How to win (and keep friends while doing it) in Pummel Party: board mode rules, how keys and goblets work, item priorities, board-by-board notes, minigame tips, rulesets, mods, and the tricks regulars use.
Researched September 2026 — current as of patch 1.14.1j (September 25, 2024), the latest update. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.
| Mode | What it is |
|---|---|
| Board Mode | The main party-board game with items, keys and goblets |
| Minigame Mode | Straight into minigames with no board |
| Teams | Team variants (score UI supports teams) |
| Mods | Custom boards, spaces and minigames via the in-game mod editor and Steam Workshop |
| Space | Effect |
|---|---|
| Goal chest | Trade keys for a goblet |
| Key space | Gain a random number of keys |
| Item space | Get a random item |
| Heal space | Restore health |
| Skull space | Lose HP and keys |
| Reaper space | Claim it; players who land on it later lose health or keys to you |
| Weapon cache | A powerful item that respawns after a cooldown |
| Event space | Board-specific events (for example arrow reversals or a sandworm attack) |
| Graveyard | Where you respawn after reaching 0 HP |
Exact space types vary by board and by Workshop mod, so read the tooltip rather than assuming.
Item names come from the store page, the achievements, and the community "Overall Guide" on Steam. Exact damage numbers have been rebalanced over the years, so read the in-game description rather than trusting old numbers.
| Item | What it does | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Punching Glove (also called the boxing glove) | Fires a glove in a direction and hits the first player in line | Knock a nearby rival off tempo, or finish a low-HP key holder |
| Shotgun | Aimed shot at another player | Reliable damage on someone in range |
| Health Kit | Restores a large chunk of HP | When you're low and someone armed is nearby |
| Bee Hive | Dropped hive that damages players in an area | Board chokepoints and crowded spaces |
| Magnet | Steals keys or an item from a player in front of you | Take keys from the leader |
| Remote Controlled Eggplant | Drive an explosive eggplant around, then detonate | Hit clusters of players; hitting 3 at once earns "The Trifecta" |
| Swap Portal | Swaps your position with another player's; you can't roll afterwards | Steal a spot next to the goal |
| Wrecking Ball | Single-target hit from off-screen | Punish one player without chasing them |
| Rocket Skewer | Ride a rocket toward the goal, skewering players on the way | Close the gap to the goal; 3 players at once earns "Extra Meat" |
| Tactical Cactus Disguise | Blocks the next damage instance and Swap Portals | Hold it when you're leading |
| Present | Random outcome, including options tied to minigame choice | High-variance catch-up item |
| Dark Summoning Staff | Summons a creature that patrols the board and attacks players | Area control over several rounds |
| Giga Laser | Kills any player anywhere on the map in one shot | Save it for the key leader right before they reach the chest |
| Nuclear Waste Barrel | Poisons a player for a couple of rounds and stops them using items | Shut down a leader holding a strong item |
| Arcade Challenge | Challenge a player to a retro minigame; the winner gains a goblet | Only when you're confident in your reflexes |
Hover each item in your inventory to read the current description before your turn.
Priority thinking:
The game ships with several official boards, plus unlimited Workshop boards. The community Overall Guide on Steam describes six:
| Board | Notes |
|---|---|
| Winterglow | Winter theme; suits 4-8 players |
| Pummeltown | Large board with zombies and a killer NPC roaming the streets |
| Pirate Paradise | Pirate theme; suits 4-8 players |
| Rusty Ruins | Small post-apocalyptic board; best for 2-4 players |
| The Rift | Medium board with a randomised layout and frequent loops |
| Overgrowth | Ancient temple with a chest shell game (fake chests) |
Newer versions may have added or reworked boards, so check the board list in your lobby. Rather than memorising layouts:
Pummel Party has a large rotating pool of minigames. Examples from the store page and patch notes include Snowy Spin, Sandy Search, Explosive Exchange, Searing Spotlights, Forklift Fling, Sharky Swim, Acidic Atoll and Mortar Mayhem. The Steam achievement list names many more, including Barn Brawl, Speedy Sabers, Bullet Barrage, Rusty Racers, Strategic Shockwave, Grifting Gifts, Tunneling Tanks, Breaking Blocks, Morphing Maze, Bouncing Balls, Elemental Escalation, Slippery Sprint, Sorcerers Sprint, Thunderous Trench, Temporal Trails, Magma & Mages, Altitude Attack and Gift Grab.
