Best local PC party games

Gone are the days of the LAN party. We now live in an age of multiplayer games, where local co op gets forgotten in all the big new releases. But don't worry - we have you covered, because fortunately there still exists a large amount of games being released with the sole purpose of providing you with local party fun. All you need?

1. A PC
2. A controller (preferably an Xbox USB controller for the sake of compatibility) or as many as you can get (Make your friends bring theirs)
3. Plenty of alcohol
4. Friends

So, let's get started. I'll try to provide a video or photo for each to show you how it works, in case my explanation isn't up to scratch.

The Jackbox Party Pack 1 & 2

Let's start with a strong contender - the game that sees Cards Against Humanity, raises the stakes, and makes the most wonderfully offensive game I've ever played. The Jackbox Party Packs are collections of games, designed for local parties, which uses your PC as a hub, and the players phones as the controller's. My favorite of the bunch is Quiplash, where the players each get 2 questions, and have to give the funniest responses they can think of in a limited amount of time. At the end of the time, everyone in the room that didn't answer the question gets to vote on what they think is the funniest. In the last round, there is one big question that everyone answers and everyone votes on, with pretty hilarious results.

Other games include Drawful (where you draw the word or sentence you are given, and other people have to enter what they think the drawing is, so that everyone then has to vote from a list of all the suggestions, and the real answer), Fibbage(where you answer questions with a lie in the hopes that you can trick your friends into choosing it over the truth), and so many more.

For me, this game is special, as it was the first thing I did with my flat in my first year of university, and it allowed us to really get to know each other. I really couldn't recommend it more.

Speedrunners

Speedrunners is one of those "Easy to play, hard to master" games that make for so much fun. It has everyone on the screen at once (so no awkward split screen), and everyone controls a runner that has to keep following the map around, trying not to fall behind. If you fall off screen, you die - and there are multiple obstacles along the way that will try to do just that.

But don't worry - it isn't just the map against you, as the people you are playing with also pick up powerups that let them knock you up, blow you up, freeze you, and use you to zip line forwards while pulling you back. It's very fast paced, and can have some hilarious moments.

Worms

I hope Worms doesn't require much explanation - it's a classic. Worms has been around for years, and has just built upon its existing framework. It's a deathmatch to the last worm - with each player controlling 4 worms with a variety of weapons that they can use to destroy the enemy teams. Its an explosive game, full of enough chaos and mayhem to keep you going all night, with you and your friends undoubtedly trying every weapon out to see what it does.

You can expect a lot of laughs as you watch your friends drown in the water balloon you threw at them, or get launched across the map as a result of your holy hand grenade.

Worms requires a single controller that is passed from player to player. My recommendation for the specific game is Worms Revolution, my all time favorite.

Mount your friends

You're going to have to hear me out on this one. Yes, you play one of many potential user created characters that wear nothing but the preselected underwear. And yes, you have to navigate yourself up the pile of humans that remain in their final position from the last rounds in order to get to the top. Oh, and of course, a goat lies at the bottom of the body pile, holding the weight of far too many half naked men on his shoulders.

But don't shrug this off as a stupid joke to earn a couple of laughs before it stops being funny - because there is more than enough fun to be had with this game. It requires a large amount of skill to climb the ever growing stack of men, with its size increasing every turn, without giving you any more time. Furthermore, the laughs from this game will come from the hilarious position some characters will end in, partly due to the nifty swinging physics of your most uncontrollable asset.

I know there's no way I can describe this to you without it sounding like an April Fools joke, so go ahead and just watch the video. And if you pick it up, have fun, this one is a great laugh once you and your group are already a bit sloshed. And it only requires one controller to be passed around, so no need for everyone to bring theirs.

Towerfall

Now we move from the hilarious, easy to play game, to one of the most tense local party games i've ever played. In Towerfall, you are pitched against your friends, each with 3 arrows and a single life. Get hit by one arrow? You die. Get stood on by your best friend? Dead. Get melted by lava as it covers the map from either side? You guessed it; you're history.

If you play this with your friends, at least try to start it whilst sober, because it's the hardest to play on the list, and it doesn't dish out the funny moments like the others. Instead, your close knit group of friends will turn into the most hyper competitive gamers you have ever seen, with clutch matches coming down to whoever can land their last arrow.

This one requires as many controllers as there are players, so if you want to pick this one up, make sure they have spare controllers to bring.