Everyone loves a good game night. It’s fun and a great way to spend time with your friends without having to go out and spend your hard-earned cash. Still, unlike a night out, it requires little planning and forethought. Your game’s night lives and dies by your choice of game. The most significant consideration will always be your guest list. Who have you invited, and what is their gaming experience? You need to choose a game that is accessible to everyone. Player vs player games are a great choice, and luckily we have compiled a list of the best ones for you. Let’s get into it.
Fall Guys
First on this list is Fall Guys, which followed a battle royale format and was released in 2020. It is ideal for a game night because all of your friends can play on their Switch devices in the same room. Each person controls a ‘fall guy’ and has to progress through a series of challenges. The challenges themselves pass by quickly, which helps to pace the game. After each round, many players are cut until one person wins and takes the crown. If you’re playing as a team, you may be able to return to the next round if they survive.
Dying Light
Dying Light and Dying Light 2, released in 2015 and 2022, are great options for friendship groups that like the adrenaline of playing survival/horror games. You and your friends are pitted against wandering hordes of zombies. Think ‘The Walking Dead’ but as a video game. The in-game world is built to facilitate all of your escape efforts being driven by parkour mechanics. Playing with friends adds more urgency to the game and forces you to work together. You could play through the entire campaign with your friends through a series of game nights.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
PUBG was, at a time, the undisputed king of the battle royale genre and a perfect example of online pvp games after its release in 2017. However, over time, interest has waned a little, but it is still a great game for players, especially since the developers went back in and fixed all the bugs and the gripes that fans did have with the game. You can choose to play alone against 99 other players, or you can log in with friends and team up or play against each other. The game relies on strategy, and you must work with your friends to secure that winner-winner chicken dinner.
Apex Legends
Another example of a battle royale game is Apex Legends which was initially a surprise release back in 2019 and went on to garner almost immediate acclaim. It was developed by Respawn Entertainment and designed to embrace the best elements of games like Titanfall and Overwatch and improve upon their pitfalls by implementing a pinging system that allows you to communicate with your team without the use of a mic. Apex legends is probably better for a virtual game night than an in-person one. That said, it is a great game to play as a group of three.
Among Us
Among us is a social game that has grown in popularity in recent games. Developed by Innersloth in 2018, it entered the mainstream almost immediately, spawning multiple memes, which is how you can tell a game has made it. It is perhaps one of the more accessible games on this list, which would make it ideal for game nights with non-gamers or novices. The premise is pretty simple, you and your friends become crewmates that need to repair a spaceship, but hidden among you is a friend or two playing as imposters who want to sabotage your efforts and pick you off one by one. It’s like the classic Mafia game but in space.
Clubhouse Games
Clubhouse games have been a staple since their release by Nintendo in 2006. Rather than being a single game, as the name suggests, it is actually a compilation of more than 50 classic games that have a universal or worldwide appeal. It is a great game to get out on a game night with friends simply because it provides you all with more choices. This, again, makes it more accessible, and it is more likely to appeal to those who prefer traditional games as opposed to the newer approach to video games.
The Takeaway
Hosting a games night with your friends is a great way to bond and have some fun without spending too much money or going out. The game choice is obviously important, so be sure to think carefully and keep in mind the options mentioned above. However, the game is not the only thing you need to host; getting the right snacks and refreshments is also key to a successful game night.