several paths, each representing individual elements of the song (vocals, guitar, bass, and drums), and our task is to press the right button when a given instrument is playing. Compared to the 2003’s original, the game offers enhanced graphics, improved controls and a completely new soundtracks, composed in large part by the developers themselves.
Exploding Kittens
Party
January 21, 2016
A mobile card game created by Mathew Inman as an adaption of a popular board game of the same name. Exploding Kittens is unlike anything in its genre and has been developed purely with a group of players sitting at a single board in mind. Rules are incredibly simple: during each turn the players randomly select one card, and the one to draw the eponymous volatile furball is out of the game. All other cards are used to avoid the explosive animal or preventing others from achieving the same objective. We can find among them e.g. passing turn, looking at top threes cards of the deck or defusing the kitty and returning it into the deck in way that other players won’t know where it is.
Talisman: The Horus Heresy
Party
February 22, 2016
A digital board game by Nomad Games combining the iconic Warhammer universe with the rules of the popular board game, Talisman. The story is based on the “Horus Heresy” trilogy by Dan Abnett and takes place in 31st millennium, when humanity flourishes under the rule of a gracious Emperor. When he had suddenly withdrawn from the frontlines, and Horus, his favorite son whom he promoted to the rank of Warmaster, objected to his ambitious plans, a great civil war breaks out. In Talisman: The Horus Heresy, the players assume the role of one of 8 playable characters divided into two groups: the loyalists or the traitors and take command of one division of Space Marines. The gameplay mechanics employ the solutions of the Talisman series, although the scale is incomparably bigger because the board spans across the entire galaxy.
Miitomo
Party
March 16, 2016
A social application for mobile devices created by Nintendo. It allows us to share interesting curiosities concerning ourselves with others and conversely - one can learn something interesting about other users. Thanks to extensive personalization possibilities, Miitomo allows us to create unique three-dimensional avatars - the players are capable not only of modifying their avatars' appearances, but also their voices and personalities. The player answers the questions asked by the avatar so it learns about the user, whose friends can see the answers and comment on them. The photo mode is a different feature - the player chooses the scenery and pose. Then they put different effects on. Photos can be shared with friends on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The program offers numerous mini-games, such as Miitomo Drop, in which the player drops Mii to the board containing obstacles - depending where they land, the player receives different rewards. Although the game is free-to-play, it features optional microtransactions.
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X
Party
March 24, 2016
The seventh installment in the arcade music game series by SEGA. To play the game you need a good sense of rhythm and quick fingers to push the buttons appearing on screen. As usual, the main characters are the virtual vocalists, Miku Hatsune being the most prominent. Their digital voices are generated by professional music software, which has been used by fans to create thousands of songs from many genres; several dozens of them make an appearance in the game. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X is the first title in the series featuring a story campaign, in which you help Miku and other characters discover the digital idol world. As the game progresses, you unlock new cutscenes and events, similar to the previous installments. The production features several hundreds of outfits and accessories for the characters, and completing an outfit matching a song gets you a bonus. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X utilizes the same graphic engine as the other games in the franchise, although its visuals are better.
Tower Unite
Party
April 8, 2016, Early Access
A unique online cooperative game based in part on the assumptions of the popular fashion Garry's Mod. The title allows players to communicate and have fun together in various mini-games, offering many other activities, as well as the ability to import their own 3D models and build virtual worlds.
Push Me Pull You
Party
May 3, 2016
An unusual, two-dimensional sports game developed by House House Games, dedicated to local multiplayer matches for two or four players. The mechanics of Push Me Pull You mixes the elements of wrestling and popular team games such as volleyball or basketball. We take part in a match of two pairs – each team creates a flexible worm-like structure with two heads. Our goal is to hold the ball on our side of the court for the required amount of time. Both players can influence the shape and the size of the worm in order to catch the ball and carry it into the required direction, while the other team attempts to retrieve it by intruding on the winning team and pressure them to give up the ball. In order to win, the players have to maintain communication and coordinate the moves of both heads. The game is characteristic for its pastel colors and cartoonish graphics.
