5 Best LAN Party Games in 2022

Are you planning to throw a party soon? To really get things going with your friends or family, you'll most likely need a cool LAN party game collection. Most people nowadays prefer online multiplayer games. Nonetheless, local multiplayer games continue to bring people together in ways that online games have yet to match. 

After all, all of the party game crazes began with people gathering on a couch somewhere, willingly spending an entire afternoon yelling at each other from across the room and completely jeopardizing their friendship, only to make peace once the dust settled and emerge closer mates than ever before. 

Seriously, though. If you're looking to have a good time with friends or family, here are the five best LAN party games in 2022 that are a great place to start.

5. Rocket League

Ever thought about combining soccer and car racing? Well, the folks over at Psyonix have done just that, creating the first-ever vehicular soccer game called Rocket League. This arcade-style soccer plus vehicular mayhem plays exactly how it sounds like. It’s packed with loads of laughter and fun, only multiplied a thousand times over when you bring a friend or two along. 

So how does it work? Well, gamers take to the arena in the driver’s seat of their favorite automobile. You’ll need to have teamwork under your belt to push the ball down the field with three other players. And, of course, scoring (or protecting) goals requires an accurate stunt—literally knocking down the ball with the front, rear, or side of your vehicle.

Both fast-paced gameplay and dexterity come in handy. Crazy stunts are highly welcome too, with your driving skills being put to the test alongside the opposing team. Oh, and the game is called Rocket League, so yes, the cars are rocket-powered to give you that extra oomph! as you rocket-speed down the field.

4. Left 4 Dead 2

Alternatively, you could opt for Left 4 Dead 2, which is much more immersive and exciting compared to its predecessor. This co-op first-person shooter isn’t for the faint of heart, with its roots sprouting out of a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested open world. 

Perhaps one of the reasons Left 4 Dead 2 is perfect for couch co-op play is the two-is-better-than-one aspect of approaching games of this type. Sure, you could spend days on end perfecting your survival skills, or you could bring a friend or two along and learn at a much faster pace. Though don’t be fooled by the “strength in numbers” theory. There are still a lot more tough-nut-to-crack challenges to go around.

Plus, Left 4 Dead 2 is far from all fun and games. The main agenda is simple yet complex: your team needs to make it out alive. Of course, the developers make Left 4 Dead 2 more enjoyable by featuring a storyline that syncs perfectly with the abandoned establishments' concept and hordes of zombies out for blood. All in all, pairing up with friends on Steam to play Left 4 Dead 2 isn’t an entirely far-fetched kind of plan.

3. Trackmania Turbo

Back to racing, which honestly is just so much fun, I had to toss another potentially exciting LAN game into the mix. Trackmania Turbo is a stunt-based racing game with four environments, each having different gameplay. In total, Trackmania Turbo delivers more than 200 tracks. And as if that’s not more than enough, it adds a Trackbuilder mode where you can build other new tracks from scratch.

If you’re looking to explore the arcade racing universe at your next party, Trackmania Turbo is your go-to. Particularly because of its simplicity. That all you need is to cross over the finish line in perfect racing time to proceed to the next level. But beyond pure racing, it’s highly addictive, drawing adrenaline like a sip of a cold drink and leaving you to enjoy a refined, fun, fast, and colorful physics-crammed racer.

2. Halo

Nothing says teamwork makes the dream work better than Halo. Okay. Maybe there is something, but you can’t deny the multitude of LAN parties going around with the sole theme being: Halo. Year in, year out, Halo has near fulfilled every gamer’s dream in military science fiction first-person shooter games. 

If you’re feeling particularly reminiscent of the past, feel free to indulge yourselves with the first-ever Halo LAN party, Frontier: Halo: Combat Evolved. However, since the game was released in 2001, there’s no doubt outdated graphics and gameplay you might not get past. Once Halo: Combat Evolved is out of the picture, then comes the harrowing process of trying to decide which of the seven Halo games is worthy of being featured throughout the night.

Fortunately, you can toss that whole “yay or nay” situation out the window by playing Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This features six games in one package, so you don’t need to settle on one game right away. In case the first game doesn’t feel right, just hop on over to the next. Either way, at least one is guaranteed to reinstate Halo as one of the greatest LAN games ever.

1. Overcooked

There’s something so quirky about Overcooked that it feels like a dosage everyone should at least experience at some point in their lives. This is a game that delivers exactly what you had in mind if you and your fellow chefs were tossed into the kitchen of one of the busiest restaurants in the city. 

You don't have to be a master chef to play this game. Rather, teamwork and coordinated preparation, cooking, and serving were used, as in the comedy-drama Ratatouille.

The game's name, Overcooked, is certainly a nice touch because imagining myself in such a situation, there's a pretty high chance at least one of the dishes will come out overcooked. Not to mention the increasingly rowdy crowd of customers at the bay. Time to push friendship limits, aye?

So what’s your take on the five best LAN party games in 2022? Do you agree with our ranking? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.