Yes—if you value dry character wit, visual gags and slapstick that grows out of play, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has a strong case as one of 2024’s funniest games. That is a subjective judgment, not a measurable ranking, and the game is an adventure first: its comedy is woven through exploration, puzzles, stealth and improvised combat rather than replacing them.
Why the humor belongs at the center of the adventure
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a first-person, single-player adventure from MachineGames. Set in 1937 between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, it sends Indy after a mysterious connection between historic sites including Giza, Easter Island, Sukhothai and Nazca. The “great circle” is the game’s fictional mystery, not an established archaeological discovery. Game director Jerk Gustafsson said MachineGames developed the story synopsis with Todd Howard and worked with Lucasfilm Games on creative feedback to keep the chapter faithful to the character and franchise (Lucasfilm, January 18, 2024).
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That franchise fit matters to the comedy. Indy’s humor is not a string of modern punchlines pasted onto a period adventure; it comes from his reactions, the physical chaos around him and the contrast between a serious peril and an absurd outcome. Lead Narrative Designer Tommy Tordsson Björk described humor as a deliberate ingredient across environmental storytelling, writing, voice performance, cutscenes, story beats and moment-to-moment gameplay. He also singled out the work of engineering and animation teams in making takedowns entertaining, not merely functional (Xbox Wire, November 25, 2024).
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What makes The Great Circle funny?
Character wit, performance and timing
The game’s verbal comedy is strongest when it sounds like Indy: observant, wry and not especially impressed by danger. The writing and voice performance keep the jokes attached to character and situation, while cutscenes give comic beats the timing and staging of an adventure film. That balance is important: the point is not that every exchange lands as a laugh line, but that the humor reinforces the familiar, slightly exasperated hero at the story’s center.
#1 Best Overall
- STANDARD EDITION CONTENT — Includes the Indiana Jones and the Great Circle base game.
- BECOME INDIANA JONES — Play as the famed archaeologist in a first-person, single-player adventure set in 1937, between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade.
- A WORLD OF MYSTERY — Travel from Marshall College to the Vatican, Egypt, and Sukhothai as you investigate an ancient power, meet intriguing characters, and solve riddles.
- WHIP-CRACKING ACTION — Use Indy’s trademark whip to distract, disarm, and attack enemies, swing over patrols, and scale walls. Combine stealth, melee combat, and gunplay to face the enemy threat.
- THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY — Move between linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps as you uncover secrets, avoid deadly traps, and solve fiendish puzzles.
Visual comedy and environmental storytelling
Some jokes are delivered by what a player notices rather than by dialogue. Environmental storytelling lets the spaces and situations supply the setup, so a discovery or an unfolding mishap can be funny without stopping the adventure for an explanation. The resulting comedy rewards attention and helps the world feel lived in, rather than turning every room into a scripted gag.
Combat that can turn into slapstick
The most distinctively game-like humor comes from improvisation. A confrontation can become a scrappy sequence of movement, opportunistic choices and animated takedowns, with sound and physical performance helping sell the absurdity. Xbox Wire connected the developers’ approach to the famous swordsman encounter: the challenge was to make a movie-like comic beat work as interactive gameplay. Björk summarized the intended effect this way: “And when that cocktail is shaken just the right amount, voilà – out comes something very delicious and fun!”
Rank #2
![Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants - Xbox & Windows 10 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41PiUy++3eL._SL160_.jpg)
- An all-new story chapter takes Indiana Jones to the ancient streets of Rome where forgotten catacombs twist into something far more sinister. Indy must outwit a dangerous cult and decipher intricate puzzles designed by emperors to uncover the dark legacy of the Nephilim giants.
- MYSTERIES OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE AWAIT When Indiana Jones encounters Father Ricci, a young priest desperate for help to track down a Roman artifact, a standard treasure hunt soon turns into a perilous journey. Along the way Indy must face the sinister plots of Emperor Nero and his gladiator games, the enigmatic Cult of Mithras, and whatever else lurks in the shadows. Can Father Ricci's cryptic knowledge guide Indy through these treacherous passageways? Only Indiana Jones can piece together this breathtaking mystery.
- EXPLORE THE SHADOWS OF ROME Danger awaits as The Order of Giants takes Indiana Jones beyond the walls of Vatican City and into a brand new open-area map in the bustling city of Rome. Adventure through the crumbling ruins of the Colosseum to the pristine Vatican Gardens. The mystery will also take you into Rome’s ancient sewer system, the Cloaca Maxima, and deeper below ground to foreboding crypts.
- A DANGEROUS CULT The secretive, centuries old Cultists of Mithras are everywhere, striking from the shadows. Their dark red robes reflect the blood oaths to their cause, and they’re willing to kill or die to protect the ancient power they serve.
This is where the comedy can feel especially earned. Rather than watching Indy perform a joke, you see a dangerous situation develop through play and get a comic payoff from how it resolves. The effect depends on timing and on a player’s willingness to engage with the improvisational combat, so not every encounter will be equally funny for everyone.
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Is it a comedy game, or an adventure with comedy?
It is the latter. Comedy is one of the game’s defining textures, but exploration, atmosphere, puzzles, stealth-action and combat carry the adventure. In its December 6, 2024 review, GamesRadar+ praised the immersive world and improvisational quality of combat, while criticizing the limited depth of melee combat and noting that some movement restrictions can be unclear. Those impressions came from an Xbox Series X review using publisher-provided code (GamesRadar+, December 6, 2024).
Rank #3
- Discover one of history's greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade.
- Experience the adventure as Indy in an exciting story filled with exploration, immersive action and intriguing puzzles.
- Journey from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai and beyond.
- Indiana's signature whip remains at the heart of his equipment and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies.
- Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative gameplay and open area maps.
That context keeps the “funniest” claim in proportion. The game’s comedy is most persuasive as part of its broader adventure design: a joke can emerge from a character beat, a place, or a chaotic fight, but the player is also there to explore and solve problems. If you want a pure comedy game, this is not that. If you want an Indiana Jones adventure whose action and presentation regularly make room for humor, the case is much stronger.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to play it now
Release information has changed since launch. MachineGames announced an Xbox Series X|S and PC release for December 9, 2024, and a PlayStation 5 version for spring 2025 (MachineGames launch announcement). Bethesda’s purchase page, listed as current on October 8, 2026, links to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 versions (Bethesda purchase page).
Rank #4
![Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: Collector's Edition – Xbox Series X|S and Windows Store [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/511dS3WWolL._SL160_.jpg)
- The Collector’s Edition includes the Allmaker relic replica with game code (base game), The Great Circle 11” Globe with hidden storage, New Adventure journal, jumbo SteelBook, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants Story DLC (upon release), digital artbook, and the Temple of Doom Outfit.
- Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade.
- Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles.
- Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond.
- Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies.
Bethesda lists physical retailers including Amazon and says Xbox and PS5 Standard Edition physical purchases include a game disc; physical availability varies by region. Check the specific platform, territory, disc format and stock before buying. Launch-era Premium and Collector’s Edition details—including a globe, relic replica, SteelBook and journal—describe what was offered at launch, not what is currently in stock.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11The Order of Giants is a separate story DLC, purchasable from September 4, 2025, that requires the base game. Bethesda describes an adventure in Rome involving a cult, catacombs, puzzles and the Nephilim. A product listing does not establish present availability of any collector bundle or edition (Bethesda purchase page).
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