South Park has been one of the most popular animated shows for adults for generations because it is constantly able to poke fun at emerging trends in popular culture. While the series is often quite unsparing in its ruthless takedown of celebrity culture, South Park has also been highly satirical of the video game industry and its occasionally toxic fanbase.
The growing popularity of video game properties has made South Park ’s satire feel even more relevant, as recent shows like Fallout and The Last of Us have served as great dramatic television. South Park has never been afraid to attack what is popular and risk offending a good portion of the audience, and some of its parodies of different video gaming franchises have resulted in the show’s most hilarious episodes ever. Here are the ten best South Park video game episodes, ranked.
South Park
- Release Date
- August 13, 1997
- Seasons
- 26
- Studio
- Comedy Central
10 “Titties and Dragons”
Season 17, Episode 9 (2013)
South Park has often been at its most successful with its holiday episodes, as the show actually began as a series of Christmas-themed short films that were developed by creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. “Titties and Dragons” saw South Park lampooning the cultural wars between fans of the PlayStation and Xbox platforms in an episode that paid homage to Game of Thrones, which had then been in the midst of its acclaimed third season.
South Park examined the inherent selfishness of the characters, showing how their fealty to their preferred counsels ended up sparking conflict, and ultimately bloodshed. Although the way that the town is split into different factions is meant to resemble the houses that serve the Iron Thrones in Game of Thrones, the episode is packed with references to several other fantasy gaming franchises like The Witcher and Mortal Kombat.
9 “Sexual Healing”
Season 14, Episode 1 (2010)
One of South Park’s most frequent victims was the former golf star Tiger Woods, whose very public scandals became the subject of a very funny parody in the episode “Sexual Healing.” The episode centers around Cartman, Kenny, Stan, and Kyle trying out a new PGA World Tour game that is based on Woods’ life; to their surprise, the game is much more scandalous and action-packed than it is focused on sports.
“Sexual Healing” is a great lampoon of the way in which celebrities are held to high standards by the media, and uses the format of a video game biopic to examine the way that Woods’ persona shifted as a result of the backlash he received for his various infidelities. Seeing Cartman desperately try to prove that he is actually a great golf player also results in some of the funniest impressions that the series has ever managed to pull off.
8 “Informative Murder Porn”
Season 17, Episode 2 (2013)
South Park has often examined the addictive nature of video gaming communities, showing how easily it can be to become sucked up in a digital world and ignore the rest of life. Although this is a concern that is often raised when discussing children that are growing up, the controversial South Park episode “Informative Murder Porn” examined a scenario when the adults of the town end up getting more addicted to Minecraft than their kids ever could have.
“Informative Murder Porn” is another hilarious example of South Park reversing roles, as perusal, the adults of the town end up being guilty of the exact things that they accused their children of doing. The recreation of the unique gaming aesthetic of the Minecraft universe within the animated style of South Park was also quite charming, as the show’s creators clearly have an affinity for the game that they are mocking.
7 “Chinpokomon”
Season 3, Episode 11 (1999)
The South Park episode “Chinpokomon” was released at the height of the controversy surrounding the Pokémon franchise, as some of the flashing lights in the animated series resulted in children getting seizures across the world. Since South Park manages to take everything to the extreme, “Chinpokomon” imagines a scenario where the Pokémon games are actually part of an elaborate brainwashing conspiracy aimed at turning child soldiers into a militia capable of taking down the United States government.
Kyle’s obliviousness to the sinister nature of the Pokémon games becomes particularly hilarious, especially after Kenny has a violent fit after a bout with epilepsy. Although it would take South Park a few more seasons to find the right mix between satire and surrealism, “Chinpokomon” was an early example of how the series could become part of a fascinating ongoing cultural conversation about a controversial subject.
6 “Best Friends Forever”
Season 9, Episode 4 (2005)
“Best Friends Forever” is one of the darkest episodes of South Park, as it shows the extreme lengths that Cartman would be willing to go to in order to benefit from a tragic situation. The episode explores Kenny as he becomes obsessed with a new PSP gaming system that occupies his entire life; after he is killed in a run-in with an ice cream truck, Cartman goes to elaborate lengths to prove in court that he was Kenny’s best friend, and thus should be allowed to have the PSP system.
