There are few things more entertaining than watching a group of friends confidently accuse one another, particularly when absolutely nobody has any idea who is telling the truth. That is the simple but wonderfully effective premise behind Fakin’ It XL, Jackbox Games’ expanded standalone version of one of its most popular party games. Rather than relying on complicated rules, elaborate challenges or lightning-fast reactions, it builds its entertainment around social observation, quick thinking and the occasional spectacularly unconvincing lie. It is the sort of game that can turn an ordinary evening into a room full of laughter, suspicion and increasingly desperate attempts to defend yourself.
The concept is beautifully straightforward. Everyone receives an instruction on their phone or web-enabled device, except for one unfortunate player known as the Faker. While the rest of the group knows exactly what they are supposed to do, the Faker must make an educated guess about what is happening and try to blend in. Once the responses have been revealed, everyone gets the opportunity to question one another, looking for suspicious behaviour and trying to identify the person who is bluffing. It is a wonderfully simple recipe for chaos, and it works because the entertainment comes just as much from the people playing as from the game itself.
The Art of Getting Away With It
The heart of Fakin’ It XL remains its social deduction mechanics. Players receive prompts that ask them to perform simple actions, such as raising a hand, showing a particular number of fingers, pointing towards somebody or pulling a specific facial expression. Everyone has to commit to their response, but the Faker has no idea what the actual instruction was. They must therefore make a quick decision and hope their actions look convincing enough to avoid suspicion.
What makes this so entertaining is that even the smallest hesitation can become a major talking point. A player might glance around the room for clues, copy somebody else’s reaction or simply make a completely random choice and hope nobody notices. Sometimes the Faker gets away with an answer that is spectacularly wrong because everybody else is too busy accusing one another. On other occasions, a perfectly innocent player becomes the centre of attention simply because they happened to look suspicious at the wrong moment.
Once the real prompt is revealed, the interrogation begins. Players can question one another about their responses, challenge questionable decisions and try to work out who was genuinely following the instruction. The Faker, meanwhile, has to think quickly, construct a convincing explanation and perhaps even turn the accusations towards somebody else. It is not enough to avoid making a mistake during the initial prompt. You also need to be able to talk your way out of trouble afterwards.
The three-round structure gives each game a satisfying sense of progression. The Faker has to survive repeated opportunities for the group to identify them, while everyone else must remain observant and avoid being distracted by particularly confident performances. Making it through all three rounds without being caught can deliver a substantial points reward, giving the person playing the Faker a genuine reason to keep their composure. Equally, successfully identifying the culprit provides its own satisfaction, especially when the group has spent several minutes arguing over the wrong person.
There is a lovely balance between instinct and deduction here. You can spend ages studying somebody’s reaction, only to discover that they were telling the truth all along, while the person who seemed completely relaxed was secretly improvising their way through the entire round. Fakin’ It XL thrives on those moments when nobody is entirely sure what to believe. It is a party game that encourages conversation rather than simply asking players to stare at a screen and wait for their turn.
Fresh Ideas for a Familiar Favourite
This XL edition builds on the foundations of the original Fakin’ It, retaining familiar round types and content while incorporating elements from the updated Fakin’ It All Night Long structure. That is important because the original concept was already strong, and there is little reason to completely reinvent something that works so well. Instead, the expanded release focuses on adding variety, improving accessibility and giving returning players new ways to catch their friends out.
Among the additions are two new question types, Emojinal Damage and Thumb Luck. These broaden the range of situations players encounter, encouraging different forms of expression and improvisation rather than relying exclusively on traditional physical prompts. They also provide fresh opportunities for the Faker to make a convincing guess without the information everyone else has received. The new formats fit comfortably alongside the returning content, helping the overall experience feel like a more complete version of the game rather than a simple re-release.
The increased player capacity is another welcome improvement. Supporting up to eight players makes it easier to involve a larger group, and more participants naturally create additional opportunities for confusion and misdirection. With more people responding to each prompt, identifying unusual behaviour becomes a little trickier, while the interrogation stages can become wonderfully chaotic. A larger group also means more personalities to contend with, which is particularly important in a game that depends so heavily on how people behave around one another.
