Jackbox.TV Is A Fun New Way to Entertain Guests

Jackbox.TV has been the savior for players who want something other than Cards Against Humanity to entertain guests. Plus, it provides a way for everyone to continue their family game nights regardless of where they are in the world. Learn more about this innovative setup now.

What Is Jackbox.TV?
How to Play Jackbox Games
Troubleshooting Tips
Jackbox.TV Games to Pick
The Jackbox Party Pack
Are Jackbox.TV Games Family Friendly?
Do I Need a Subscription to Play Jackbox.TV Games?
What is the Best Platform to Play Jackbox.TV In?
What is Jackbox.TV’s Refund Policy

Jackbox.TV | A Fun New Way to Entertain Guests and Connect with Friends

What Is Jackbox.TV?

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Jackbox.TV is the brainchild of video developer Jackbox Games. It’s been around since 1995 when it released its first game for PCs called “You Don’t Know Jack.”

It eventually pulled back from making video games around early 2000. Rather, it focused on creating interactive business apps to help customer service departments.

This success encouraged the company to jump back into the world of video games. It released the 2008 iOS version of “You Don’t Know Jack” for the new generation.

Seeing its potential, the team expanded their games to become available in mobile, console, and social media apps. Today, players can access their games on almost all types of devices. This makes Jackbox.TV easy, convenient, and quick to use:

PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Steam
Facebook
Twitch
Amazon Fire TV
Comcast Xfinity X1 Platform
Nvidia Shield TV
Apple TV
Android TV
Nintendo Switch
Humble
Fanatical

How to Play Jackbox Games

Jackbox.TV doesn’t require a complicated installation process. It also doesn’t need you to be a technical genius to start playing.

Nevertheless, you need a controller, which can be your phone or tablet. You also need a couple of games, which we will cover in a little bit. Lastly, you require a device to stream the game, and you have plenty of options for that (as mentioned above).

To start playing Jackbox.TV games, follow these steps:

Launch the game through your chosen platform.
Navigate to the Jackbox.TV website on your phone, tablet, or another wireless device.
Wait for the lobby screen to appear with the four-letter room code. You’ll need to enter this code into your video game platform with your controller.
Enter your name and then press “Play” to join your chosen game. You’ll know it worked if you see your name come up on the screen.

The first player to make it in earns the VIP designation. They can start the game once all the players have joined. Many games support up to eight players at a time.

Jackbox.TV should be compatible with all the following browsers:

Chrome
Microsoft Edge
Firefox
Safari
iOS 6.1 or higher
Android 4.0 or higher
Silk

We can’t make any guarantees for playability to anyone using rooted or jail-broken devices. Android users would be better off using Google Chrome than the default browser.

Troubleshooting Tips

Are you encountering technical issues? You can try these:

Disable your private browser setting if you find yourself getting a blank or white screen.
Don’t have more than one user logging in on a browser through any one device.
Those using systems with Windows XP should not use Internet Explorer to access games.
Those on satellite TV can expect slower gameplay. You may want to check out one of these Spectrum packages instead.
Disable any ad blocker or other software designed to prevent pop-ups.
Refresh your browser if you get disconnected.
Those playing on a PC may need to disable their antivirus software as it sometimes interferes with the games.
You must host games on one of the consoles listed above. Players can’t join a game if they haven’t downloaded to their source device.
Learn to wait. Certain games force you to wait until a current session ends before allowing new players in.
Make sure you’ve enabled JavaScript and cookies if you’re unable to play after connecting through your device.

Jackbox.TV Games to Pick

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Here’s a rundown of some of the most popular Jackbox games:

Drawful 2 – It’s a new take on Pictionary where you create drawing other must decipher. This game doesn’t make you a better artist, much to the dismay of friends competing against you.
Quiplash – Reminiscent of games like Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity, it lets you fill in the blanks to statements in a humorous way. You earn votes if your competitors believe you’re as funny as you think you are!
Fibbage – This game requires you to guess all sorts of fun facts about friends and family. Do you really know them as well as you think?

You can also get multiple games in one bundle by purchasing a Jackbox Party Pack. Having lots of games in one package gives you plenty of ways to keep everyone entertained for hours.

