Video games can be very funny, but so much of what makes them funny happens by accident. Bugs are a huge source of comedy in games, with regard to something funny happening that's not meant to happen. Other times, funny moments come from things not going your way in a game, on a scale that's beyond what you could have thought. Helldivers 2 is a prime example of the latter.

There are, however, a number of games that are very funny, that are actually trying to be funny. Games where comedy is the goal, and these are a few of those games that succeed in achieving incredible comedic heights.

5 Portal/Portal 2

The cake is a lie.

Okay, this is technically two games, but still. Both Portal games are definitely puzzle games first, but I think it's a gross misunderstanding of them to say they're not comedy games as well. They are two of the best examples of how to write funny in-game dialogue, paired with gameplay moments that can make you laugh even when you're the victim of the joke.

GLaDOS's dry and uncaring brand of humor contrasts with Wheatley's scattered and naive sensibilities in the sequel, making for an even funnier game than the first. With that said, both of these titles deserve a place on this list, which is why they're bundled together in one entry here. If you've not played either of these games and are looking for a game to make you laugh, then you absolutely cannot go wrong with playing either of them.

Especially because, beyond just being funny games, they are two of the best first-person puzzle games ever made, and if you were making a list of the best games of all time, you wouldn't be wrong to include either of them based on your own preference. They really are that good, and that funny.

• Buy Portal and Portal 2 on Steam.

4 Untitled Goose Game

Honk!

Untitled Goose Game is a bit of a different-paced game compared to Portal, but a worthy shout on this list nonetheless. The entire game is built around creating scenarios where you, a chaotic goose, can cause hilarity and chaos that the people of the village you're in definitely won't enjoy, but you will.

It has a simple and charming art style that further invites you to make a mess of a world that looks like it needs a jolt of sillyness. Untitled Goose Game gets even better when you play in co-op, and you can complete the small challenges the game gives you with the help of a second chaotic goose friend. All the humor comes from how you interact with the townsfolk and the animations, so it's all situational and environmental comedy. But that just makes it all the more universal, and further explains why it was such a hit when it launched in 2019.

• Buy Untitled Goose Game on Steam

3 Trombone Champ

Toot for glory.

Sound is such a key element in comedy. Hearing something unexpected can be a reliable and easy way to get a laugh. Trombone Champ instead sounds exactly like you'd expect, and that's what makes it so funny.

The trombone is a wonderful instrument, but it's not the one to choose for every scenario. Unless, of course, you did. That's basically the premise of Trombone Champ, and while it won't convince you that every song should be played with a trombone, it'll make you want to try playing every song with a trombone. Trombone Champ's own brand of Guitar Hero-style gameplay make it immediately easy to pick up, especially when playing on a PC where all you need is a mouse to play.

It gets even better when you play it in VR, though, with the release of Trombone Champ: Unflattened. Even still, whether you're playing in VR or not, Trombone Champ is an incredibly fun and funny time.

• Buy Trombone Champ on Steam.

2 What the Golf?

Golf for people who hate golf.

Do you generally dislike golf? Hate it even? Well then, What the Golf? is absolutely the golf game for you. You might think it weird to recommend a golf game to someone who claims to hate the sport, but trust me when I say that this is like no golf game you've played before.

Developer and publisher Triband has made a few 'What the' games since What the Golf?, but its first swing at making a comedy game where you can never predict what is actually coming next remains a classic that I say is a must-play before venturing off to the rest of the studio's portfolio. Filled with plenty of short-and-sweet mini-challenges, you can get through huge chunks of What the Golf? in no time and be laughing the whole way through. It's an excellent example of how to merge fun and funny gameplay.

• Buy What the Golf? on Steam

1 Thank Goodness You're Here!

Absurd, colorful, and completely hilarious.

The final entry on this list is also the most recent one with Thank Goodness You're Here!. An absolutely absurd comedy that brings you into the world of small-town Northern England and into the fictional town of Barnsworth, you play a small round-headed man who can do nothing but slap the surrounding environment.

By slapping everything in sight, you'll not only complete every task the people of Barnsworth charge you with, you'll have one of the funniest gameplay experiences available in video games. Granted, it does help if you're familiar with British culture to at least some degree to really get everything out of Thank Goodness You're Here!, but many of the jokes and gags are so wild and eccentric that they are approachable and understandable to just about anyone.

• Buy Thank Goodness You're Here! on Steam

Video games are funny by accident, and on purpose.

In my many years of playing video games, I've played so many that have funny lines here and there, or funny gameplay moments that happened by accident, but I've played so few that are funny on purpose. Being funny is one of, if not the only, main objectives of the game, and these six games are all funny before they are anything else.