April Fools’ Day has once again arrived and has brought with it some hilarious video game pranks. While most are meant for just a quick laugh, there are a few clever ones that catch us by surprise and become actual new games or updates to existing titles that are just as wild as the day they are released.
It can be hard to keep track of all the best video game pranks on April Fools’ Day, so we are here to gather all the best ones in this roundup! Let us know which prank is your favorite below!
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Voices + Nintendo Switch Online Announcement
To kick off the April Fools’ Day festivities, IGN presented to the world the latest Nintendo Direct, where Shigeru Miyamoto revealed all the voices from The Super Mario Bros. Movie would be coming to your favorite games. Yes, this includes Chris Pratt voicing Mario in the original Super Mario Bros., Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong laughing his way through Donkey Kong Country, Anya-Taylor Joy’s Peach dominating the competition in Mario Kart 8, Jack Black’s Bowser destroying everything in his path in Super Mario Odyssey, and much more.
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog Is a Real game You Can Play Now
The Sonic Social team proudly presents: The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog!
A brand new Sonic game. Available right now. On Steam. For FREE! pic.twitter.com/qOsvdwCU2b
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) March 31, 2023
While this technically came out a day early, SEGA had a very special treat planned for Sonic fans with the actual release of The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, a free murder mystery visual novel game on Steam that stars Sonic and his friends.
Among Us Brings Back Horse Mode For Another April Fools’ Day
🐎 APRIL FOOLS IS HERE 🐎
YEEEEEEEEEEHAW!!
Crewmates are now Horsemates in both Classic and Hide n Seek game modes!
🤠 Horse Wrangling Mode: Seekers are now Ranchers, with new animation & music
🐴 Classic Horse Mode: NeighhhThis is only around until April 2, so ride on now! pic.twitter.com/wEj3OZTMTB
— Among Us (@AmongUsGame) April 1, 2023
From March 31 – April 2, Innersloth has brought back Horse Mode to Among Us, which turns player into either a horse or a rancher to compete in two modes – Horse Wrangling Mode and Classic Horse Mode. While the classic mode is very similar to a normal game, Horse Wrangling Mode is a new version of Hide N Seek with the Seeker becoming the Rancher and the crewmates becoming Horsemates.
Pokemon’s Lechonk Takeover Has Arrived
Loveable Lechonk is in the spotlight! 🐷🎉
Join us and discover #PokemonTogether as we celebrate this perfect partner Pokémon from the Paldea region! pic.twitter.com/vAO7NZqFwH
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) March 31, 2023
In what should clearly just be an everyday thing, the lovable pig Pokemon Lechonk has taken over the world of Pokemon for April Fools’ Day. From a Twitter takeover to Lechonk merch to Lechonk gifts in Pokemon Unite, there is really something for everyone.
Overwatch 2’s ‘Very Serious’ Patch Notes Brings a New Level of Fun to Arcade Mode
Say hello to flying tanks and spring-loaded kicks 🦶
Check out the VERY serious patch notes to see the updates to all our Heroes’ ability kits in Arcade Mode only (for now) ✨
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) March 31, 2023
In celebration of this special day, Overwatch 2 has released some “very serious” patch notes that reveal some new additions to Arcade Mode. Not only are there googly eyes and new hilarious Ultimate Voice Lines, but each Hero has also been buffed in certain ways to make each match more chaotic and fun.
PUBG’s New Bizarre Battle Royale Mode Features Super Powers, Zombies, and a Monster Chicken
Ever dreamt of having superpowers? Grab your superpower using OP Coin and get ready to dominate the Battlegrounds in Bizarre Battle Royale.#PUBG #BATTLEGROUNDS #BizarreBattleRoyale pic.twitter.com/xb1Jlktn3i
— PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS (@PUBG) April 1, 2023
PUBG’s latest April Fools’ Day mode is called Bizarre Battle Royale and it brings in super powers, zombies, and a monster chicken that will give you the fight of your life.