The Jackbox Party Pack

The Jackbox Party Pack is one of Jackbox’s best-selling game bundle series that is currently on its fifth iteration (released in 2018). Party Pack 5 contains the following games:

You Don’t Know Jack – You Don’t Know Jack is Jackbox’s flagship trivia game franchise that started way back in 1995. This TV show-like game tests your brain with various trivia questions with a fun, pop culture-laced twist.
Split the Room – “What would you rather do?”, this game asks. Instead of edging people to choose one specific choice, however, teams aim to split players’ choices as evenly in the middle as possible.
Mad Verse City – Similar to Mad Libs, players are given prompts that they fill up until it concludes in a rap battle showdown that pits wordsmiths with each other.
Patently Stupid – A drawing game where players draw inventions that help solve the most ridiculous of problems.
Zeeple Dome – A “Survival of the Fittest” game that tests who lasts the longest in space.

Jackbox has also announced the release of Party Pack 6. As of July 28, 2019, three games have been revealed for the sixth edition’s lineup:

Push the Button — Shape-shifting aliens have taken over your ship and you must determine who the aliens are. With your trusty AI guide, you check the responses of the aliens and your friends to a series of tests meant to tell the humans and aliens apart. Once you’ve decided who you think the aliens are, you push the button to eject them into space.
Dictionarium — In this word game, you’ll define never-before-seen words, figure out their synonyms, and use them in a sentence, all for the glory of having them added to the Dictionarium. Remember, only the best definitions will receive this honor so unleash wordsmith in you!
Trivia Murder Party 2 – The highly-requested sequel is finally here! In this unique trivia game, a correct answer will be rewarded while a wrong answer means you’ll have to battle for your life.

Games included in The Jackbox Party Pack can support mobile phones, computers, and tablets as controllers. Audience members (max of 10,000) can watch certain games to determine the outcome.

Other features bundled with the Party Pack include:

Extended timers
Manual censoring
Family-friendly mode

Are Jackbox.TV Games Family Friendly?

All Jackbox games are rated at most, T (or Teen) level under the ESRB. Newer Jackbox games have the family-friendly filter enabled, which bring the rating of games down to E10+ (Everyone 10+).

However, some Jackbox games don’t have the family-friendly filter available because it either was released before filters became available, is already family-friendly by default, or contains themes not meant for younger kids. Here are some of those games:

Fibbage and Fibbage XL (released pre-filters)
The Jackbox Party Pack 1 (released pre-filters)
Trivia Murder Party
Tee K.O. (family-friendly setting on by default)
Civic Doodle (family-friendly setting on by default)
Monster Seeking Monster
You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream
Zeeple Dome (family-friendly setting on by default)
Patently Stupid (family-friendly setting on by default)

Do I Need a Subscription to Play Jackbox.TV Games?

You don’t need to subscribe to anything to play Jackbox.TV games. What you have is yours to keep forever.

What is the Best Platform to Play Jackbox.TV In?

Games can’t be transferred between platforms so make sure to buy for the platform you’ll be able to use. Don’t buy games that won’t be compatible with the platform you already have, unless you’re planning to buy new ones.

That said, if portability is your main goal, the best option is buying the PC/Mac/Steam OS version, for as long as you have an account to these platforms and have the right software, you can play them from anywhere. If you have a lot of friends with Nintendo Switches, that platform is another great option.

If you care more about the game’s display quality, the versions for Xbox One and Playstation are your best bet. It won’t be as portable a setup, but it’s perfect for Ultimate Game Night.

What is Jackbox.TV’s Refund Policy

Unfortunately, Jackbox doesn’t have a very clear-cut refund process as most of the purchases are done through third-party marketplaces. To go through the process, you would have to check the marketplace’s refund policy or (in the case of purchases done through the Jackbox website) submit a ticket in Jackbox’s support desk.

For purchases done through Steam, redeemed codes are not eligible for a refund. If not yet redeemed, you can request a refund within 2 weeks from the date of purchase.

How fun are the Jackbox.TV games? Just watch these LetsPlay boys play one of the coolest games from the party pack:

Jackbox.TV games let you use the Internet in a positive, bond-affirming way with those close to you. Get everyone to carve out some time and find new ways of being together. There’s no reason for distance to keep everyone from having fun together.

Do let us know in the comments section below if you’ve tried playing Jackbox.TV games.

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on September 13 2018 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.