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone
Party
June 23, 2016
Another installment of the arcade series of music games available on Sony consoles and in the arcades. The game was developed by SEGA. The title focuses on the songs performed by six virtual vocalists originating from a professional music application created by Crypton Future Media. There are more than 200 tracks of various genres available in the game. The tracks were composed by fans from all over the world during the few last years. There are also some completely new tracks created for this edition of the game. Mechanics of the game aren’t much different from the ones in its predecessors and in other music games. During the game a music video is shown on the screen and the player must quickly and precisely press the correct buttons. In contrast to its predecessors, Project Diva Future Tone doesn’t offer the option to interact with the characters or design their rooms. However, one can still unlock various accessories and costumes for them.
Dicetiny: The Lord of the Dice
Party
July 22, 2016
A funny board game with RPG and CCG elements developed by Korean studio Fakedice. The story of Dicetiny: The Lord of the Dice is a humorous paraphrase of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The game takes place in a realm called Middle-Board and its plot focuses on the legendary magic dice which were given to all races, except for goblins. The goblins decided to sow discord among the dice-bearers by spreading rumors of the one dice that rules them all. During the game players join the selected race. The action takes place on several boards where the players must face various challenges and objectives. One can deal with them with special cards that are collected as the game progresses. In addition to that, we level up each time our pawn makes a full lap around the board. In contrast to classic, rivalry-based board games, the key to success in DICETINY lies is cooperation of all players.
Prominence Poker
Party
August 16, 2016
A card game created with multiplayer gameplay in mind. The action of Prominence Poker takes place in a fictional city of Prominence, with the players assuming the role of tourists whose task is to convince the local gamblers to respect the newcomer's poker skills. The goal is to join one of four local criminal groups and dethrone it’s leader. The players in Prominence Poker are given a wide range of visual customization options, including the ability to choose an outfit or tattoos. Individual gangs differentiate themselves from other group not only through the appearance of the players, but also through their favorite spots to play. The gameplay is based on Texas Hold’em rules, with No Limit variant, so the stakes and the number of raises during the round are not limited. Various challenges of various difficulty await the players, along with rewards received for winning. The character led by the player acquires experience and advances to next levels. Prominence Poker is a free-to-play game, and aside from the multiplayer mode, there is also a variant for single players, with opponents controlled by AI.
Just Sing
Party
September 6, 2016
A karaoke game created by iNiS. It is a spin-off of one of Ubisoft's flagship franchises - Just Dance, a series developed since 2009. In contrast to Just Dance, Just Sing requires the player to sing along the lyrics which are displayed at the bottom of the screen. The game monitors the player's voice and reads the movements of their lips in order to evaluate their performance. Just Sing features the latest hits and can be enjoyed in several game modes, both for single and multiplayer experience (up to 4 players). An opportunity to shoot one's own video clip is an additional feature of the game, but the player can also share their clips with others. The game requires either Kinect or PlayStation Camera. Having neither of these devices, the player can still enjoy the game with a smartphone in their hand (a special application needs to be installed first).
Mario Party: Star Rush
Party
October 7, 2016
Another installment in the Mario Party series by Nintendo, released for the 3DS portable console. It is basically a virtual version of a classic board game. The game is focused on the multiplayer mode, which can include up to 4 players, who take on the roles of colorful board pieces and move around the board according to the results of the die rolls. That's how you travel through locations, trying to gather the eponymous stars and find new friends, such as Mario, Peach, and Donkey Kong. Those friends help you in overcoming challenges and obstacles, which you encounter during your adventures. Depending on the chosen game mode, in Mario Party: Star Rush you either play against other players, or cooperate with them to beat powerful boss enemies.
Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live
Party
October 13, 2016
An interactive concert developed for PlayStation VR. Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live was created by Japanese company Sega, known from the Project Diva series, which is the base of this production. During the concert, you can listen to 21 songs by the most famous digital performers, such as Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Ren and Rin, Megurine Luka, Meiko and Kaito. Before each performance, you decide the songs and where you want to be located: the general audience, the balconies, or even the stage. By swinging PlayStation move motion controllers to the rhythm of music you unlock additional bonuses and surprises, e.g. new outfits for the performers and special animations. Hatsune Miku: VR Future live features 3D models and animations created for Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X. The game also featured 3D Surround Sound support.
