We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More ›
The car is packed and the kids are ready, but there is one more thing you need to snag before you head to the campsite: a camping game. But what game is right for you depends on your family (or friend group) makeup and, just as important, the space in your car. To help you pick, I took a look at some of the best camping games available today.
- Best Overall: Deck of cards
- Best Cornhole Alternate: Caliber Games TowerBall
- Best Novelty: Outside Inside Travel Axe Throwing
- Best Compact: Outside Inside Roll-up Shuffleboard
- Best Board Game: Parcheesi
- Best Late Night: One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Best Overall: Deck of Cards
Why It Made the Cut
A deck of cards is inexpensive, compact, and contains a seemingly infinite number of games appropriate for all ages, making it a must-have for your next car camping trip.
Key Features
- Number of players: one to 14
- Small packed size
- More variations than you can count
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Compact
- Variety of games that can be enjoyed by both young children and adults
Cons
- None that I’ve found
Product Description
There is a reason that so many national park gift shops sell decks of cards: they are the perfect game for camping. When the little ones get restless, you can teach them the mechanics of Go Fish. Then get them going on a game of War while you start dinner. Older kids can be taught Gin Rummy and teenagers can take over a deck for a reflex-testing game of Speed. Then, after the kids are down for the night, the adults can break out the whiskey and play poker until the best camping snacks run low.
One of the best parts about a deck of cards is that if you forget it at home (or decide your group needs a second pack), they are easy enough to find at a gas station or gift shop while on the road.
Best Cornhole Alternate: Caliber Games TowerBall
Why It Made the Cut
While expensive, Caliber Games Towerball was one of the top picks for both kid and adult testers.
Key Features
- Number of players: two to 16
- Large packed size
- Five play variations
Pros
- Different difficulty levels is perfect for all ages
- Similar gameplay to cornhole
Cons
- Expensive
Product Description
Cornhole is a classic outdoors game, but most cornhole sets do not pack down small enough to make them viable camping options. I tested numerous sets that were designed with travel in mind and none of them had the magic of the full-size version.
Despite having the same heft as a game of cornhole when unpacked, the Caliber Games TowerBall packed up flat, easily sliding in over the top of the best camping gear after I had finished packing up the trunk. And while it’s not exactly cornhole, it’s pretty close. The basic concept is that two to four players take turns tossing a ball into holes of various sizes on four different sides of a near-vertical pyramid. As you complete a side, you rotate around the pyramid to a new side, with the holes getting progressively smaller (and thus harder to lob the ball into) with each side.
While this was a big hit with testers of all ages (the smallest of which could lob the ball successfully into the largest hole), it is by the far the most expensive gift on this list. But if you’re looking for a gift for the camper who already has everything, it’s a great choice.
Best Novelty: Outside Inside Travel Axe Throwing
Why It Made the Cut
The Travel Axe Throwing set from Outside Inside generated the most smiles, even if it was a bit more onerous to set up than expected
Key Features
- Number of players: two
- Medium packed size
- One way to play
Pros
- Unusual
- Short gameplay
Cons
- Difficult to set up in a campground setting
Product Description
This was by far the game that the group was most excited to try out of the box. But once we did, in fact, get it out of the box, we ran into a problem. The attachment mechanism for the Travel Axe Throwing set is a suction cup, the type that you would attach to a window or other smooth surface. The only problem was, we were camping. We were surrounded by trees and rocks and picnic tables—so much for a smooth surface. After trying and failing to attach the suction cup to the window of one of our cars—20 miles on dirt roads to the campsite definitely wasn’t helping with that, we settled on hanging it over a stump. It kind of worked.
While they might not be the best tomahawks, I was impressed in the end with how well the throwing axes worked—they do stick the target when thrown just so, not unlike the real deal. It would have been nice to have had a bit more heft to the axes themselves, but their light weight meant that younger campers had as much fun as the adults.
Best Compact: Outside Inside Roll-up Shuffleboard
Why It Made the Cut
The low-profile Roll-Up Shuffleboard from Outside Inside is impressively similar to the real deal.
Key Features
- Number of players: two to four
- Small packed size
- One way to play
Pros
- Fun to play
- Small packed size
Cons
- Small pieces are easy to lose
Product Description
Shuffleboard is easily one of my favorite bar games to play, so I was excited to check out this version from Outside Inside. The board itself in this game is basically a piece of rolled-up foam, which doesn’t at first inspire confidence in the gameplay itself. But it rolled out flat just fine and the rollerballs on the pucks glided across it, no problem. We played a full game after the kids were in bed, beers in hand, and it felt like the real deal.
The only real problem with the shuffleboard pad is that it’s a little short—if you set it up on a standard picnic table, you have to lean a bit far over to use it properly. (It might work better with one of the larger best camp tables.) The smaller pieces are also a bit more likely to be lost than the axes or balls of some of the other picks on this list.
Best Board Game: Parcheesi
Why It Made the Cut
I’ve played countless board games on camping trips and Parcheesi is the only one I still pack.
