Keep the kids and family at home with the best outdoor party games you can buy online, delivered direct to your home, for hours of endless fun.
You may have seen some of these products at cafes and theme parks, but now you can get your very own version that you can use year round. Entertain friends or family and get plenty of Instagram photos showing off your awesome party game.
When I took up the challenge of finding the best 5 outdoor party games, I knew I was in for a dilemma, there's just so many interesting options, but I finally chose my top picks. If you've got some ideas for next year, let me know in the comments.
Selection Criteria
We started by choosing a supplier that offers awesome outdoor games for families.
There's a few out there but we chose Yellow Octopus as they offer fast free shipping on most items and have an extensive range in Australia.
Then we looked at the reviews, ratings and social media discussions around various products that include the word 'Giant.' I mean it's got to be big for a party, right!
Then we ordered a few samples, played around with them in the backyard, before I sat down to write this guide for readers of Best Five.
1. Giant Wooden Stacking Tower
Available in two sizes, Jumbo and Deluxe, the Giant Wooden Stacking Tower is an outdoor party game which suits both adults and kids. The idea of the game is to firstly create a stable tower of all of the 54 wooden blocks in the pack.
The Jumbo size has blocks measuring 81cm and the Deluxe blocks are larger, measuring 127cm. Once you’ve done that the aim is for each player to remove one block in turn and place it on top of the tower, without toppling the tower over.
The Jumbo tower measures 1.5meters tall once it’s fully stacked, while the Deluxe pack measures 2 meters tall at the end of stacking.
That's if you get that far because those heights are only possible if the blocks are singly stacked, one on top of the other. That’s a tricky task to achieve without the tower tumbling to the ground!!
This is a great game for weddings, 21st birthdays or any party involving people tall enough to manage the height of the tower(s) – that’s 10 years and upwards. Ideal corporate team-building exercises as well. Buy both and have them played simultaneously – makes for some hilarious fun!
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2. Giant Four-in-a-Row Connect
Connect 4 has to be a timeless favourite with kids from a very young age. It has never ceased to be fun and has never gone out of fashion. Now there’s an adult version to challenge the ‘big kids’ called Giant Four-In-A-Row Connect and it’s available in two sizes: MEGA and PREMIUM.
MEGA measures 60 x 79cm and PREMIUM measures 106 x 118cm. These are suitable for play either indoors or outside if the weathers bad.
Easily assembled these are perfect games for special occasions like weddings, 21st birthdays or other outdoor parties. And real kids over the age of 3 will love them too.
The huge frames are made from premium wood which is easily put together and extremely stable. The size of the assembled MEGA game is 75(H) x 78(W) cm and the PREMIUM measures 106(L) x 118(W) cm.
There are 42 large coloured plastic discs: 21 red and 21 yellow. The rules are exactly the same as the original game: be the first one to slot four of your coloured discs into the frame in a row. Play in teams for more fun. Once the game is finished the bottom slides out for easy release of the discs.
3. Enormous Outdoor Chess Set
Perfect for a day at the beach, a picnic, a beach house holiday or as a team-building exercise, the Enormous Outdoor Chess Set is a game which holds hours of strategic amusement for teams or just two players.
It can be played as a serious game according to the traditional rules (as explained in the included Rule Book) or using made-up rules for a bit of fun and a faster game in teams etc.
It suits players of all ages. The game comes in two sizes: MEGA which has a board mat measuring 1.5m x 1.5m with pieces up o 40cm tall, or GIANT which has a board mat measuring 3m x 3m with pieces up to 62cm tall.
Each set includes a huge nylon chess board mat (measuring as set out above) which is very strong and provides a very stable base on the surface underneath, whether that's the lawn, flooring, sand or whatever. And it’s easily folded into a neat parcel for transportation and storage.
The 32 chess pieces (again measuring as described) are made from high-density polyethylene recycled plastic. This material is virtually indestructible. It’s waterproof and UV resistant so the pieces will last a long time. This really is a fun game.
4. Giant Snakes, Dots & Ladders Game
If you’re looking for some fun to add to a barbeque, picnic, birthday party or a drinks night the Giant Snakes, Dots and Ladders 2-In-One game might be exactly what you’re looking for. It’s also great to have around for when the kids get bored on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
This is two games in one which has a double-sided mat which measures a huge 1.5 square meters. On one side is a traditional Snakes & Ladders game which we all know and love.
This is set to allow for up to 8 players at one time, with 8 x 9cm wooden tokens and a choice of a small wooden die or a giant inflatable one to add to the fun.
On the other side is a game called Dots. This is less well-known. It’s a version of the Twister game though, so that gives you an idea of just how much fun it is!
A spinning board wheel and pegs are included. The idea is to spin the wheel to find out what colour dot you have to place one of your hands or feet on next. The result is a twisted mess of arms, legs and bodies – a recipe for lots of laughs!
This 2-In-1 game suits players of all ages and is a great addition to your games cupboard.
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5. Giant Wooden Dominoes 28pc
Dominoes has been a long-time classic game which never ceases to be fun as a distraction on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The Giant Wooden Dominoes 28-piece set is a variation on the traditional game. It is available in two sizes. Each size includes 28 wooden domino pieces.
The GIANT size has pieces measuring 15(L) x 7(W) x 1.5(H) cm while the MEGA set has pieces measuring 30(L) x 15(W) x 2(H) cm. The pieces are made from high-quality debossed wood and are suitable for indoor or outdoor use.
You can play the classic fun and easy game of lining the pieces up and then toppling them over like a snake. Or the other longer and more serious version of taking alternative turns (in teams or individually) and laying the dominoes down on the table (or other surfaces) with matching numbers of dots against each other.
Of course, the rules are a lot more complicated than that and the game comes with full instructions. This is such a fun way of spending time on a weekend in your backyard. Team up and play each other with the giant pieces allowing for several players easy access at the same time.
How To Choose Best Outdoor Party Games?
When it comes to choosing a suitable game for your party, there's a few things I'd recommend considering to help your make a decision.
Number of Guests
If you've got a small number coming, i.e. 3-4 then 2 player games can be a smart idea. Examples include Jenga and Connect-4. Other guests can join each other on a 2 v 2 and games are quick, so other guests won't get bored.
If you've got more than 4 guests or family members playing then you may consider other options such as Snake, Chess or Dominoes as this can be more entertaining for others to get involved.
Portable or Fixed
You'll need to decide if you're going to pack everything away each night or simply leave it outside for the elements to attack. Large scale wooden structures such as Connect-4 and Jenga can be left outside, whereas Chess or Snakes and Ladders will need to be folded away and brought inside.
If you've got the time to pack away and reopen each time you want to use it, this will allow you to choose which game you choose.
Games Duration
Some games are shorter than others, for example Connect 4 can be over in a few minutes, especially if you know how to cheat! Chess can last a long time and well Jenga, goes as long as you've got some smartie in the group that hasn't got a shaky hand (I'm out of the running for that).
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Last Updated: April 28, 2020 by Rhys