When it comes to a delightful BBQ gathering with friends and family, nothing adds more joy than a collection of the best backyard games.
At a backyard BBQ or beach party, you are sure to be a hit of the party if you bring the newest and best game. After you drag the first couple of people up to play, everyone will want to join in.
Not only are the best backyard games a great addition for those who get to play in the game but can also be inclusive to the rest of the group enjoying watching the games and friendly competition. Besides, who doesn’t love a cheering audience?
We think the best backyard games are a must for having a couple of friends over, playing with the kids, having a family get-together, taking the games to the beach, or turning it into an all-night drinking game.
They also make great presents to bring with you to any backyard BBQs, no matter what the occasion. These games can fill up so much time this summer.
And more importantly, gets you active and socially engaging instead of sitting inside flipping through your Facebook news feed.
Our Top 5 Best Backyard Games for Summer 2023:
SpikeBall
The best way to explain Spikeball is reverse volleyball with a trampoline net instead of a volleyball net.
Confused? All you need to know is this game is really epic. This game doesn’t leave our car trunk, because you never know when you are out with friends or the next park. It’s a great opportunity to break out Spikeball.
The Spikeball phenomenon started when they were featured on Shark Tank in 2015.
Similar to Volleyball, I enjoy a good game of volleyball but always leave with reddened arms from returning those hard spikes with a bump. Spikeball offers a unique variation with a handball so you don’t get those same impacts.
Spikeball consists of a plastic circle that is broken down to easily assemble and dissemble. So you can carry this in the included medium-sized shoulder bag.
Once assembled, you can volley or spike it to the other team by bouncing the ball on the net.
Spikeball is best played with groups of 4 and for an audience over the age of 12.
There are different levels of Spikeball available for sale, Regular, the Combo, Road to Victory, and the Pro. The biggest difference between each version is the amount of accessories included.
We would suggest getting a couple extra balls to keep on hand if your furry friends get a hold of them. We have experienced a couple of ball casualties this way.
Buy Spikeball Online or find our Complete Guide to Spikeball including Rules to Play
Kan Jam
Also a relatively new game to the games market is Kan Jam. However, Kan Jam was originally created in 1980 but didn’t become a popular game until 2005.
This game is lots of fun once you get the hang of it and is a nice twist to throwing a traditional Frisbee around.
After all, it’s just a Frisbee, so it’s a game that anyone can jump in and play. This game would be rated semi-portable in that the “bins” are made of plastic and easily slide together so do unfold into long plastic sheets.
However, as you can imagine, those aren’t the easiest to store or move around.
Photo Credit: Amazon
KanJam is 2 black circle bins that have a “mailslot” in the front with an open top and a yellow Frisbee.
The goal is to throw the Frisbee at the bin and have your partner knock it into the bin or aim for the mailslot.
You get 3x the points if you can throw the Frisbee directly into the “mailslot” for a hole-in-one.
For aiming a Frisbee, this can present a good challenge.
Buy Kan Jam Online or find our Complete Guide to Kan Jam including Rules to Play
Bocce
Traditional Bocce cannot be left out of the top 5 games just because of it’s legendary classic status for many generations. Sometimes the simplest games can be the most fun.
Bocce is a great game to get a large group of people involved. You can choose to play Bocce in a traditional Bocce court or bring with you outside of the backyard.
It can be even more fun and challenging in larger fields, beaches, or more challenging terrain to master. With Bocce, if you are in an open space, you can cover a lot of ground and move around a lot.
You will be walking, so not to worry, there’s not too much strenuous exercise involved in this game.
Though it is heavy, it’s still very portable with most games complete with a carrying case and a good game to leave with the camping gear.
Each Bocce set comes complete with a small white ball and 8 larger balls with 4 different colors. You can play with 2-8 people.
If playing with 8 people, you play in doubles sharing a color. The first team throws the white ball and the person who can throw the larger ball closest to the white ball wins that round.
Play till 11 or 21 to extend the fun. We’ve spent countless family BBQs lined up watching an intense game of bocce.
Buy Bocce Online or find our Complete Guide to Bocce including Rules to Play
Ladder Ball
Ladder Ball, also known as Ladder Golf, has only been popular in the last couple of years, but its rise to game fame is for good reason.
It’s an attainable but skilled challenge to play Ladder Ball, making it that more fun.
Played with 2-4 people ages 6 and up. The best part about Ladder Ball is you set the challenge by moving the posts closer together or farther apart.
To play Ladder Ball, you set up the posts from the poles and connectors that are included in the carrying case. The posts will be assembled to include a square base and then an erect square with 3 posts across.
Creating a ladder-like structure. Also included is 6 sets of strings with 2 ping pong-like balls on the end. The goal is to throw the string with 2 balls and catch it on one of the ladders to wrap it around and secure your points.
You and your partner stand on opposite sides to play against the other team. The points are 1-2-3 with 3 being the top ladder to wrap your balls around.
Take a couple of practice rounds to get the hang of throwing these balls and anyone can jump right in.
Buy Ladderball Online or find our rules for How to Play Ladder Ball. This is also a great make your own game, build it with DIY ladder ball instructions.
Cornhole (Bean Bag Toss)
The official name of this game is called Cornhole but is also just as commonly referred to as “Bean Bag Toss”. This game is the least mobile of our Top 5 Best Backyard Games.
Some models do offer handles on the boards so it can be easy to move this game but they are quite large and will take up a fair amount of space.
This game is the easiest game to learn and very simple for anyone to play and have a great time. Both kids, adults, and your audience will find this a fun game that can be played with 2 or 4 people.
Cornhole includes 2 decently size boards with a single hole in the shape of a triangle at the top.
The goal of the game is to throw your Beanbags into the whole to get 3 points.
Place the 2 boards approximately 15 feet apart, closer or farther together to add more or less challenge.
Buy Cornhole Online or find our Complete Guide to Cornhole including Rules to Play
Which games out of our top 5 best Backyard Games are you missing from your game treasure chest?
Having these 5 games in your arsenal is bound to keep the smiles and laughter continuously flowing and never a boring moment around.
Especially in the Summer on vacations, camping, beach parties, or BBQ’s.
We hope this article will create some good times! Written with love by 2 passionate Backyard Gamers, Nadine and Fraser.