| Achievement | Goal |
|---|---|
| Raider | Find the treasure in Sandy Search |
| Light Foot | Finish Slippery Sprint without falling in the water |
| Road Warrior | Finish Rusty Racers without falling off the track |
| Dodge This | Survive 50 seconds in Bullet Barrage |
| A Daring Devil | Take no damage in Searing Spotlights |
| Rolling Master | Knock off 5 players in one game of Snowy Spin |
| Two Birds | Double kill in Barn Brawl |
| Chopped To Bits | 5-player kill streak in Speedy Sabers |
| You Made a Mistake | Accidentally blow yourself up in Strategic Shockwave |
| Steal From The Poor | Steal the last gift in a player's pile in Grifting Gifts |
| Starman | Get launched off screen in Tunneling Tanks |
| Move Quick | Survive 60 seconds in Breaking Blocks |
| Hoarder | Collect 40 keys in Morphing Maze |
| Quick Reactions | Score over 5 in Bouncing Balls |
| Elementfull | Control over 50% of the area in Elemental Escalation |
| Thread The Needle | Survive at least 50 seconds in Sorcerers Sprint |
| Fatal Slip | Die in Acidic Atoll without throwing a barrel |
| Lightning Rod | As the lightning holder, kill every other player in Thunderous Trench |
| Too Slow | Get hit by the train in Temporal Trails |
| Floor is Lava | Win Magma & Mages without taking damage |
| Altitude Achiever | Score over 10 in Altitude Attack |
| No Diamonds | Complete Gift Grab without collecting coal |
| Seeing Stars | Knock out 10 players in one game of Explosive Exchange |
| Minigame Master / Unlucky | Place first / last in every minigame |
Board achievements: So Shiny (get your first goal), You Are The Winner (win a game), The Trifecta (hit three players with the Eggplant) and Extra Meat (skewer three players with the Rocket Skewer). Minigame Master and Unlucky are the rarest, at around 1% of players; use Minigame Mode with a trimmed minigame pool to target the ones you still need, and bots for practice.
General tips by type:
| Type | Tip |
|---|---|
| Brawlers (e.g. Barn Brawl) | Stay near the center; let others fight first |
| Dodgers (e.g. Bullet Barrage, Searing Spotlights) | Move minimally and predictably; since 1.14.1j, survivors of Searing Spotlights are ranked by remaining HP, so avoid chip damage |
| Knockoff (e.g. Snowy Spin) | Stay away from edges; strike when others overcommit |
| Search (e.g. Sandy Search) | Systematic sweeps beat random digging |
| Racers (e.g. Rusty Racers) | Clean laps beat risky shortcuts |
| Hot potato (e.g. Explosive Exchange) | Pass the bomb early; don't get cornered |
How many players does Pummel Party support? 1–8 players online or locally, with bots filling empty slots.
Does Pummel Party have split-screen? Yes. Local play uses split-screen in minigames. You can choose horizontal or vertical splitting (since 1.14.1h).
What's the latest update? Patch 1.14.1j (September 25, 2024), which reverted the Feathers cape appearance, ranked Searing Spotlights survivors by HP, fixed custom name and controller issues, and improved board-mod pathing.
Can I play Pummel Party solo? Yes, against bots, in Board or Minigame mode.
How do I win more at Pummel Party? Prioritize minigame wins for keys, avoid ending turns near armed players, and use high-variance stealing or swapping items when behind.
Are there mods? Yes. There's an in-game mod editor and Steam Workshop for custom boards and minigames.