Are you looking to super-size the fun at outdoor gatherings, picnics, and backyard parties? Giant outdoor games will do the trick! Whether you’re hosting a family barbecue or a summer soirée with friends, these larger-than-life games add a playful twist to your outdoor festivities. In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 giant yard games that promise hours of laughter, entertainment, and friendly competition. Let’s get straight into these oversized versions of classic family games!
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1. GIANT JENGA
QUICK FACTS
- Cost: $118 for 5-foot tower, $100 for 4-foot tower
- Objective: Pull out blocks without knocking over the massive tower
- Age: 8+
Perhaps the most popular giant outdoor game is Giant Jenga. This is essentially just an oversized version of the classic game. The official Giant Jenga game comes in three different sizes, depending on how massive you want the tower to be. The JS7 is the largest size, around 5 feet tall; the JS6 is around 4 feet tall; and the JS4 is around 3 feet tall. Giant Jenga is a super entertaining game to play outside that is easy and accessible for everyone! Watch out! These massive wooden blocks can hurt when they fall!
HOW TO PLAY
If you’ve played the tabletop version of Jenga, you’ll be able to play Giant Jenga. Simply stack the large wooden blocks, three per row. Each row of blocks should be perpendicular to the previous row.
Once the tower is properly set up, players will start pulling blocks from the tower. You can attempt to remove any block that is below the top three rows. Once you touch a Jenga block, you must remove it and place it on top of the tower. The game continues until one player causes the tower to fall.
Check out our guide to the rules of Giant Jenga for more on this.
2. GIANT CONNECT FOUR
QUICK FACTS
- Cost: $145
- Objective: Connect four discs vertically, horizontally, or diagonally
- Age: 5+
Another popular oversized outdoor game is Giant Connect Four. This is an enormous version of the popular tabletop family game. In this game, you aim to connect four chips vertically, horizontally, or diagonally before your opponent. If this giant game isn’t already fun enough, there are also plenty of different ways to play the game, with tons of rule variations!
HOW TO PLAY
Giant Connect Four is played between two opponents or two teams of two. Each player takes turns dropping their colored discs from the top into any open column. The goal is to be the first to connect four of your own discs horizontally, vertically, or diagonally while blocking your opponent from doing the same. Pay close attention to your opponent’s moves and plan your strategy carefully to achieve victory in this classic game of skill and strategy.
3. MEGA-SIZED CHESS
QUICK FACTS
- Cost: $145
- Objective: Checkmate your opponent
- Age: 10+
Do you love playing chess? Why not play a larger-than-life version of the game, with giant pieces and a large outdoor board? An oversized chess set will immerse you in the game like never before since the pieces will be exponentially larger than a standard set. This is an awesome addition to any backyard, as it is a fun activity and looks great, too! Any homeowner looking to spice up their yard with something fun and interactive should consider a giant chess set!
HOW TO PLAY
The oversized version of chess is played exactly the same as the classic board game. So, if you are a seasoned player, you are good to go! Just prepare for some more exercise as you carry the chess pieces across the board. If you are new to chess and need to learn the rules, head over to our guide on how to play chess.
4. KICK DARTS
QUICK FACTS
- Cost: $150
- Objective: Score points by kicking the ball into the velcro target
- Age: 8+
If you are a fan of darts, having a good dartboard is non-negotiable. But, if you are just looking to have fun, you should look into Kick Darts, a soccer-darts hybrid played on a huge dart board. All ages will enjoy this giant outdoor game, and it is sure to get your adrenaline pumping. The game is simple and consists of a large dart board and soccer balls covered in Velcro material. Gather your friends and family, separate everyone into teams, and get ready for a fun game of Kick Darts!
HOW TO PLAY
You’ll need a pretty large area for Kick Darts, as you’ll need space to kick the ball towards the large dartboard. Mark the starting line at a specific distance from the board. This can be anywhere from 10 to 20 feet. Then, players take turns kicking the soccer ball at the dartboard. The objective is to score as many points as possible by hitting one of the numbered sections. The player’s score is determined by the section the ball sticks to when it makes contact with the dartboard. A bullseye is worth 50 points. Play the game for a predetermined number of rounds or until a player reaches a set point total. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins.
5. OVERSIZED YARD PONG
QUICK FACTS
- Cost: $40
- Objective: Toss tennis balls into the opposing team’s buckets
- Age: 8+
Yard Pong is the ultimate outdoor party game that combines the classic fun of beer pong with a larger-than-life twist, designed to entertain players of all ages and skill levels. It’s not just a game; it’s an experience that brings people together for hours of laughter and enjoyment. Yard Pong takes the basics of beer pong but supersizes it. Instead of ping pong balls, you play with tennis balls, and you’ll replace the Solo cups with large buckets.
HOW TO PLAY
The rules for Yard Pong are almost the same as Beer Pong. Just replace the Beer Pong table with your lawn. The other main difference between the two games is that Yard Pong doesn’t necessarily need to be a drinking game. In fact, the game is marketed towards families as a fun giant outdoor game, so it doesn’t hold the same reputation as a frat party drinking game. For a complete breakdown of the rules, check our guide to Beer Pong.
