We’re getting to those dog days of summer, and if you’re upset you’re not off gallivanting about Europe, wipe your tears, king. Just because you’re not raving in Ibiza or chugging spritzes in Amalfi doesn’t mean you can’t have just as much fun in your own backyard. No, seriously: Invite over a bunch of friends, take some shots, turn out the lights, and kick off the most out-of-control drunken glow-in-the-dark capture-the-flag game. It’s yard game season, and that’s a very good thing. For as long as people have been hanging outdoors (i.e., a very, very long time), they’ve also been throwing things, tackling each other, and activating their competitive impulses, likely with booze involved (maybe back in the day it was with mead or wine, these days it’s White Claw and margaritas). And while some longstanding outdoor game traditions remain (croquet), there’s no shortage of new and regional yard games to explore.
There are thousands of outdoor games you can play with family and friends, ranging from the almost too wholesome to the deeply debaucherous (you can probably guess which end of the spectrum we #stan). While we technically found you the best outdoor games for adults on the world wide web, it’s fair to say that a lot of these yard games may have originally been devised for children, but can easily be adultified (alcohol and/or psychedelics always help), because they do NOT deserve to have all of the fun. If you add water balloons plus any “adult substance,” it equals an incredibly good time… that may or may not end up in a totally wet and wild orgy; hey, it’s summer, anything could happen.
Spikeball
Do you remember when this was everywhere? Spikeball is like if volleyball and four-square had a baby, but with a tiny trampoline used to launch the ball. It was basically the hacky sack of the 2010s, and now that we’ve had a slight reprieve, it feels like it’s time to spike the ball again.
Spikeball
Spikeball Game Set
$63.99 at Amazon
You can axe throw at home
Instead of paying $40 to go to some axe-throwing joint with overpriced beers, you can now take out all of life’s frustrations at home, by throwing (foam) axes at a target in your own backyard. Once you get good, feel free to graduate to real axes made from wood and steel.
Crown Display
Axe Throwing Game
$159.99$149.99 at Amazon
WIn SPORTS
Foam Axe Throwing Game
$29.99 at Amazon
Of course, there’s always croquet…
While the actual origins of croquet are disputed (was it 14th-century France or 17th-century Ireland?), the game has been played for centuries (at least) and, while seemingly quaint, has the potential to be fiercely competitive—which makes it the perfect pastime for adults who have been imbibing, whether that be N/A beer or something more hallucinogenic. Oh, and if you already have a set but need a really swanky carrying case, L.L. Bean makes a croquet version of its iconic Boat and Toat that—in classic L.L. Bean fashion—you can have monogrammed.
Pottery Barn
Croquet 6-Player Set
$69 at Pottery Barn
Hey! Play!
Solid Wood Croquet with Carrying Case
$149.99$44.43 at Wayfair
Juegoal
Six Player Croquet Set
$44.99$41.99 at Amazon
… and then there’s giant croquet
This is basically a form of croquet you play more like soccer and is a much less civilized version of the classic game—perfect for turning any cookout into a rager.
HearthSong
Oversized Kick Croquet
$39.98 at Walmart
Channel your inner Italian grandpa
Maybe you’ve never lived in a neighborhood where old men play lawn games, but games of bocce ball or petanque can get pretty damn serious. If you’re just starting out, there are plenty of affordable basic sets, but if say, your potential father-in-law is coming over and you want to impress him, you can always spring for a fancy wood or hand-painted set.
Kikkerland Design
Boules Set
$38$29 at Amazon
GoSports
Backyard Bocce Set
$39.99 at Amazon
Fredericks and Mae
Painted Wood Bocce Set
$198 at Anthropologie
$299$179 at Pottery Barn
Tennis isn’t the only racquet sport these days
Looking for a way to entertain your dad and grandparents? Either drop them off at the pickleball court or just bootleg it on your driveway. (They won’t care—just check on them every few minutes to make sure nobody is injured.) In case you’ve been living under a rock, pickleball has become a huge “thing” with young adults, old people, and everyone in between, surging to immense popularity. Grab a classic set and become a picklehead, or, when the octogenarians go to bed, it’s LED pickleball time, baby.
Urban Outfitters
LED Pickleball Set
$60 at Urban Outfitters
Franklin Sports
Half Court Size Pickleball Net Set
$69.99$49.99 at Amazon
Once you pong the fun don’t stop
Everyone whose ever been to a high school party knows about beer pong, so we decided to up the ante a little bit with an inflatable floating version for the pool (or lake) or a giant lawn-sized edition (that glows in the dark) for after the sun goes down. While pickleball may be all the rage, we love this travel ping pong set that turns any surface into table tennis.
BigMouth
Floating Basketball Pong Pool Game
$54 at Urban Outfitters
$59.99$48.99 at Amazon
Sunnylife
Play On Table Tennis
$49$24.50 at Sunnylife
Children of the cornhole
Throwing small bean bags into (slightly) distant holes is truly a national pastime, and cornhole reigns supreme in the world of yard games. There are so many cornhole sets out there—big fancy wooden sets adorned with National Park imagery, portable sets to take camping or to the beach, and—our personal favorite—a light-up version for late-night, glow-in-dark shenanigans. We all know the party doesn’t stop once the sun goes down.
Elakai
National Park Series Cornhole Boards
$149.99 at Amazon
GoSports
Portable PVC Framed Cornhole Game
$39.99 at Amazon
EastPoint Sports
Light-Up Cornhole Set
$35.96 at Walmart
All the Jengas
You’ve probably been to a brewery or vineyard with a giant tumbling tower and wished you could have one in your own backyard. Fortunately, you don’t have to start an alcohol-based business in order to find a jumbo Jenga set of your own. As far as yard games go, these sets are actually super-affordable (and aesthetic). Speaking from personal experience: We used to have one in our yard and had friends write a truth or dare on each block to be completed when someone loses. If you like that concept but think you might get stumped in the heat of the moment, you can always cop one of Julia Rosario’s pre-written tower games—Block Party for drinkers, or The High Tower for stoners.
$169.95$119 at Amazon
Pottery Barn
Outdoor Tumbling Tower
$199$99 at Pottery Barn
Sunnylife
Mega Jumbling Tower
$130$91 at Sunnylife
Peak yard game season is upon us, so stock up. For best results, add alcohol.
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.