PowerWash Survivors Brings the Chaos of Vampire Survivors to Your Neighborhood
PowerWash Survivors, coming soon💦 pic.twitter.com/pg6ngQd9U5
— PowerWash Simulator (@PowerWashSim) April 1, 2023
In a hilarious match-up, PowerWash Survivors announced it was creating a game that looks and sounds very much like Vampire Survivors, and that it will have such enemies as a gnome, egg, PWS cat, and more. Oh, and it’s only coming out on Stadia and Ouya!
Shovel Knight Can Now Cameo at Your Next Event!
We’re excited to announce a BRAND NEW BUSINESS VENTURE!
Simply Shovel Celebrations is a full-service cameo & events company that puts the dig in shindig. Shovel Knight – best in the cameo biz – is ready to make an appearance at your next event!
Info➡️ pic.twitter.com/O7WGQdRHbz
— Yacht Club games -Shovel Knight Dig DLC is OUT NOW (@YachtClubGames) March 31, 2023
Shovel Knight is known for his cameos in other games, but now he’s taking the next step and can come to your IRL event! Level up your wedding, birthday party, or business event with Shovel Knight!
Minecraft Is Proud To Let You… Vote!
Revealing: The Vote Update
You love to make choices, so we’re giving you the choice to make choices. 🫵 pic.twitter.com/sTurfYhpGs
— Minecraft (@Minecraft) April 1, 2023
Minecraft’s new The Vote Update will put choice into players hands and let them enter a “world of endless voting, where the results fundamentally change the laws of Minecraft.” Some of these choices include Beelloons, French mode, zombie mode, rabbit transformation, exploding pistons, haunted world, and more!
League of Legends Will Let You Stack Hats Upon Hats To Get In the Holiday Spirit
👒
🎓
🎩
🧢
⛑
🤠
Up your hat game in any blind pick match until EOD midnight April 2 in your local timezone 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ogIlvvrSrn— League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) March 31, 2023
If you hate the thought of just one hat on your head, League of Legends is here for you. Until midnight on April 2 in your local timezone, you will be able to “up your hat game in any blind pick match.” This means you can wear A LOT of hats at once.
Become ‘Legend-Dairy’ in Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cheese Your Way Through Encounters
We’ve heard your feedback on cheesing encounters, and are proud to announce a brand-new way to play Baldur’s Gate 3 😌 pic.twitter.com/lWpL8oXUvx
— Larian Studios is releasing BG3 on August 31st 🥳 (@larianstudios) April 1, 2023
Some online have said you can cheese your way through certain encounters in Baldur’s Gate 3, and Larian Studios took that to heart. To make the community happy, it is happy to announce on April Fools’ Day that an actual wheel of cheese will be a new character and will allow the cheesing to go to a whole new level.
The Razer Razer Is the ‘World’s First Shaving Mouse Powered by Rare Chroma RGB’
Put on your best game face with the Razer Razer—the world’s first shaving mouse powered by Razer Chroma RGB. Get out of the hairiest situations with an ultra-clean shave that brings out your A-game: pic.twitter.com/2DggYdIZsq
— R Λ Z Ξ R (@Razer) March 31, 2023
If you need more RGB in your life, Razer has your facial hair covered with the brand-new Razer Razer, the “world’s first shaving mouse powered by Razer Chroma RGB.” Not only can you get a perfect shave, but you can do so without ever leaving your computer.
HyperX Cloud20 Is a New Headset That Will Keep You Hydrated by Spraying Water in Your Face
cooked up this headset so y’all can stop telling us to STAY HYDRATED 💦
— HyperX (@HyperX) March 31, 2023
It can be hard to stay hydrated while gaming, and HyperX wants to solve that problem with the new Cloud20 headset that will spray your with water from time to time to keep you as healthy as possible! Oh, and the video is a real winner.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.