Marathon and Elimination: the two ways to play a party

A party in Party Night is minigames back to back, and there are two ways to play one: Marathon and Elimination. One rewards being good all night. The other punishes being bad even once. Either way, there is no rulebook to read: everyone jumps into the same minigame at once, and a ceremony crowns the winner at the end.

The host picks the format in the lobby, and only the host can change it. In a hurry? Play now skips the lobby and drops you straight into a 5-minigame Marathon, with bots filling the empty seats.

Marathon: every minigame counts

Marathon is exactly what it sounds like: minigames back to back, and nothing in between but the standings.

• The host picks the length: Sprint (5 minigames), Standard (8) or Ultra (12). Standard is the default.
• Every minigame pays placement points: 10 for first, then 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1. Ties share a place.
• Standings show between games, so everyone knows exactly how far behind they are.
• Most points at the end wins, and the night closes with the podium and superlatives ceremony.

Games are picked from the host's playlist, least-played first, and never the same game twice in a row when there is a choice. An Ultra Marathon of 12 is a proper tour of the arcade. A Sprint of 5 is a lunch break.

There is nowhere to hide in a Marathon. Every game pays the same points, one bad game costs you but never knocks you out, and the winner is simply whoever was best at minigames tonight. Terrifying, we know.

Elimination: last place is out

Elimination is the dramatic one. After every minigame, whoever finished last is out, and the last player standing wins.

A few rules keep it fair:

• Ties for last. Two players can go out together while five or six are left. From four players down, it is one at a time. If the tie for last is wider than that, nobody goes out and the round is replayed. If that keeps happening, the lowest party score among the tied players breaks the stalemate.
• The danger zone. During each minigame, a red DANGER ZONE marks the two players the live ranking currently puts at the bottom. Nothing motivates quite like seeing your own name there.
• The final. When two players remain, games that need three or more players (like Repo Men) are skipped.

Being knocked out is not the end of your night, though.

The eliminated become ghosts

Once you are out, you float over every following minigame as a ghost and throw tomatoes at the survivors. Tomatoes never kill and never score, they only push and slow people a little, but a well-timed splat at the right moment can absolutely decide who goes out next. Revenge is a dish best served as produce.

The eliminated pick the next game

Between minigames, the ghosts vote on what comes next from three options. The survivors have no say. If you have ever wanted to watch your best friend attempt Mini Golf Madness under pressure, this is your moment.

What every party gets

Whichever format you pick, the rest of the party machinery comes along:

• Chaos modifiers (ice floor, double speed, big heads, fog and everyone's a chicken) can spice up a minigame if the host has them on.
• Twitch chat votes still work for streamers.
• Rewards pay out: XP for every minigame, plus at least 100 XP for finishing the party, and more for a podium place.
• The ceremony crowns a champion and hands every player one silly award, from Minigame Machine and Comeback Kid to Peaked Too Early and Participation Trophy. In Elimination, the podium follows the order people went out.

Which one should you pick?

• First time with a new group? A Standard Marathon. Everyone plays all eight games, and the ceremony is half the fun.
• Short on time? A Sprint Marathon, or just press Play now.
• Competitive friends who want a clear winner? Marathon, 8 or 12 games.
• A bigger group that loves drama? Elimination. Being out early is still fun thanks to ghosts and voting.
• Just want to try one game? Quick play: any of the 34 minigames on its own, and rematch as often as you like.

Want to know what is in the playlist? Here are the 23 minigames that arrived in one night. New to all of this? Start with Party Night is live.

Pick a format, get everyone to hit Ready, and may the least incompetent accountant win. Start a party