Best April Fools Day gaming pranks and announcements of 2024

April Fool’s Day is usually a bit of a mess for gaming news – everyone and their mother wants to “leak” some GTA 6 features or a new game from everyone’s favorite developer, but very rarely do they make it funny. Yes IGN, a Virtual Boy Pro is a very amusing idea, but less so when it’s the fakest thing you’ve ever observed.

I prefer it when the developers and publishers get in on the joke, and open themselves up for a bit of fun – a good example of that being a quote from the Palworld CEO you can find below. But on top of all the silliness, a few actual games and projects were announced yesterday that might’ve flew under your radar. For the best pranks and real announcements in the gaming world from April 1, 2024, just read through our list below.

Palworld dating game

Everything you... ever... wanted? / Pocketpair

The most haunting April Fools prank is the one I saw first, straight from Palworld developer Pocketpair. Pal♡world! ~More Than Just Pals~ allows you to attend a school on the Palpagos Islands where you can form relationships with pals – or eat them – and yes, an R18 rated version was also teased. Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe included this quote: "Palworld was originally developed as a dating sim, but in a moment of indecision, it took the form survival crafting game. By the way, I am currently in a relationship with Cattiva." It’s not real, by the way. Well, the Cattiva relationship might be, but the dating game isn’t.

Apex Legends’ bullet propulsion

Fly high, with enough ammo. / EA, Respawn, ThatPunchKid

It’s the same event as last year, technically, but it’s still brilliant. The Apex Legends devs have turned the game’s guns into thrusters, allowing you to jump, shoot at the floor, and quite literally take off. One of the best examples of this can be found in ThatPunchKid’s YouTube video, where he points Rampart’s Sheila at the ground and takes off into the sky.

Cyberpunk 2077 on more than 97k floppy disks

That's a lot of floppies. / CD Projekt RED

We all love physical versions of games, so a limited-run physical PC version of Cyberpunk 2077 will be pretty tempting for fans. And I don’t know about you, but the promise of receiving the game printed on 97,619 3.5” floppy disks actually makes it even better. Shame it’s just a prank – though I don’t know where I’d store all of those disks anyway.

Pokémon Sleep Champion Tournament 2024

I could win at sleeping, I reckon. / The Pokémon Company

Pokémon Sleep is a game where you sleep – let me know if I’m going too fast for you here. That’s why, if it were real, I think I’d be able to go pro. I am constantly tired, after all, and if I weren’t afraid of sleeping my life away, I’d definitely compete. Anyway, The Pokémon Sleep World Champions Tournament is basically everything I’ve ever wanted.

The Smell of the Game

After visiting FGC events in-person, I know enough. / Arc System Works

Guilty Gear fans have been asking what the game smells like for a few years now, and Arc System Works is finally giving fighting fans an answer. All you need to do to find out is buy the Smell of the Game perfume. Luckily there’s a hashtag for “#AprilFool” and thank goodness for that, it nearly got me.

Totally Advanced Resurgence

Similar to Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone’s April Fools event was titled Totally Advanced Resurgence, and tweaked movement heavily. You swim and crawl when downed at super speeds, while also jumping the height of multi-story buildings, with no fall damage. Infinite slide speed, too. It’s silly, but works surprisingly well with Warzone’s fast-paced gameplay. It feels like a better version of Ubisoft’s ill-fated Hyper Scape.

Elden Ring Expansion

I'm not sure what I expected. / Bandai Namco

Bandai Namco US tweeted “Elden Ring Expansion” and included a video of the Elden Ring logo, expanding endlessly. Great, thanks.

House Flipper 2: The Floor is Lava is real

One of the better surprise announcements, honestly. / Frozen District

The Floor is Lava in House Flipper 2’s new update – and this is a very real game update that includes the ability to create and share your own levels. Yes, House Flipper is basically a hardcore first-person platformer now. Enjoy!

Bugsnax: The Card Game is real

"Eventually" is better than the false hope most Kickstarters give us. / Young Horses

The trailer for BugSnax: The Card Game releasing on April Fool’s Day was probably a mistake. The trailer promised that a Kickstarter would launch the next day, and, well, it did – the Bugsnax Card Game Kickstarter is live now.

Fate/Grand Order Poker is real

Worth playing if you're a dedicated FGO fan. / Aniplex

In my opinion a gacha game releasing a Poker minigame is a bit too on-the-nose, but regardless, FGO Poker, based on the Fate/Grand Order mobile game, is available to play now, complete with redeemable in-game rewards.