Every year since 2014, Jackbox Games has released a new entry in its Jackbox Party Pack party game series. The premise is simple: every Jackbox Party Pack features five or so party games that players interact with using their phones. Each new Jackbox Party Pack installment comes with a fresh batch of mini-games to play, with a mix of brand-new ideas and sequels to popular games from previous entries in the series.

The latest title from Jackbox Games is something a little different, however. The Jackbox Party Starter is not a full-fledged new entry in the Jackbox Party Pack series. Instead, it packages together three popular games from previous Jackbox Party Pack collections while updating them to meet the standards of the newest entries in the franchise. It's meant to be an appetizer of sorts for one to decide if the Jackbox Party Pack games are something they would be interested in, but all things considered, it would likely make more sense for someone to spring for one of the full Jackbox Party Pack games instead.

The Jackbox Party Starter collects Tee K.O., Trivia Murder Party 2, and Quiplash 3 from The Jackbox Party Pack 3, The Jackbox Party 6, and The Jackbox Party Pack 7, respectively. However, it might make more sense for one to purchase The Jackbox Party Pack 3 instead, as that features both Tee K.O. and Quiplash 2, as well as the original Trivia Murder Party, Guesspionage, and Fakin' It. At the time of this writing, The Jackbox Party Pack 3 retails for $24.99, while The Jackbox Party Starter is $19.99, so it seems like one would get more value from going with the older game.

The selection of games in The Jackbox Party Starter is somewhat head-scratching when considering The Jackbox Party Pack 3 exists, and it's difficult to imagine exactly who this game is for. Longtime Jackbox Party Pack players likely already have access to all these games, and so would be better off waiting for The Jackbox Party Pack 9's release later this year. Those who are new to the series would be better off getting The Jackbox Party Pack 3 if they're interested in these particular games or simply picking another main series game at random, even if it means paying $5 or $10 more.

Putting that aside, the content in The Jackbox Party Starter is still solid, and it does feature some of the most entertaining games that The Jackbox Party Pack has delivered to date. Not only that, but the games on offer provide three very distinct types of Jackbox Party Pack mini-games for players to try, with one focused on drawing, another focused on trying to make other players laugh, and a third that's trivia-themed.

Tee K.O. is The Jackbox Party Starter's drawing game where the goal is to design graphic tees by mixing and match player-made drawings and slogans. The various t-shirt designs are then pitted against one another in a combat sport-style tournament. With the right group of people, Tee K.O. can be absolutely hilarious, though it is one of those party games that requires the players to put it in the work to make it entertaining.

The same goes for Quiplash 3, which is the latest version of Jackbox Games' popular Quiplash series. In Quiplash 3, players are given prompts and are tasked with answering questions or filling in the blank, with the other players then voting on the funniest response. Like Tee K.O., one's enjoyment of Quiplash 3 is likely going to depend on the quality of the group they're playing with, but its reputation speaks for itself. Quiplash is one of the few Jackbox Games' mini-games that has had a standalone release, so that's a testament to how much of a hit it can be during game nights.

And finally, there's Trivia Murder Party 2, which is the one mini-game in the collection where it's not about trying to impress other players and audience members. At its core, Trivia Murder Party 2 is a straightforward trivia game, with many of the questions themed after the horror genre, though there is a twist. Players who answer questions incorrectly have to play twisted games where losing means dying and becoming a ghost. Ghost players then have a chance to steal the life force of surviving players at the end of the game, which comes as a gauntlet of trivia questions and a race to the finish line.

Those who have already played these games in other Jackbox Party Pack titles will find them to be functionally the same, though there are some differences worth noting. The games have been updated so there is some new content for those who have already played them extensively, and there have been quality of life improvements as well, particularly when it comes to accessibility features. For instance, there are more language options than before, and there's now a button for the game to read the room code out loud. There's even a profanity filter now, which is good news for those that like to stream Jackbox games.

These improvements are nice, but they don't justify anyone buying the same mini-games again, and newcomers would arguably be better off going with a different entry in the series instead. There's nothing wrong with The Jackbox Party Starter content-wise, but it's hard to see its appeal when one would be better off spending slightly more to get a proper Jackbox Party Pack game with more mini-game options.

The Jackbox Party Starter is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided with an Xbox Series X code for this review.