The Jackbox Party Starter bundles together 3 minigames this month

Although The Jackbox Party Pack 9 is set to be released this year, Jackbox Games will soon release another entry in the series. The Jackbox Party Starter bundles together Trivia Muder Party 2, Quiplash 3, and Tee K.O. The minigames have all been updated with some quality of life improvements and new features, and will be available for purchase this month on June 30.

Jackbox games revealed The Jackbox Party Starter earlier this year, and I recently got to check it out during a preview with developers. While fans of the party game franchise may recognize the three titles, this is the first time to get them all in one package. With these being three of the most popular Jackbox minigames, it’s almost like a miniature greatest hits release.

In Trivia Murder Party 2, players answer various trivia questions. Players who answer incorrectly will have to compete in dangerous tasks in order to avoid death. The finale sees all players racing to escape the haunted mansion and claim victory. Quiplash 3 is the latest iteration of Jackbox’s most iconic mode. Players are given different prompts and scenarios, to which they fill in their own answers. The other players vote on which answer was the funniest, and the player with the most points at the end wins.

Tee K.O. lets players draw their own t-shirt designs, but with a neat twist. Other players will create a tagline, and it’s not up to you what tagline/picture combo will end up on a shirt. Players then vote for which shirt they like the best. The neat thing about this game is that players actually have the option to order the t-shirt creations and wear them in real life.

While taking it for a spin myself, the developers detailed the improvements found in The Jackbox Party Starter. All three games have been updated with new moderation tools, as well as subtitles, content filters, and settings. They’ll also be able to appeal to more demographics as the developers have localized the voice acting, subtitles, and songs in French, Italian, German and Spanish.

The Jackbox Party Starter will be released this month on June 30 on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Switch for $19.99 USD. It’s designed to be an entry point for players looking to get into the Jackbox series. It’ll also help to hold fans over until The Jackbox Party Pack 9 arrives this fall with a brand new slate of minigames.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_