SportsBarVR
Party
October 13, 2016
An arcade party game created specifically for PlayStation VR goggles. SportsBarVR allows the player to take part in one of seven types of competition having their origins in their game-room equivalents. Those include billiards, darts, air hockey, skeeball, chess, checkers, as well as bar demolition sessions with the use of bats, chairs or empty bottles. Each kind of in-game competition is based on the rules of its real-life equivalent. The player can look around by moving their head; the arms of the virtual contestant are represented by motion controllers in the hands of the player. The game offers both a single player experience and a multiplayer mode for up to six players. In the latter case, the players can either cooperate or compete against one another in order to score as many points as possible. SportsBarVR offers three-dimensional graphics that recreate a real game room's interior with a fair deal of authenticity.
Shuffle Cats
Party
October 13, 2016
An online card game from King studio, known from its many casual projects. Shuffle Cats takes place in London of the 20s, though it does strand a lot from historical truth, as it takes to roofs of buildings, where the titular, bipedal cats compete playing a card game. The latter is mostly based on rummy, with the only important addition being the so called lucky plays, through usage of special skills that help us win. The title focuses on multiplayer mode, as it offers a complex matchmaking system, social options and in-game chat. We can also unlock special challenges that present us with certain tasks and follow different rules.
Let's Sing 2017
Party
October 14, 2016
A karaoke party game which is another installment in a series developed by Voxler Games. The player's goal is to sing various in-game songs (30 of them in the base version) to the best of their ability. Among the songs included, one will find top radio hits, such as Avicii - Waiting For Love, Jason Derulo - Want To Want Me, Zara Larsson - Lush Life, LMFAO - Sexy And I Know It, Robin Schulz ft. Francesco Yates - Sugar, or Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out. When singing, the player watches the official clips and lyrics are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Depending on the game mode chosen, the player can put their vocal skills to the test when singing alone, accompanied by another player, or in turns. One is also required to remain calm as either the instrumental or lyrics can disappear at times. Let's Sing 2017 offers simplistic visuals typical for the genre. Interestingly, the player can use their smartphone as an equivalent to a microphone in both the cases of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions.
Just Dance 2017
Party
October 25, 2016
The next installment in the popular series of dancing games developed by Ubisoft. The series allows the player to feel like the professional pop dancers who accompany the greatest stars on the top scenes of the world. In Just Dance 2017 the basic gameplay mechanics remained unchanged in comparison to the previous entries in the franchise. During the game the player must repeat the movements of the dancers displayed on the screen and the system (which, depending on the gaming platform employs different controls) will grade performance and technique. The game, as usually, is filled with licensed hits of such performers as Queen, Shakira, will.i.am, David Guetta, Sia, Justin Bieber and PSY. It is worth mentioning that Just Dance 2017 is the first installment of the series that was released also on personal computers.
Oh...Sir!! The Insult Simulator
Party
October 25, 2016
An original logic game developed by the independent studio Vile Monarch. The players take part in insult duels in various environments and against a variety of different characters — we can even engage in verbal fencing with a cranky old lady, fake Russian, or a hipster. Available insults that we select from a long list can be combined into spectacular combos. Our activities on the unusual battlefield are watched over a special point-awarding system, and the highest award can also be acquired after creating a critical insult. In Oh...Sir!! The Insult Simulator, we can play both solo and against other players — the multiplayer mode allows us to play over the Internet or on a split-screen. The game features simple graphics, fully voiced dialogues, and a unique humor that brings Monty Python's Flying Circus to mind.
We Sing
Party
November 22, 2016
Another installment in a series of karaoke games popular among the users of Nintendo Wii consoles. We Sing can be considered a reboot of the franchise. Similar to the classic karaoke, the player's goal here is to sing different songs when the program displays the lyrics and plays the instrumentals. Performances are rewarded with points assigned by KaraEngine (an evaluation system). We Sing features 30 songs in total, including such classics as Abba's Dancing Queen, David Bowie's Let's Dance, or newer hits - See You Again by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth for instance. The game can be enjoyed either solo or with others in one of the six modes available. Because We Sing can be considered a party game, up to eight contestants can meet next to one console - part of them can use their smartphones as microphones. One can share their scores with others in online rankings. Additionally, the player can watch the video clips included in the game. High-quality visuals were delivered thanks to the advanced Unreal Engine 4.