April Fools’ Day is finally here, and over the years, video game developers have masterfully played pranks that have trolled the entire gaming community. So, as a celebration of this annual tradition, let’s take a look at the top 15 best April Fools’ gaming hoaxes and pranks ever pulled.
15. Winner Winner Romantic Dinner – PUBG
Love is on the battlefield! | Credits: PUBG Corporation
Last year, on April Fools’ Day, PUBG: Battlegrounds officially announced the Winner Winner Romantic Dinner event, turning the battle-royale title into a full-fledged dating simulator, featuring various weapons as anime-style girls, multiple endings, and rewards to obtain.
Players were left dumbfounded and confused by this event, even more so by the fact that it was a real event that featured in-game missions and rewards.
14. Throwing Hands – Naraka: Bladepoint
Throwing hands was the new meta during that time! | Credits: Naraka: Bladepoint via YouTube
Naraka: Bladepoint’s weapon variety knows no limits, and the developers stepped up their game on April Fools’ Day 2024 with the announcement of a new weapon: Hands. The gameplay trailer featured characters using their hands to slap enemies, steal their weapons, and use finger guns to take down opponents, among other gags.
The trailer is ridiculously well-made for an April Fool’s joke, and the developers actually added Hands for a limited time to slap enemies, so kudos to them for delivering.
13. Dinos Riding Humans – Ark: Survival Evolved
How the tables turned! | Credits: Studio Wildcard
The core gameplay loop of Ark: Survival Evolved focuses on killing or taming the primeval dinosaurs. However, Studio Wildcard changed the game on April Fools’ Day 2016 by launching Ark: Survival Devolved, an event where everyone played as dinosaurs riding humans on their heads.
It was a hilarious turn of events and an elite April Fools’ prank played by the developer to confuse the community for one day.
12. James Sunderland Body Pillow – Silent Hill 2
In my restless dreams, I see that Body Pillow! | Credits: OKSGear/Konami
Konami decided to capitalise on this year’s April Fools’ Day by introducing a Body Pillow featuring James Sunderland from Silent Hill 2, and it’s now available to purchase on OKSGear for a mere price of $69.99 until April 7th.
If you’ve played the original or the remake, you’ll know that James Sunderland and a pillow make a terrifying and deadly combo. While it’s an April Fools’ joke, you can purchase the Body Pillow for a limited time before it disappears into Silent Hill, too.
11. Optimus Prime – Titanfall
Transformers x Titanfall is the right of all sentient beings! | Credits: IGN via YouTube
Transformers and Titanfall seem like the perfect combo that was almost introduced to the game, until it wasn’t. On April Fools’ Day 2014, IGN unveiled a trailer for an Optimus Prime DLC in Titanfall, titled Titanfall Prime, featuring the legendary leader of the Autobots fighting Titans and destroying enemies with his Energon Axe.
It looked too good to be true, and it was. A collaboration between Titanfall and Transformers sounds perfect. However, the trailer did a great job of showing how Optimus Prime would work in Titanfall.
10. Dirt Mode – PowerWash Simulator
The right way to get your hands dirty! | Credits: FuturLab
PowerWash Simulator is the quintessential washing-and-cleaning simulator. But on April Fools’ Day 2024, the developers released an announcement trailer for an update titled “PowerDirt Simulator“, which would allow players to ruin places by spraying dirt, heaps of dirt, and become a true menace in a clean neighborhood. The best part? Many players were excited and wanted it to be a real addition.
It was a game-changer update in the making. However, all hopes and dreams were shattered after the announcement trailer ended with the caption “Coming never”. So much for wanting to spray dirt all around town.
9. Floppy Edition – Cyberpunk 2077
A blast to the past with 97,619 diskettes! | Credits: CD Projekt Red
Cyberpunk 2077’s retrofuturism stems from the world of Night City. Taking the “retro” aspect to the next level, CD Projekt Red announced a limited Floppy Edition of Cyberpunk 2077 on April Fools’ Day 2024, and it was, well, a floppy disk version of the game. The official social media account also provided a link for wishlisting this special edition.
However, the link took players to a bright yellow April Fools’ message from CD Projekt Red. While cool in concept, the tweet acknowledged how ridiculous it would be to put a game as huge as Cyberpunk 2077 on floppy disks, which would amount to 97,619 diskettes.
8. Remastered Edition – Dave the Diver
Launching 23 years from now, only on next, next, next-gen! | Credits: MintRocket via YouTube
In a gaming era dominated by remakes and remasters, MintRocket decided to poke fun at the matter by releasing a trailer for Dave the Diver Remastered last year on April Fools’ Day. It featured 3D visuals, deviating from the base game’s pixelated look. The trailer ends with the confirmation that Dave the Diver Remastered releases in 2049 on Swhich, LS7 and YBox Series X|L.
