Parents' Guide to Jackbox Party Pack 9

Game Windows , Mac , Linux 2022
Five billboards with different game names stand across a pink and orange sky. "Jackbox Party Pack 9" is above them, written in clouds.

Common Sense Media Review

Claire Crossman By Claire Crossman , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 10+

Full of the usual creative fun with family-friendly options.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 10+?

Any Positive Content?

  • A game screen displays a poorly drawn duck, and asks the players a question about it.
  • A game screen displays a poorly drawn duck, and asks the players a question about it.
  • A question is asked to the players, and several prompts are displayed below it.

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What's It About?

In the ninth edition of the Jackbox Party Pack series, JACKBOX PARTY PACK 9 brings five new multiplayer games to the table. This latest release encourages players to think creatively and quickly in games that involve trivia challenges, word-creation games, and fantasy role-playing. The titles include Fibbage 4, Quixort, Junktopia, Nonsensory, and Roomerang. Fibbage 4 is a fill-in-the-blank trivia game (the 4th installment in the series) with educational topics that both parents and kids will happily engage in. Quixort (a play on "quick" and "sort") is a topic sorting game with strong pop-culture themes. The player receives a prompt and ten out-of-order steps, and it's their job to put them in order as they come down the screen. Example prompts include oldest to newest soda brands, Oprah's life events, pop star birthdays, and other creative prompts. Junktopia is a fantasy role-playing game that sees players creating backstories and appraising various objects. Nonsensory is a drawing, writing, and guessing game that utilizes artistic creative skills. Roomerang is a role-playing game that requires players to take on the persona of a reality television star and avoid being voted out of the game.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

This sequel (as always) succeeds in its efforts to bring any type of group together. The Jackbox Party Pack 9 inspires collaborative creativity for families, classrooms, groups of friends, co-workers – the possibilities are seemingly endless. The user interface is gorgeous, leading this ninth installment to, arguably, be the best Jackbox has ever looked, on both TV and phone screens. Fans of Fibbage will appreciate the fourth installment, with new structures and graphics that bring the classic game back to life. New games like Quixort and Nonsensory are phenomenally creative in concept, and though they may take a moment or two to be understood fully, the entertainment payoff in the end is massive. Quixort even features a mini-game for players who are waiting their turn, keeping the entire group entertained every second of the round. This feature could be particularly helpful for families with kids who have a hard time being patient to play, making Jackbox 9 not only a party game, but a perfect family game as well.

Apart from mechanics and graphics, the "family friendly filter" is prominently featured on the home screen, whereas it had been hidden in settings in the past, and needed to be applied to each game individually. This time, the filter is automatically applied to all games when switched on, which signals to parents and educators that all content will be appropriate for kids and younger students. While The Jackbox Party Pack 9 continues the franchise's trend of occasional crude and suggestive humor in the default game, this filter makes the game uniquely adaptive: a blast for college kids in one form, and an educational, creative outlet for families in another.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about real-life applications of creative skills. Where can you apply Jackbox 9's word-play skills in your everyday conversations?

  • Nonsensory asks players to be artistic in multiple aspects, like utilizing drawing skills, but how can you choose to be more artistic on any given day?

Game Details

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Five billboards with different game names stand across a pink and orange sky. "Jackbox Party Pack 9" is above them, written in clouds.

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