The expanded avatar selection adds a little extra personality, allowing players to choose characters that represent them during the game. It is not a major gameplay feature, but these small touches help give the experience a more individual identity. The presentation remains accessible and uncluttered, ensuring that players can concentrate on the people around them rather than getting lost in unnecessary menus.
Bringing the Party Online
Perhaps the most significant improvement is the introduction of dedicated Remote Play support. The original appeal of Fakin’ It was closely tied to being together in the same room, where facial expressions, gestures and suspicious movements could be observed directly. That made it a fantastic choice for physical gatherings, but it naturally limited how comfortably the game could be enjoyed by friends playing from different locations. Fakin’ It XL addresses that problem by offering a choice between in-person and remote play at the start of a session.
Selecting the remote option changes the available round types to suit players connecting via a video call or stream. Rather than expecting everyone to perform actions that only make sense when sharing a physical space, the game provides alternatives designed for online participation. This is a particularly important distinction, because simply allowing players to connect remotely would not necessarily have preserved what made the original experience enjoyable. The tailored approach shows that Jackbox Games has considered how the game actually works when people are separated by a screen.
The new mode also makes Fakin’ It XL a more flexible addition to a party game collection. Friends who cannot meet up in person can still enjoy the accusations, bluffs and awkward explanations that make the game so entertaining. There is something reassuring about knowing that a game night does not have to be cancelled simply because everyone is in a different location. It is a practical improvement that gives this edition a much wider appeal.
Getting everyone involved is refreshingly straightforward, too. Only one person needs to own the game, while other participants can join using a phone, tablet or another web-enabled device as their controller. There is no requirement for everyone to purchase a separate copy, and the familiar Jackbox approach keeps the barrier to entry pleasingly low. That convenience is particularly valuable for party games, where the last thing anyone wants is to spend half an evening helping people install software or configure complicated controls.
Presentation and Party Atmosphere
Visually, Fakin’ It XL has received a fresh coat of paint, giving the experience a brighter, more polished look. The player avatars are expressive, the scoreboards are easy to follow, and the prompts are presented clearly enough that nobody should struggle to understand what is happening. The interface does not compete with the players, which is exactly the right decision for this type of game. Its presentation provides the framework for the entertainment rather than trying to become the main attraction.
The audio also helps maintain the familiar Jackbox party atmosphere. Upbeat music, countdown effects, and the host’s commentary give each round a sense of occasion, while the pacing builds anticipation before the truth is revealed. Those brief moments of silence, when everyone is waiting to discover who has been caught, can be just as entertaining as the accusations themselves. It is a polished presentation that understands the importance of timing and comic delivery.
There is, however, one notable limitation worth considering. The experience is restricted to English, which may make it less accessible for groups who would prefer to play in another language. This is particularly relevant for a game that relies on quickly understanding prompts and responding to questions, as language barriers can interrupt the flow. It is not a problem for English-speaking groups, but it does restrict the potential audience.
Final Thoughts
Fakin’ It XL is a thoroughly enjoyable return for one of Jackbox Games’ most entertaining party concepts. The core idea remains as effective as ever, generating comedy from a simple situation in which one person knows less than everyone else and desperately needs to pretend otherwise. The additional question types provide welcome variety, the support for eight players makes larger gatherings more manageable, and the dedicated Remote Play mode finally gives the experience the flexibility to work just as comfortably online as in a living room.
Its greatest strength is also its biggest dependency: the people playing. A lively group willing to question one another, defend questionable decisions, and commit wholeheartedly to ridiculous lies will get considerably more out of the experience than a quiet gathering of reluctant participants. That is not a criticism of the design so much as a reminder that this is a social game first and foremost. The more personality players bring to the table, the more entertaining each round becomes.
There is little reason to fix what was never broken, and Jackbox Games has wisely concentrated on improving the formula rather than overcomplicating it. Fakin’ It XL feels like a confident, thoughtful expansion of a much-loved party game, with enough new content and quality-of-life improvements to justify its standalone release. Whether you are gathered around a television or sharing a video call with friends, there is plenty of fun to be found in trying to work out who is telling the truth. Just remember that the most suspicious person in the room might not be the Faker. It could simply be the person enjoying the accusations a little too much.
