Best Parody Games that Poke Fun at Gaming Culture

The Stanley Parable

A game of the experimental narrative genre, in which the player takes on the role of the titular Stanley – a corporate employee who one day discovers that everyone in the office has disappeared.

Image credit: Galactic Cafe

Following the on-screen narrator’s instructions, the player builds their own story, and the decisions they make lead to various endings. The title makes absurd and humorous references to gameplay and gaming concepts and can be named as one of the parody games.

The Stanley Parable

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Goat Simulator

Many games were created as a mere joke, but some of them were so unexpectedly successful that they stayed on gaming market – and Goat Simulator is one such case.

Image credit: Coffee Stain Studios

In this game, the player takes on the role of a goat, and the plot is practically irrelevant – the main goal is to create chaos wherever you can. Thanks to deliberately left bugs, the animal performs absurd actions, which makes the gameplay even more entertaining.

The title is also a parody of other games and their mechanics.

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Jazzpunk

One of the typical comedic video games, in which the player travels through a strange, alternative retro-futuristic world inspired by the 1950s, working for a secret spy organization.

Image credit: Necrophone Games

The protagonist, named Polyblank, performs various absurd missions and the whole game is a parody not only of games, but also of typical spy movies and pop culture elements.

There is no fixed storyline, but it’s full of humor and weirdness.

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The Secret of Monkey Island

An iconic point-and-click adventure game in which the player takes on the role of a young man Guybrush who dreams of becoming a pirate. He goes through a lot of adventures and arrives at the title Monkey Island.

Image credit: LucasArts

The game is full of humor and is a satirical representation of typical themes known from pirate stories. In the game you can also solve logical puzzles, have dialogues with other characters and explore the island.

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Undertale

A great example from comedic video games, where the player must escape from the underworld is Undertale. The main character is a child who accidentally falls into a world filled with monsters and creatures long forgotten by the world.

Image credit: tobyfox

Every choice in this RPG influences how the story unfolds – you can fight monsters or befriend them instead. Undertale is full of self-aware gaming humor and clever writing and the graphics look like pixel art.

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Frog Fractions

This is one of those humorous games, where the absurdity is mixed with great fun and learning themes. In this indie title, the player takes on the role of who, at first, seems to be helping with math fractions, but it turns out it’s actually one of the classic genre parodies.

As the game progresses, you move from an adventure game to simulator, unlocking many bizarre extras along the way.

All of this is wrapped in colorful visuals that resemble an innocent children’s game.

Sunset Overdrive

An incredibly dynamic action title with elements of parkour. In Sunset City, residents who drink a strange energy beverage turn into mutants called Overcharge Drinkers. The only person who is unaffected is the main character who must fight off the mutants.

Image credit: Insomniac Games

The game has elements of shooter mechanics and players can use various types of weapons and abilities. It also features a developed system of tricks that unlock special powers. With its vast open world, the gameplay is focused on exploration.

Sunset Overdrive

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