6. GIANT CHECKERS
QUICK FACTS
- Cost: $40
- Objective: Remove your opponents game pieces by jumping over them with your own
- Age: 10+
Checkers is a classic board game that is thought to be over 5,000 years old! So, naturally, an oversized version of checkers is a perfect giant outdoor game. Just like in normal checkers, each player attempts to move their game pieces across the 64-square gameboard, jumping over as many of their opponent’s game pieces as possible. This is the perfect game for kids because it is easy to play and simple to set up!
HOW TO PLAY
Checkers is a two-player game in which each player has 12 discs of one color (either red or black). The objective of giant checkers is to move your game pieces diagonally across the board, hopping over your opponent’s pieces. When you hop over your opponent’s piece, you remove it from the board. You can only move your piece forward until you reach the other side of the board. When you move one of your discs across the board, your game disc becomes a “king” and can move forward and backward. The game ends when only one player’s pieces remain on the board.
7. INFLATABLE BOWLING
QUICK FACTS
- Cost: $40
- Objective: Knock over the giant inflatable pins with the large inflatable bowling ball
- Age: 8+
Do you love going to the bowling alley? Then why not bring the bowling alley to your backyard? With an inflatable bowling set, you can easily set up a giant game of bowling right out your back door! Simply inflate the bowling pins and the ball and start playing. What a fun and unique way to kill time!
HOW TO PLAY
Bowling is a relatively simple game, but the scoring method is a bit complex. The fundamentals of bowling are the following.
First, set up 10 pins in a triangular formation (4,3,2,1). Then, determine a starting point 10 to 20 feet away from the pins. Finally, roll the bowl toward the pins. Each player gets 2 attempts to knock all 10 pins down.
While standard bowling has slightly more complex scoring rules, you can simply score inflatable bowling as 1 pin = 1 point. If you’d rather play with the more complex spare and strike scoring methods, check out our complete guide to bowling.
8. GIANT UNO
QUICK FACTS
- Cost: $15
- Objective: Run out of cards before the other players
- Age: 7+
Uno is one of the most popular card games of all time. So, naturally, if you are looking for a fun giant outdoor game, an oversized version of Uno is always an option! Giant Uno is a larger-than-life version of the classic card game Uno, designed for outdoor and group play. The Giant Uno cards are much larger and heavier than standard Uno cards, so they are durable enough for the outdoors.
HOW TO PLAY
The objective of Giant Uno is the same as traditional Uno: be the first player to get rid of all your cards. Besides the fact that the cards are much bigger, there are no major differences in the gameplay of Giant Uno and normal Uno.
9. TWISTER ULTIMATE
QUICK FACTS
- Cost: $22
- Objective: Place your legs and arms on different colors and avoid falling down.
- Age: 6+
Twister Ultimate takes the classic Twister game to a whole new level of fun and excitement by supersizing the traditional experience. This giant outdoor game is an absolute blast because it brings people together in a hilarious and physically challenging way. With a large, colorful mat and an oversized spinner, players find themselves contorting their bodies into all sorts of crazy positions, often resulting in laughter, falls, and epic tangles of limbs. If you are looking for an icebreaker game for your next house party, this is a great option!
HOW TO PLAY
Twister Ultimate is a large-scale version of the classic Twister game that’s all about balancing and contorting. Players stand on a colorful mat divided into circles, each representing a body part and color combination. There is also an oversized spinner that dictates which body part goes where. For example, the spinner may land on “Right Hand, Red.”
Players take turns spinning and placing their limbs accordingly, aiming to stay balanced without falling or breaking the rules. If they stumble, touch the mat with an elbow or knee, or make a misstep, they’re out. The last player left standing wins. Twister Ultimate is a fantastic party game that’s perfect for gatherings, promoting laughter, friendly competition, and hilarious contortions. It’s a surefire way to get people moving and mingling, making it an unforgettable addition to any social event.
10. YARDZEE
QUICK FACTS
- Cost: $40
- Objective: Score higher than other players by completing the different criteria on the score card.
- Age: 8+
Yahtzee is an iconic dice game that involves rolling 5 dice in different combinations to fill out your scorecard with categories like “three of a kind” or “full house. Take this game and supersize it, and you have Yardzee, a giant version of Yahtzee! Instead of playing at a table, you’ll roll enormous dice, typically made of wood, in a large, open backyard!
HOW TO PLAY
The game contains five large dice, a bucket for rolling the dice, as well as one scorecard and a pen for each player. Each player takes turns rolling the dice. You can roll the dice three times per turn, attempting to score one of the following combinations.
- Three of a kind
- Four of a kind
- Yahtzee (5 of a kind)
- Full house (3 of one number 2 of another)
- Small straight (4 numbers in order)
- Large straight (5 numbers in order)
For more info on the rules of Yardzee, check out our complete guide to Yahtzee.
NOW, GO OUTDOORS AND HAVE SOME MAJOR FUN!
As you can see, there are plenty of giant outdoor games to go around. Whether you prefer testing your strategy in Mega-Sized Chess, your precision in Kick Darts, or your agility in Twister Ultimate, there’s a giant outdoor game for everyone.
Looking for some more fun outdoor games? Check out our article on the 15 best lawn games!
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