In a world where most video games focus on intense action, challenging puzzles, or epic storytelling, there’s something refreshingly wonderful about games designed primarily to make us laugh. The best comedy games don’t just include a few jokes — they build humor into their core mechanics, characters, and worlds.
Funny games are an amazing way to unwind, especially in our stressful lives. Platforms like this website offer various games that make it easy to relax, but if you’re looking for titles with humor, it’s worth checking out other games, too. Let’s look at some standout funny games that have successfully turned gaming sessions into laugh fests over the years.
Portal Series: Deadly Science with a Side of Dark Humor
Few games balance deadly challenges and comedy as masterfully as Valve’s Portal series. The star of the show isn’t the silent protagonist Chell, but GLaDOS, the passive-aggressive AI with a talent for backhanded compliments and thinly veiled threats.
What makes Portal’s comedy work so well is how it contrasts the sterile test chamber environment with GLaDOS’s increasingly unhinged commentary. By Portal 2, the addition of Stephen Merchant as the anxious personality core Wheatley and J.K. Simmons as Cave Johnson (founder of Aperture Science) created a perfect storm of different comedy styles.
The Stanley Parable: Breaking the Fourth Wall
The Stanley Parable takes meta-humor to new heights by making the relationship between player, character, and narrator the central joke. This first-person experience follows Stanley, an office worker whose every move is narrated by a British voice that becomes increasingly frustrated when players don’t follow the predetermined story.
What sets this game apart is how it anticipates player rebellion. Try to outsmart the game, and you’ll find the developers already thought of that path — and created a unique comedy segment for it. Few games reward exploration and experimentation with jokes rather than collectibles or achievements.
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Creating a game that captures the essence of an established comedy series is challenging, but South Park: The Stick of Truth succeeds brilliantly. Rather than just borrowing characters and settings, the game embraces the show’s distinctive animation style and offensive humor.
Players control the “New Kid” in a neighborhood-wide fantasy game that gradually spirals into actual adventure. The game parodies RPG tropes while delivering South Park’s signature social commentary. Combat includes timed button presses that trigger absurd attacks, from summoning Jesus with a prayer to calling in Mr. Slave for… well, you’ll have to see it yourself.
Untitled Goose Game
Sometimes the simplest premise yields the best comedy. In Untitled Goose Game, you play as a horrible goose whose sole purpose is to ruin everyone’s day. That’s it — that’s the game.
The humor comes from the contrast between the peaceful village setting and your goose’s chaotic behavior. There’s something inherently funny about a to-do list that includes tasks like “make the groundskeeper hammer his thumb” or “trap the boy in the phone booth.”
The game’s minimalist art style and piano score that reacts to your actions only enhance the comedy. Few gaming moments are as satisfying as honking at precisely the right moment to scare someone into dropping their prized possession.
Psychonauts
Tim Schafer and Double Fine Productions created something special with Psychonauts, a game that takes place primarily inside people’s minds. Each level represents a character’s psyche, complete with manifestations of their fears, desires, and traumas.
The game manages to address serious mental health topics while maintaining an irreverent sense of humor. From conspiracy theorists to stressed-out actresses, each mind level combines unique gameplay with comedy that stems from psychological quirks we all recognize.
What Makes a Great Comedy Game?
Looking at these examples, certain patterns emerge in successful comedy games:
- Subversion of expectations: Whether it’s a goose causing havoc or an AI trying to kill you with sarcasm, comedy games work best when they flip gaming conventions.
- Player agency in the joke: The best funny games make you feel like you’re participating in the comedy, not just watching it.
- Consistency in tone: Even absurdist games establish their internal logic and stick to it.
- Memorable characters: From GLaDOS to the Goose, strong characters with clear personalities make the humor stick.
The next time life feels too serious, consider picking up one of these games. Unlike comedy movies or shows that deliver the same jokes on repeat viewings, funny games create new humorous moments through player interaction, making them worth revisiting whenever you need a good laugh.