Not All Fun And Games
Some games bring people together—these do the opposite. One second, you’re laughing; the next, you’re yelling over a stolen turn or a mistimed button press. If you’ve ever lost a friend over digital mayhem or a cardboard betrayal, then you'll no doubt recognize some of the games on this list. Here are 20 games notorious for ruining friendships.
1. Mario Party
"Mario Party ruins lives." That's not a joke. It's an internet saying, and it sticks for a reason. Each player rolls the dice to move around a whimsical board filled with traps and chances to steal stars from friends. However, success relies more on luck than skill.
Super Mario Party - All Minigames (Master CPU) by MarioPartyGaming
2. Uno
You're holding perfect cars. Then, someone drops a Draw Four. Now you're fuming. Uno moves quickly, yet it's packed with petty choices. Players match colors or numbers while gleefully stacking penalty cards. Meanwhile, the rule flexibility sparks endless arguments.
3. Monopoly
Greed takes over the entire board. Monopoly starts simple: buy property, collect rent, and build hotels. However, negotiations quickly become cutthroat. Friends undercut each other or refuse trades out of spite. Eventually, one person hoards all the power while others spiral into debt.
4. Super Smash Bros
The screen’s a blur, Pikachu hurls you into oblivion, and your best friend is cackling like it’s comedy night. Super Smash Bros. is a platform fighter where chaotic battles erupt between Nintendo characters. Players duke it out using flashy attacks and items that swing momentum fast.
5. Risk
World domination sounds fun until your alliance breaks in Siberia. Risk is a slow burn. Players take turns conquering territories using armies and dice rolls. Alliances form and crumble mid-game. Tensions rise as one person hoards continents while another is eliminated early.
GillesGillesGilles on Wikimedia
6. Among Us
"I saw you vent." "Liar." And just like that, trust vanishes. Among Us is all about deception. Crewmates complete tasks to survive, and hidden imposters sabotage and eliminate them. Each round ends in a tense vote where suspicion runs wild. Meanwhile, innocent players beg to be believed.
7. Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity pairs offensive prompts with even more offensive responses. The goal? Make the judge laugh. However, the line between funny and hurtful is blurry. Players reveal their humor and sometimes (awkwardly) their values. Eventually, someone plays a card that kills the mood or makes things personal.
8. Settlers Of Catan
In Catan, friendship ends where resources begin. One move blocks a city, one trade shifts the balance, and suddenly, the board feels personal. Players start with strategy, but the real game begins when someone steals a card or cuts off your only road.
9. Mario Kart
Mario Kart turns friendly races into wild chaos. Rainbow Road alone has ended friendships. Skill helps, but luck rules—one item can ruin everything. You might lead the whole race, then get hit by a shell and fall off the track. Victory is never safe for long.
10. Exploding Kittens
It's adorable until it isn't. Exploding Kittens is an engaging card game where players draw until someone hits a bomb and loses. Defensive cards help you survive, while "Nope" cards cancel others' moves. It's built on sabotaging your friends, often at the last second.
11. Secret Hitler
Nothing fractures a group faster than calling your roommate a hidden villain. Secret Hitler thrives on deception. Players are secretly assigned roles: liberal, saboteur, or the hidden Hitler. Every vote feels suspicious. Allies get accused. Accusers get louder. Ultimately, no one's innocent, even when they are.
Secret Hitler, how to play (English board game) by Game4LifeBG
12. Left 4 Dead
One missed shot. One door opened too soon. Suddenly, the whole team is wiped. Left 4 Dead is a cooperative zombie game that should build teamwork. Instead, it tests it. Players rely on each other to survive waves of enemies. However, panic spreads fast, and mistakes feel personal.
eng1ne from Round Rock, TX, USA on Wikimedia
13. Codenames
It starts with silence. Then come the side-eyes. In Codenames, one teammate gives one-word clues to connect multiple hidden words on a grid. The rest guess. Seems simple until the clue leads to disaster. And when someone hits the assassin word? That look of disbelief is hard to forget.
14. Spades
You bid ten. Your partner bids zero. What could go wrong? Spades is a trick-taking card game where teammates predict how many hands they'll win. It requires trust and a solid poker face. Unfortunately, that trust gets tested with every failed trick or overbid.
Kateryna Kamenieva on Unsplash
15. Worms Armageddon
It's raining sheep and grudges. Worms Armageddon turns turn-based combat into cartoon carnage. Players control goofy worms armed with bazookas and holy hand grenades. The fun lies in creative destruction. However, targeting one friend too often can spark real retaliation, on-screen and off.
Worms Armageddon - Patch 3.8 Trailer! by Team17
16. Pummel Party
Think Mario Party, but meaner. Pummel Party throws players into violent mini-games and chaotic board battles. You'll swing and blast your way to victory at the expense of your friends. What sets it apart is the sheer brutality of the item system. One wrong move, and you're in a puddle of regret.
Pummel Party Trailer by RebuiltGames
17. Move or Die
Move Or Die changes game modes every 20 seconds. It's unpredictable and brutally fast. Staying still means instant death. But so does trusting your friend, who just pushed you off a platform. It's pure mayhem where every round feels personal, and every win invites revenge.
Move Or Die PS5 GAMEPLAY (No Commentary) 1080p 60 FPS by Jstar269
18. Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes
This game throws you into pure chaos. One person stares at a ticking bomb while everyone else scrambles through a manual, shouting instructions. Every second counts, and every word matters—until someone panics, fumbles the callouts, and boom. The blame lands harder than the blast.
19. Overcooked
Teamwork is the secret ingredient and the first thing to burn. Overcooked is a chaotic cooking simulator where players prep meals in wild kitchens. Orders pile up, kitchens shift, and people bump into each other. Naturally, shouting ensues. "Where's the rice?" turns into "Why did you throw it in the trash?"
Overcooked Launch Trailer by Xbox
20. Betrayal At House On The Hill
The house turns. So does your teammate. Betrayal starts as a cooperative horror adventure. Players explore a haunted mansion until one becomes the traitor. The betrayal is random, which makes it worse. One moment, you're planning together; the next, your friend controls the ghosts and wants you dead.