Although it’s an episode that mocks both religion and the legal system, the funniest moments in “Best Friends Forever” involve Cartman trying to play the PSP while Kenny is in the hospital. Although it contains references to merchandise and franchises that were popular in 2005, “Best Friends Forever” captures the hysteria over the release of new gaming models in a way that feels just as relevant today.
5 “Guitar Queer-o”
Season 11, Episode 13 (2007)
South Park got the opportunity to mock the obsession with the Guitar Hero franchise with the episode “Guitar Queer-o,” which centers on Stan and Kyle trying to raise their scores after performing a duet of “Carry On Wayward Son.” Although initially their dynamic is rather cordial, Kyle’s continued success and increasing scores inspires a deep sense of jealousy in Stan that threatens to destroy their friendship.
“Guitar Queer-o” makes fun of the fact that most successful Guitar Hero players aren’t actual musicians, as there is no indication that Stan and Kyle are actually good at singing or playing instruments. Although it is usually Cartman who ends up being the most toxic, “Guitar Queer-o” was one of the rare episodes that were willing to show both Stan and Kyle in a somewhat negative light because of how ignorant they end up being.
4 “Go God Go”
Season 10, Episode 12 (2006)
South Park took one of its darkest turns ever in the episode “Go God Go,” in which Cartman’s obsession with trying to get the new Wii console inspires him to go to elaborate means to get the system before anyone else does. After learning that he will have to wait another three weeks until the new Wii is officially released in stores, Cartman tries to freeze himself so that he can wake up after the system is officially unveiled.
The release of “Go God Go” was well-timed to the actual rollout of the Wii system, as the hysteria over the new gaming format makes Cartman’s elaborate scheme feel much less far-fetched than some may have suspected. Parker and Stones’ notoriously fast turnaround time at releasing new episodes resulted in scenarios like the one in “Go God Go,” in which it felt like South Park was adding commentary on current events as they were unfolding in real-time.
3 “Freemium Isn’t Free”
Season 18, Episode 6 (2014)
South Park is often quite satirical of strange capitalistic trends that only stand to benefit corporations, and the episode “Freemium at Free” tackled the deceptive means of advertising in gaming. After everyone at South Park Elementary School becomes obsessed with a new mobile game based on their favorite Canadian comedians, Stan and Kyle realize that the app is designed to be intentionally boring so that gamers will pay extra to improve their experience.
South Park was able to make some fairly salient points about the nature of supposed “freemium” games, and was able to reflect the feelings of frustration that many users had when it felt like they were being taken advantage of. Although there are some fun tie-ins to the characters of Terrence and Phillip from South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, the design of the game itself is meant to resemble the animation style of rival adult animated shows like Family Guy and The Simpsons.
2 “Black Friday”
Season 17, Episode 7 (2013)
The first installment in one of South Park’s most beloved multi-part storylines explored the increasingly ridiculous nature of Black Friday shopping, as the residents of the town become determined to buy new PlayStation and Xbox systems while they are on sale. Although the notion of mass rioting and violence surrounding Black Friday sales is not an exaggeration in the slightest, South Park has fun by tying the episode into the extended imagination storylines in which the boys pretend to be characters from their favorite media franchises.
“Black Friday” is particularly hilarious because it shows how the hype around a particular gaming system will eventually wind down once a newer and more exciting model is released. This aspect of reality is of course lost upon Cartman, whose obsession with cheating his way to be first in line ends up shedding more insight into the twisted psychology of South Park’s most demented character.
1 “Make Love, Not Warcraft”
Season 10, Episode 8 (2006)
In what is often cited among the best episodes that the show ever aired, South Park delivered an incendiary commentary on the culture of World of Warcraft obsessives in “Make Love, Not Warcraft.” After becoming infuriated by a particularly savage player who makes a habit of killing them on a regular basis, Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman decide to form an alliance to become the greatest World of Warcraft characters of all time.
South Park was able to satirize the danger of becoming too obsessed with a game, as the boys all end up becoming disheveled and unhealthy because they refuse to walk away from the computer. The initial cutaway gag that reveals the ghastly form that the four boys have after spending months at their desks is one of the most shockingly unpleasant jokes that South Park has ever unveiled, which is by no means a small statement.
