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With Christmas of 2019 behind us, it's time to look towards the future. Not too far ahead, mind, as the New Year is just a few short days away! If your schedule is clear, perhaps you'll consider this neat LAN party guide. If you don't have to spend time with family or at a party of this or that type, what better way to spend New Year's other than gaming with your best buds?
LAN party gaming isn't as popular today as it was about 15 years ago, but our guide is going to provide you with all the context and info you need to organize one very, very quickly. Most importantly, we won't go too deep into the nitty-gritty of things. The basics have been very competently covered by other, more exhaustive guides out there. Instead, the majority of our focus will go towards LAN party games themselves.
After all, the games you play on LAN are the bread and butter of these events. You do need a rather comprehensive list to have a healthy variety of genres and niches. That's where we come in! Let's get to it.
Organizing a New Year's LAN Party
The reasons why LAN gaming fell out of favor are pretty obvious. Internet connections got faster, voice communication tools became more reliable. To put things in simple terms: there's very little reason why one should consider organizing a LAN party in 2019. One reason that won't ever go out of fashion, however, is socializing. Even for gamers, the people who spend most of their free time in virtual universes, mingling with other gamers IRL is often a good time. This is what makes a New Year's LAN Party such an attractive proposition!
As we said, the basics have been described a fair few times before. The bottom line is, actually, rather simple! Here's a short-list of the stuff you need to ensure and organize:
- confirm the number of players
- ensure enough space to accommodate players' gaming rigs
- supply the required amount of electricity and router/splitter slots
- prepare food and drinks (water is a great idea)
Soon as you have all of the above figured out, you'll have sorted out a number of potential headaches way before they even have the chance of kicking off. The one remaining question you may be left with, though, is what to play?
The essentials of picking what to play
The games you end up going with will largely depend on how many players you get to sh0w up at your party. It goes without saying that 10 players won't get much mileage out of regular local multiplayer games on a single machine. Instead, your best bet will be a variety of games both old and new, covering a wealth of genres. Naturally, the stuff you'll be playing at your New Year's LAN party should be discussed and agreed upon. We'll have a few suggestions for you shortly, but first, you do have to consider some stuff in advance.
- How powerful are the players' gaming rigs?
- Does everyone have all the games you'll play?
If some of you are stuck with machines that belong on r/lowendgaming, you're going to have a tough time playing the latest and greatest multiplayer hits. Similarly, if some players do wish to come to your LAN party but do not have access to the games you'll be playing, they probably won't be overly eager to spend money on full-priced games that they might not even like.
Happily, we can help you out with both of these issues. In the following section, you'll find huge discounts on the best LAN games to play at your New Year's LAN party, including stuff that runs on low-end computers!
Best LAN Games for New Year's
Ultimately, picking the best games for your LAN party boils down to the common denominator. Titles that are simple enough for the majority of you to enjoy, and fast enough to keep you busy for hours on end. Sure, Civilization VI (75% off!) is a phenomenal choice if your crew is completely into the 4X genre, but shooter fans might scoff at the idea.
More specifically, our picks for the ultimate 2019 LAN party are dedicated to shooters and driving games, as we find these are the genres that virtually everyone can jump into and enjoy, right off the bat. We've got awesome options for both high-end and low-end players, so worry not. You'll discover something to suit you and your pals' fancy!
- Low-End Driving LAN game - Carmageddon 2 (2-6 players)
- High-End Driving LAN game - Wreckfest (2-24 players)
You can hardly go wrong with Carmageddon 2, old as it might be, while the relatively new Wreckfest can hardly be beaten when it comes to awesome physics and level and player interactions.
- Low-end tactical shooter: Return to Castle Wolfenstein (12 players max)
- High-end tactical shooter: Rainbow Six Siege (10 players)
- Option #2: Insurgency Sandstorm (32 players max)
If it's tactical multiplayer combat you're yearning for, the titles above will provide exactly what you're looking for. RTCW may be pretty dated in this day and age, but it's still an amazing multiplayer experience, especially for those who enjoyed it in its heyday. The standalone Enemy Territory mod is also still available!
- Low-end arena shooter: Quake III Arena (2-32 players)
- High-end arena shooter: DOOM 2016 (2-12 players)
Finally, you can also opt for the cooperative gunplay experience with the Killing Floor franchise, its titles scaling perfectly on virtually every PC since the early '00s!
- Low-end COOP shooter: Killing Floor (64 players max, with mods)
- High-end COOP shooter: Killing Floor 2 (64 players max, with mods)
Conclusion
We're not saying these picks will cover everything you could wish for, but they should ultimately be the safe bets you will always be able to rely on. The best thing about these games is that we're offering huge discounts on virtually all of them. At the time of writing, yes, but also quite often in general.
We hope these titles help in organizing the best LAN party you and your friends have ever been to. Doubly so if you end up celebrating the start of 2020 that way. Have fun, and have a happy new year!
Get in the Game ! 
