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Whether you are hosting a large summer gathering or just want to enjoy outdoor activities a few steps from your door, yard games offer hours of entertaining gameplay on a budget. To help you take a break from your electronic devices, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best yard games on Amazon. Learn more about our top five recommendations below.
Compare the Best Yard Games
| Product | Number of Players | Recommend Age Range | Materials | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoSports Cornhole Set | 2 or 4 | All ages | Fiberboard and fabric | 31 pounds |
| Spikeball Spikeball Pro Kit | 4 | All ages | Fabric, rubber, and plastic | 6 pounds |
| Giggle N Go Limbo | Unlimited | All ages | Plastic | 3 pounds |
| Franklin Sports Outdoor Game Combo Set | 2 | 8 and up | Steel, plastic, and nylon | 2 pounds |
| Yard Games Giant Tumbling Timbers | 2 to 6 | 8 and up | Nylon and wood | 28 pounds |
| Product | Number of Players | Recommend Age Range | Materials | Weight |
Top 5 Yard Games
- Best Classic Game: GoSports Cornhole Set
- Best High-Energy Game: Spikeball Spikeball Pro Kit
- Best For Kids: Giggle N Go Limbo
- Best Combination Game: Franklin Sports Outdoor Game Combo Set
- Best Suspenseful Game: Yard Games Giant Tumbling Timbers
Best Classic Game: GoSports Cornhole Set
GoSports American Flag Cornhole Set
- $77.59
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Comes with weatherproof bean bags
✔ Takes seconds to set up
✔ Has American flag boards and red and blue bags
✘ Can’t get the boards wet
✘ Not as portable as other yard games
What Customers Are Saying
Many customers who left positive reviews found this cornhole set to be easy to set up and start using in minutes. However, unhappy customers wished that the cornhole boards were made from real, water-resistant wood.
Best High-Energy Game: Spikeball Spikeball Pro Kit
Spikeball Spikeball Pro Kit
- $99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Works with the Spikeball app to find players in your area
✔ Includes a ball pump
✔ Can take apart the net to carry it in the included storage bag
✘ May be complicated for new players to learn
✘ Costs a lot for one game
What Customers Are Saying
Customers found this Spikeball set to be durable and sturdy, making it worth the extra cost over the regular Spikeball set. The slip-resistant legs were also highlighted in several reviews, which users appreciated when they played on hard surfaces. However, some customers found that the included balls didn’t bounce enough.
Best For Kids: Giggle N Go Limbo
Giggle N Go Bending Limbo Game
- $49.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Doesn’t have a player limit
✔ Can play it with children and adults of all ages
✔ Comes with clamps to hold the sides of the pole as you lower it
✘ Has small pieces that could be misplaced
✘ May fall over with heavy wind
What Customers Are Saying
Users liked that this limbo set was suitable for people of all ages. It was also easy to set up and adjust for the majority of users. However, some unhappy customers found that the poles blew over easily in the wind.
Best Combination Game: Franklin Sports Outdoor Game Combo Set
Franklin Sports Outdoor Game Combo Set
- $59.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Comes with a glowing disc to play frisbee in the dark
✔ Includes stakes to keep the course secure in the wind
✔ Designed for those who are 6 years old and up
✘ Made with inexpensive plastic
✘ Can only play with two people for most of the games
What Customers Are Saying
Many customers found that this multi-game set met their quality and durability expectations. They included that it was ideal for non-professional use, particularly for children. Alternatively, some users were dissatisfied with the build quality of some of the items, reporting that certain plastic pieces broke.
Best Suspenseful Game: Yard Games Giant Tumbling Timbers
Yard Games Giant Tumbling Timbers
- $53.99
- $79.99
- 33% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Made from sustainably sourced pinewood
✔ Comes in other sets with smaller, colored blocks
✔ Can play with two to six people
✘ Weighs close to 30 pounds when all of the blocks are in the included carrying case
✘ Makes a lot of noise when the tower collapses
What Customers Are Saying
Many users thought that these giant Jenga blocks stacked evenly because of their sanded surface. However, there were some complaints about the included nylon bag, which tore for a few customers.
Buyer’s Guide
The best lawn games for your yard are the ones that tie into the interests of you and your family. However, we’ve identified some other criteria to keep in mind as you’re shopping around. Learn more about these factors below.
Space
Yard games require a certain amount of space to play. Consider the size of your yard before you purchase your desired lawn game. Cramped space may limit the gameplay, which could be unfair for certain players.
Gameplay
Gameplay ranges from casual to intense. For example, while cornhole and tumbling towers tend to be a relaxed match for the whole family, Spikeball and volleyball offer high-energy gameplay where players must constantly focus on the moving ball.
Number of Players
Many yard games can accommodate two to four players, though 6-, 8-, 10-, and unlimited-player games also exist. If you choose a game that’s only designed for two players, you may be able to partner up and create teams of two, allowing more people to play at one time.
Durability
Inexpensive yard games may only last a handful of uses, especially if they’re left outside. Premium sets that use more durable materials, such as metal rather than plastic, tend to last longer.
Weatherproofing
While you should store your yard games inside when they’re not in use, many games are made with weather-resistant materials or finishes to survive being accidentally left outside in the rain, sun, or snow.
Surface
A non-sloping lawn often suffices as a suitable surface to play many yard games. Horseshoes are usually played using sandpits, but rubber horseshoes allow you to play on grass or dirt. If a particular yard game requires you to modify the landscaping of your outdoor living space, you may want to reconsider purchasing it.
Portability
Do you want to take your yard game to a local park or a friend’s house? Some yard games are easier to transport than others. Many come with a carrying case and are fairly lightweight, but some, such as cornhole, have bulky components that are awkward to load into your vehicle.
Visibility
Most lawn games are designed to be played when it’s light out, but some games have glow-in-the-dark components so users can play after the sun goes down.
How To Enjoy the Outdoors
Although ready-to-play yard games are useful to have on hand for parties and other events, it’s also fun to get creative with your outdoor living space. Whether you’re playing with your kids or killing time, here are some interesting backyard game ideas to consider:
- Similar to building a playscape or treehouse, you could also build a fort outside for your kids to play in.
- Take Scrabble or another board game outside, and play it on the grass.
- If you have a big backyard or long, narrow stretches of grass, consider building soccer goals out of spare PVC piping.
- Work with your kids to create a makeshift lemonade stand during a hot summer day. If you have a folding table, a poster board, a pen, cups, lemons, sugar, water, and ice, you can set up on the edge of the street to flag down traffic.
- Build a sandbox for your kids to play in to make it feel like they’re at the beach.
- Two baseball mitts and a baseball can entertain you and your kid for hours. Add a bat for hitting practice.
Frequently Asked Questions About Yard Games
What is the most popular yard game?
Historically, two of the most popular yard games are badminton and croquet. In recent years, cornhole, or bag toss, has risen in popularity to become one of the easiest and most accessible yard games. Ladder toss is another popular yard game.
Are there any age limitations for yard games?
Unlike board games, most yard games don’t have age limitations since they don’t use small pieces that young children could choke on. However, some games that involve hand-eye coordination may have a minimum age requirement of 6 to 8 years.
What game is best for a large group?
The games that are best for a large group tend to be ones without a player limit. In this review, we recommend the Giggle N Go Limbo game because an unlimited number of people can participate.
How do I integrate yard games into my house party?
If you’re hosting an outdoor party during the summer, make sure your guests have plenty of cold drinks, snacks, and shade. A large porch or patio lends itself nicely to a grill, which is an ideal hangout space next to your lawn games.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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