Playing at home and playing at a gaming lounge are different problems. At home you have all evening and a save file. At a lounge you have an hour, a friend beside you, and one screen — so the right game is one that is instantly understandable, competitive, and finishes in rounds.
Here is what works, sorted by what your group is actually in the mood for.
If you want a rivalry: fighting games
Nothing generates an evening of arguments like a fighting game. Rounds last under two minutes, the loser always wants one more, and even a complete beginner can win occasionally by pressing buttons with conviction.
- Tekken 8 — the classic pick. Deep enough for people who care, forgiving enough for people who do not.
- Mortal Kombat 1 — more spectacle, easier to follow if you have never played a fighter.
- Street Fighter 6 — the most technical of the three; its modern control scheme makes special moves accessible to newcomers.
Best for: two people who want to settle something. Terrible for groups of six — everyone else just watches.
If you want the safest bet: football
In Pakistan there is one reliable answer to "what should we play" and it is a football game. Everyone understands the rules already, matches are naturally time-boxed, and it scales — two players, or two teams of two.
- EA Sports FC — the default. Pick two teams, play a ten-minute match, done.
- eFootball — free to play and a genuine alternative if you prefer its feel.
Best for: mixed groups where not everyone is a gamer. This is the one that never fails.
If you want something loud: racing
- Gran Turismo 7 — split-screen racing that looks extraordinary on a big screen and works for two players who have never touched a racing game.
- F1 series — more technical, better if one of you actually follows the sport.
Racing has a quiet advantage: losing does not sting. You come second, you laugh, you go again. Good for groups where somebody is a much stronger player than the rest.
If you would rather cooperate than compete
Not every group wants a contest. Co-op games put two people on the same side, which changes the entire mood of the session.
- It Takes Two — designed from the ground up for exactly two players, split-screen throughout. Widely regarded as the best co-op game of its generation.
- Overcooked! All You Can Eat — chaotic kitchen co-op. Guaranteed shouting, no skill barrier at all.
- Minecraft — endlessly flexible, and the one game almost everyone under twenty-five already knows.
Best for: friends of very different skill levels, or when the point is to talk rather than to win.
If you have a bigger group
With four or more people, a two-player game means most of the group is standing around. Two ways to solve it:
- Winner stays on. Short rounds — fighting or football — with the winner keeping the pad. Rotation happens naturally.
- Split the group. Two on the console, two on a snooker table, two on hand football, then swap. This is genuinely the better answer, and it is what an arena is for.
Our group night guide covers how to run that rotation without anyone getting stuck watching.
What does not work at a lounge
- Long single-player story games. Brilliant at home, pointless when you are sharing a screen and paying by the minute.
- Anything needing a two-hour tutorial. Your hour is gone before the game starts.
- Games where one player is dead for ten minutes. Nobody wants to watch a friend play.
- Online-only competitive shooters. Ranked matchmaking against strangers is not a social evening.
What's actually on the console at XD Arena
The PS5 here is loaded with most of the above and then some:
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- God of War Ragnarök
- Assassin's Creed Mirage
- GTA V
- EA Sports FC 24
- Cricket 24
- Tekken 8
- WWE 2K24
- Call of Duty
- Fortnite
- The King of Fighters '97
- & more
Libraries change, so ask at the counter what is installed before you commit your hour — and if there is something your group always plays, mention it. See PS5 at XD Arena →
How the hour actually works
At XD Arena the PS5 has a private room of its own, charged by the hour for the whole room — and that one rate covers a 75″ LED and both controllers. For snooker behind a closed door there are two separate executive snooker rooms instead.
Because it is priced per room rather than per person, splitting it between a few friends makes it considerably cheaper each — and a membership discount or the student offer between 10 AM and 4 PM brings it down further.
The snooker table in the same room is the part worth planning around: two on the pads, two on the table, swap when the round ends. For a group of four it turns an hour of taking turns into an hour where everybody is playing something.