Pummel Party is Rebuilt Games' board game brawler, out since 20 September 2018 and playable by 1 to 8 people online, in local split screen, or against bots. Board turns decide who reaches the goblet, and the minigames between rounds decide who can afford the items that wreck someone else's turn. Steam Workshop support means the map and minigame list keeps growing past the official set of boards.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best characters, weapons worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
One item per turn
You may use one item per round, only during your own turn, and only before you roll. That single restriction is why item timing decides more games than minigame skill does.
Goblet objective
A streak of light points toward the current goblet, and collecting goblets is the main win condition. Chasing it blindly through a cluster of hostile players is often worse than taking a slower, safer path.
Thirty starting health
Players start with 30 health, and items deal different amounts against that pool. Knowing whether a hit actually finishes someone is the difference between a useful item and a wasted one.
Minigames between rounds
Rounds break for minigames such as Snowy Spin, Sandy Search, and Explosive Exchange, which pay out the money that buys items. A dedicated minigame mode also exists for groups who do not want the board at all.
Steam Workshop maps and minigames
The game shipped a level editor and Workshop support, and community collections of vetted maps and minigames are widely shared. Official boards have kept arriving too, including Pummel Prison in the 1.12.1 update.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Pummel Party combat guide.
Characters Overview
| Role | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damage items | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Movement items | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Position swap items | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Defensive items | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Board control items | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Pummel Party builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Weapons Guide
| Weapon | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Boxing Glove | The basic close-range attack item and one of the first most players use. | Punishing a rival who parked next to you before your turn |
| Shotgun | The ranged damage option, useful when the player you want to hit is nowhere near you. | Hitting the leader from across the board |
| Eggplant | The Remote Controlled Eggplant is the item the Steam page itself uses as the example of the game's absurd arsenal. | Reaching a player behind cover or around a corner |
| Wrecking Ball | A heavy area item rather than a precise one. | Breaking up a group contesting the same goblet |
| Dark Summoning Staff | One of the stranger items in the pool and a favorite for board chaos. | Late-game turns when the standings are close |
Boxing Glove: The basic close-range attack item and one of the first most players use. Its value is positional as much as it is damage, because a knocked player loses ground as well as health.
Shotgun: The ranged damage option, useful when the player you want to hit is nowhere near you. Against a 30 health pool it is a serious chunk rather than a nuisance.
Eggplant: The Remote Controlled Eggplant is the item the Steam page itself uses as the example of the game's absurd arsenal. You drive it, which means it can reach players a direct attack cannot.
Wrecking Ball: A heavy area item rather than a precise one. Best value comes when two or more players are clustered near a goblet path, which happens more often than people plan for.
Dark Summoning Staff: One of the stranger items in the pool and a favorite for board chaos. Effects like this are why holding an item one extra round is often better than firing it immediately.
Full breakdowns in our Pummel Party weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Pummeltown | 4 to 8 players | Goblets, board familiarity for new groups |
| Winterglow | 4 to 8 players | Goblets, plus the hazard interactions the board is built around |
| Pirate Paradise | Best with 6 to 8 players | Goblets, extended games for full lobbies |
| Rusty Ruins | 4 to 8 players | Goblets, a moderate game length |
| Overgrowth | 4 to 8 players | Goblets, newer board hazards |
Pummeltown: The default board most groups learn on, and the one the community wiki treats as the reference map. Compact enough that item timing matters from the first round.
Winterglow: A snow-themed board from the official rotation. Paths funnel more than Pummeltown's, which makes movement items and swaps more valuable than raw damage.
Pirate Paradise: One of the six boards the long-running Steam community guide lists as official. Its layout suits larger lobbies, where the board is crowded enough that item denial pays off.
Rusty Ruins: A mid-size official board. Groups that find Pummeltown too tight and the larger maps too slow usually settle here.
Overgrowth: Set in the overgrown ruins of an ancient temple and added after launch. Later updates added more boards, including Pummel Prison in 1.12.1, so the official list is longer than the original six.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Items can only be used on your own turn and only before you roll, so a saved item does nothing if you forget the window. Decide before your turn starts, not after you see the roll.
- The streak of light points at the current goblet, which is the main scoring objective. Deviating from it makes sense when NPCs or players are camped on the route, and rarely otherwise.
- Everyone starts at 30 health, so learn roughly what each item takes off. Committing your only item to a hit that leaves someone at 4 health is worse than waiting a round.
- Attack the player who is winning, not the player who is nearest. Damage aimed at a trailing opponent effectively helps the leader.
- A movement item used to land exactly one space from a goblet before rolling is the single highest-value play the Steam guides call out.
- Minigames are your income. In a mixed-skill group, the player who consistently places well in Snowy Spin, Sandy Search, and Explosive Exchange controls the item economy.
- For groups that dislike the board entirely, the dedicated minigame mode skips it and just runs the minigames back to back.
- The Workshop hosts thousands of maps and minigames of wildly varying quality. Subscribe to a vetted collection rather than sorting through it live while seven people wait.
- The game supports up to 8 players plus a random board map option, both added after launch. Older guides written for smaller lobbies underrate how much longer 8-player games run.
- Local split screen and online play mix, so a group on one couch can play against remote friends without everyone owning separate setups in the same room.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using an item the moment you get it instead of holding for the round that matters.
- Trying to use an item after rolling, when the window has already closed.
- Attacking the nearest player rather than the one closest to winning.
- Picking a large board for a four-player group and grinding through a long game.
- Loading unvetted Workshop maps mid-session and stalling the lobby.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players does Pummel Party support?
1 to 8. You can fill empty slots with AI bots, play online, use local split screen, or mix local and online players in the same lobby.
How many official boards are there?
The long-standing Steam community guide lists six: Winterglow, Pummeltown, Pirate Paradise, Rusty Ruins, The Rift, and Overgrowth. Later updates added more, including Pummel Prison, so check the in-game list for the current set.
Do I have to play the board game?
No. There is a separate minigame mode that runs the minigames without board progression, which suits groups with less time or less patience for turn order.
Does everyone need to own the Workshop content?
Everyone in the lobby needs the map or minigame installed for it to run smoothly, so agree on a collection before the session rather than during it.
Is it still played in 2026?
Yes. The game launched in September 2018 and has kept receiving updates, including new boards, minigames, the 8-player expansion, and Workshop support, which is what has kept lobbies alive this long.
More Pummel Party Guides
- Pummel Party Best Builds
- Pummel Party Tier List
- Pummel Party Walkthrough
- Pummel Party Beginner's Guide
- Pummel Party Tips & Tricks
- Pummel Party Weapons Guide
- Pummel Party Combat Guide
- Pummel Party Boss Guide
- Pummel Party Maps & Locations
- Pummel Party Crafting Guide
- Pummel Party Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Pummel Party, check out these related guides:
- Helldivers 2 Guide: action game with similar mechanics
- Black Myth: Wukong Guide: action game with similar mechanics
- Monster Hunter Wilds Guide: action game with similar mechanics