A true next-generation exclusive, the reveal of Dave the Diver’s Remastered edition left the community in stitches, and it easily secures the spot as one of the best April Fools pranks in video games.
7. Long Necks – Among Us
Raising the bar, or in this case, neck! | Credits: Innersloth
Innersloth introduced a “Necks-gen” update for Among Us on April Fools’ Day 2024, adding a limited-time mode that elongated every bean’s neck. It was a cursed addition by a long shot, and the developers also added new kill and ejection animations for the long-neck beans!
Of course, players who didn’t like the abominations could toggle it off. But it was a genuinely hilarious prank that commenced the “Necks” generation of Among Us.
6. My Little Oni – Dead by Daylight
Don’t belittle yourself, the Oni’s got it covered! | Credits: Behaviour Interactive
Dead by Daylight joined the April Fools’ Day 2024 pranks by adding the limited-time event My Little Oni (clearly a play on My Little Pony). In this mode, the Killer played as a massive version of the Oni, while the Survivors were shrunken, despite the name suggesting otherwise.
While the event only lasted for 2 days, it was a complete laugh riot and a top-tier April Fools’ Day prank from the developers of Dead by Daylight.
5. Craftmine – Minecraft
Craft your mines! | Credits: Mojang Studios
Mojang Studios flipped Minecraft upside down on last year’s April Fools’ Day by introducing the Craftmine update. In a nutshell, the update was all about crafting mines (levels), and players could pick resources, then put them in the Mine Crafter to create mines.
After nearly a decade of Craftmine memes, Mojang finally acknowledged it with the Craftmine update, and it remains one of the finest April Fools’ Day pranks from developers.
4. SqueakyBoi3000 – Rust
Persistently squeaky and creatively refreshing, the SqueakyBoi3000 is a win! | Credits: Protox via YouTube
Rust is one of the finest survival experiences, and one of the greatest additions to the game was SqueakyBoi3000 last year on April Fools’ Day. An essential survival kit requires a hammer for crafting, and there’s no hammer better or tougher than the SqueakyBoi3000. Players could boot up Rust, craft a hammer, and get the squeaky at no additional charge.
While the hammer could be used in the game, it didn’t damage anything; instead, it squeaked every time it hit something. A fine attention to detail, if you ask us.
3. Super-Sized Weapons – Helldivers 2
The divers clearly weren’t prepared for such colossal additions! | Credits: PlayStation UK via X
Super Earth’s weapons are instruments of massive destruction in Helldivers 2. Speaking of massive, on April Fools’ Day 2025, Super Earth’s own weapons dramatically increased in size, which the official Helldivers 2 social media account dismissed as “Automaton propaganda and should be ignored”. The Ministry of Truth clearly wasn’t happy with super-sized weapons.
It was undeniably a hilarious one-time addition from Arrowhead Studios, and the developers trolled the community successfully. After all, Super Earth could use some super-sized weapons to increase its democratic reach.
2. Cheesing Encounters (Literally) – Baldur’s Gate 3
A cheese to die for! | Credits: Larian Studios via X
Larian Studios took feedback on cheesing encounters and released a new trailer for Baldur’s Gate 3 on April Fools’ Day 2023, announcing a new way to play. The trailer showcased a cheese wheel rolling around the map and taking down enemies, literally “cheesing encounters” in the best way.
The trailer was filled with cheese puns such as “Are you gouda enough?” and “Become legend-dairy”, and the fact that you can turn into cheese in the final game makes it better.
1. Venom Twerking – Marvel Rivals
Credits: NetEase Games
Credits: NetEase Games
Credits: NetEase Games
Credits: NetEase Games
Credits: NetEase Games
Marvel Rivals added the free “Symbiote Boogie” emote via an event during last year’s April Fools’ Day, and it hilariously featured Venom twerking to groovy music. NetEase knew what they were doing, and it quickly turned into an infamous meme in the Rivals community.
It’s one of the best limited-time emotes ever added to the game, and Venom’s energetic personality is on full display with this one. Here’s a summary:
RANKINGGAMEAPRIL FOOLS PRANK1Marvel RivalsVenom twerking emote.2Baldur’s Gate 3Playing as cheese.3Helldivers 2Super-sized weapons.4RustSqueaky hammer toy.5MinecraftCraftmine update.6Dead by DaylightMy Little Oni limited-time event.7Among UsLong-neck beans update.8Dave the DiverFake remastered edition announcement.9Cyberpunk 2077Floppy disk edition announcement.10PowerWash: SimulatorDirt mode announcement.11TitanfallOptimus Prime DLC trailer.12Silent Hill 2A 5ft James Sunderland body pillow.13Ark: Survival EvolvedPlaying as dinosaurs riding humans.14Naraka: BladepointNew weapon announcement: Hands.15PUBGDating sim event: Winner Winner Romantic Dinner.
So, what’s your favorite April Fools’ Day prank in video games? Let us hear them in the comment section below.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
