Fakin It XL Beginner Guide: Price, Setup and Faker Tips

Where to buy it and what it costs

Jackbox announced Fakin’ It XL for Steam, Epic, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox, all on November 12. The game is rated T for Teen, and Jackbox calls it good, mostly clean, lying fun. That matters if you are picking a party game for a mixed age group: this is the clean version, not the adult version from the Naughty Pack.

Jackbox lists the price at $8.99 on its own game page, and its launch announcement gives the same $8.99 figure. Console store pages can show a different price by region, so check your own store before you buy. The Jackbox Holiday Bundle is a separate deal: it pairs The Jackbox Party Pack 12 with Fakin’ It XL, it went live on Xbox on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and Jackbox calls it a limited time bundle. The Xbox page in Malaysia lists it at RM136.00, a regional price, so this guide prints no US dollar price for the bundle.

How a game of Fakin’ It XL works

Every game follows the same shape. A prompt goes out to the group, everyone answers it, and the group talks its way toward the Faker. The Faker has to fake an answer to a prompt they never saw.

1. Get 2 to 8 players in one place or on one call. One person buys the game and launches it on a PC or console. Everyone else needs only a phone or tablet, so no one else has to buy anything.
2. Pick in-room or remote play before the first round. The game asks up front, and it serves round types built for the mode you pick. Pick in-room for a couch full of people, remote for a video call.
3. Join from your phone or tablet. The game shows a room code on the main screen. Everyone joins with that code, and your phone is both your controller and where your secret prompt appears.
4. Read your prompt, and act on it. Every player except the Faker gets a simple instruction, like raising a hand if they have ever pretended to like a gift they hated. The Faker gets nothing, and has to watch the group and copy what they do.
5. Grill each other after the prompt is revealed. Once everyone has acted, the real prompt comes out, and the group asks questions and compares answers. The Faker needs a good lie ready, because this is the moment a weak story falls apart.
6. Survive three rounds to win as the Faker. Jackbox says a Faker who makes it through all three rounds without getting caught walks away with a mountain of points. The group wins by spotting the Faker before the rounds run out.

That is the whole game. The game keeps the points, and your only job is to watch people and lie well, or watch people and catch the lie.

In-room or remote: pick before you start

The mode choice is the biggest change in the XL version. The original Fakin’ It was built for a room full of people, and some of its rounds asked players to point at each other. That does not work on a video call. Fakin’ It XL fixes it by asking first and then serving round types made for the way you are actually playing.

In remote play, your avatar can share information for you. Jackbox says the remote rounds give your controller options that let your avatar show things on your behalf, so a round that needs pointing still works when everyone is on separate screens. If your group is split, pick remote. The remote rounds are built for that split, and the in-room rounds are not.

The two new question types

Fakin’ It XL adds two new question types on top of the classic rounds. Jackbox announced both in its reveal, and they change how the Faker has to think.

Emojinal Damage asks players to answer with an emoji. The Faker only gets a general emoji category, not the question itself, so they have to pick an emoji that fits a question they never saw. A wrong emoji, or an emoji that fits nothing, is a fast way to get caught.

Thumb Luck asks everyone to give a quick thumbs up or thumbs down on three opinion items in a row. It is fast, and it gives the group three answers to compare at once. The Faker has to guess the room on three items they never saw, and one odd thumb can give them away.

Both types are new to this version, and both give the Faker less to work with while giving the group more to compare. The rest of the round types come from the original Fakin’ It and from Fakin’ It All Night Long, with the adult content removed.

How to play the Faker: seven tips

Being the Faker is the best seat in the game, and the hardest. Blend in, have a lie ready, and shift the blame when you can.

1. Watch first, act second. Wait half a beat, copy what the others do, and never be the first person to act.
2. Keep your lie short. A short answer is hard to pick apart. A long story gives the group three new things to question, and one of them will trip you up.
3. Have your lie ready before the reveal. The moment the real prompt comes out, the group turns to you. Know what you will say before they ask, not after.
4. Answer like you mean it. A fast, plain answer reads as honest. A slow answer with a laugh reads as a stall, and the group will notice.
5. Shift the blame gently. Jackbox says the Faker’s job includes shifting blame onto someone else. Point at a real odd answer, not at a random player. A fair suspicion sounds honest.
6. Use the group against itself. When two players disagree, let them argue. Every minute they spend on each other is a minute they do not spend on you.
7. In remote play, let your avatar work. Use the options that let your avatar share information for you instead of trying to point across a video call.

How to spot the Faker: five tells

Catching the Faker is a group skill. Talk, compare, and decide together, not on a hunch.

1. Look for the copycat. The Faker copies the group because they never saw the prompt. If one player always acts a half second after everyone else, start there.
2. Ask about the detail, not the answer. A player who did the prompt can tell you why they did it. A Faker can only repeat the answer.
3. Compare the emoji answers. In Emojinal Damage, a real answer fits the question. A Faker’s emoji fits only the category they were given. The odd emoji out is your best lead.
4. Count the thumbs. In Thumb Luck, three thumbs in a row make a pattern. A Faker guesses the room, so their pattern is the one that fits no one else’s taste.
5. Watch who changes the subject. A Faker who feels the heat will point at someone else or start a new argument. Treat it as a tell, not as proof. Ask them to explain, then decide as a group.

Your first game night checklist

Five things to sort before the first round, so the game night starts on time.

1. One owner buys the game for $8.99 on Steam, Epic, PlayStation, or Xbox. Everyone else joins free on a phone or tablet.
2. Put the game on the biggest screen in the room, or share it on the call, so everyone can see the prompts and the room code.
3. Charge the phones. A dead phone in round two ends the game for that player.
4. Decide in-room or remote before you start. The game asks up front, and the rounds change with your answer, so do not guess.
5. Keep the group at 2 to 8 players. A bigger crowd can still watch, but only eight can play.

Fakin’ It XL questions

How much does Fakin’ It XL cost?

It costs $8.99. Jackbox lists $8.99 on its own game page, and its launch announcement gives the same price. Console store pages can show a different price by region, so check your own store before you buy.

How many players can play Fakin’ It XL?

2 to 8 players can play. Xbox lists local play for 2 to 8 players, and Jackbox says up to eight players can join the same game. Only one person needs to own the game, and everyone else plays on a phone or tablet.

Can you play Fakin’ It XL remotely?

Yes. You pick in-room or remote play before the game starts, and the game serves round types built for the mode you pick. Remote play works over a stream or video call, and your avatar can share information for you.