Key Features
- Number of players: three to four
- Small packed size
- One way to play
Pros
- Rules are easy to learn
- Simple enough for young children with enough strategy for adults
Cons
- Time commitment to finish a game
Product Description
Board games are a classic choice for camping trips, either for passing a lazy afternoon at the picnic table or hiding out from the rain or cooling temps in the evening hours. But not all board games are created equally when it comes to camping. Some, like Monopoly or Clue, have too many little pieces that can go missing or get dirty, affecting game play. Others, like Settlers of Catan and Scrabble, rely on the board game staying just so while in use, which can be difficult to do when you are out in nature.
You only need a handful of pieces to play Parcheesi (all of which are easily replaced if needed) and the board is simple enough to keep track of if things get shuffled. If you’ve never played before, the rules are simple: Rolling a five gets one of your four tokens on the board, and the first player to send all their pieces around the board wins. The catch? If another player’s piece lands on yours, that piece returns to the start. Even better: Pairing two pieces of your own on a single space prevents your opponents from moving forward. These twists help to keep things interesting and mean that adults can incorporate a bit of strategy against one another while still including kids in the game.
Best Late Night: One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Why It Made the Cut
The Mafia-like One Night Ultimate Werewolf is the perfect group game to break out at dusk along with the whiskey.
Key Features
- Number of players: three to 10
- Small packed size
- A number of variations depending on the number of players
Pros
- Fast moving
- Accuse your friends of being a werewolf
- App means there is no need for a moderator
Cons
- Hard to remember to keep your voice down when kids are sleeping
Product Description
One Night Ultimate Werewolf is similar to Mafia, but if someone condensed the whole thing to one round that lasts only ten minutes. Each player is assigned a role (werewolf or an assortment of villagers) via a facedown card at the beginning of the game. Then someone hits start on the app and everyone closes their eyes. The narration first instructs the werewolves to open their eyes and identify one another, then the troublemaker to wake up and swap two people’s cards, the robber to steal another player’s card and swap it with their own, etc. At the end of the narration, everyone opens their eyes and starts trying to figure out who the werewolves are. Accusations fly, lies are unraveled, pacts are made, and then everyone votes on a werewolf before the five minute timer on the app runs out. Repeat until the whiskey bottle is drained. What’s great about this version of the game for camping is that it allows everyone to play every round that wants to (i.e., no dead villagers) and it simplifies players’ ability to drop in and out when they want to make themselves a s’more or decide to hit the hay.
Things to Consider Before Buying Camping Games
The Players
After testing camping games on a range of ages, it’s clear that this is possibly the most important consideration for which game is the best for your purpose. Corn hole is a great game for adults, and with some adjustments, you can make it work for a school-age child. But toddlers? Odds are that they will sit in the middle of the board or run off with the bean bags. I similarly recommend avoiding games that have pieces in the shape of little animals. If you’re headed out with an adults-only crowd, then you’ll have more flexibility in which games you choose.
Packed Size
What camping game is the best for your next trip depends in part on how much packing space you have. If you are a family of three packed into a Chevrolet Suburban, then by all means, pack the full-size cornhole. But if you are maximizing the foot space in each of the passenger seats to fit in your cooking supplies and sleeping pads, then it might be better to stick with a deck of playing cards or the space-efficient Roll-up Shuffleboard from Outside Inside.
Versatility
Most games can only be played in one way: checkers, Monopoly, corn hole. But some games have multiple variations that can help see you through that lazy afternoon on your fifth day of camping. If you plan to be out for more than a long weekend, it’s worth considering which game will give you the most bang for your buck.
FAQs
Camping games can cost anywhere from a couple of dollars to a couple of hundred dollars.
A number of games on this list work great either around the table or in a tent, including the best overall pick, best board game pick, and best late night pick. Keep in mind that tent floors are a bit unstable, so games that require delicately placed pieces (such as the Settlers of Catan) tend to work less well in this context.
The best camping games for kids have simple rules, and are short—very short. During testing, we found that for the more physical games, like cornhole or axe throwing, the ability to adjust the level of difficulty helped to make it more fun for everyone involved. For sit-down games, like Parcheesi or card games, the ability to beat their parents seemed to be the best indicator of what would hold their attention, so I recommend choosing games that rely on luck (like UNO) over those that need more skill.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for one of the best camping games to take with you on your next trip, then the classic deck of cards is still one of the best picks out there. If you’re looking for something unique that will surprise and delight your fellow campers, then either the Travel Axe Throwing or Roll-up Shuffleboard from Outside Inside are great options. Corn hole enthusiasts (with deep pockets) will enjoy Caliber Games TowerBall, while campers looking for a fun adult game after the lights are out and the kids are asleep should check out One Night Ultimate Werewolf.
Methodology
I’ve been camping for years—with family, friends, significant others, and by myself. In that time, I’ve played a lot of games in the Great Outdoors, some that work well in that context, and others that are a little trickier: croquet hoops that won’t go into the ground, Monopoly money covered in dirt, bocce balls rolling sideways over a lumpy field. And I ended up with more than a few thoughts on what games do and do not work in that context. For this story, I both looked back at some of the most successful games I’ve played with people in the woods over the years, and checked out a few of the most popular games available today, testing them out with friends and family—including a toddler and a school-age child—that I’ve been camping with for years.
At the end of the long weekend, we polled the group to see what consensus there was and what games the group felt would be worth packing on future trips.