27 Best BBQ Party Game Ideas For Adults (For Your Backyard Bash!)

It’s summertime and barbecue season is in full swing. It seems like there’s a BBQ party happening every day, but it can get tiring to play the same old games all the time. That’s why we created this list of best BBQ party game ideas for adults! 

This article will show you some great ways to liven up your next barbecue with these fun games that are perfect for adults only. Now your friends won’t have to worry about being bored at your next backyard bash by playing one of these awesome adult-friendly games instead!

Go Yard Bowling

Everyone loves bowling, so why not bring the bowling alley to your backyard? 

You can set up a backyard bowling alley by cutting out some cardboard boxes for the bowling balls to pass through. 

The sides of the bowling lanes can be marked out with rocks, bricks, or any other heavy objects you have lying around. 

Get a set of bowling balls and some score cards, and may the best person win! 

Lawn Tennis

Have a large lawn with plenty of space? Don’t waste it, and think about creating your own lawn tennis game!

Not much is needed for backyard lawn tennis, except obviously tennis rackets and balls. You would then need to mark out the tennis court sections with some paint, and put up a net. 

Lawn tennis can be played one-on-one, as a doubles match, or even with 3 or 4 people per side to make things interesting! 

All in all, lawn tennis preparation in your backyard should only take about half an hour in exchange for many hours of enjoyment.

Lawn Limbo

Most of us have played with a limbo bar at some point, and we all know how funny and nail biting it can be, especially when the bar is at its lowest!

You can make your own limbo bar with practically anything you have lying around in your garage or backyard. 

You will need 2 sturdy sticks or poles that you’ll anchor into the ground, and then a piece of rope or wire that you progressively lower until a winner is called.

Lawn limbo can be played by kids, teenagers and adults alike, and you’d be surprised at which of your friends is the most flexible! 

Croquet

Croquet is one of the oldest lawn games around and has been played for many centuries. 

It is a slow-paced game that requires a lot of concentration (so maybe not the best idea if your friends have had one too many). 

You can buy a croquet set from most sporting goods stores, or order one online. 

Once you have your croquet set, you simply set up the wooden goal posts on your lawn, give your friends a few pointers, and then have fun seeing who is the most accurate and agile. 

It is a great game to play with the family as it teaches kids great hand-eye coordination skills, and it’s simply a fun way to spend a lazy summer afternoon. 

Pool Polo

Are you lucky enough to have a swimming pool in your backyard? 

If so, take advantage and arrange a pool polo game with your barbecue guests! 

All you’ll need is a beach ball and a neat placed in the middle of the pool, and you’re ready for a match!

Just remember to ask your guests to bring their swimsuits! 

Lawn Dominoes

Dominoes is normally played inside on a rainy afternoon when you don’t have anything else to do. 

When it’s played on the lawn outside in a giant format, dominoes takes on a whole new dimension and transforms into something quite raucous and exciting! 

You can make your own giant lawn dominoes set with some pieces of wood and paint, or you can just buy a set.

Either way, lawn dominoes is sure to bring out the competitive spirit in your guests, and keep them on their toes for many hours. 

Frisbee Bottle Bash

Bottle bash is an exciting game that is played mostly at fun fairs. 

The only downside to bottle bash is that when someone breaks the bottle, there will be glass everywhere- not the best idea when most people are walking around barefoot at a summer barbecue. 

With frisbee bottle bash, you don’t have to use glass bottles and you can easily use plastic soda or water bottles instead. This makes for a much safer (albeit less dramatic) way of playing bottle bash. 

To prepare for an afternoon of fun playing frisbee bottle bash, start collecting plastic bottles a few weeks in advance so you have a nice collection. 

You may want to make them more visible by painting them in bright colors, and then filling them with water to make them more stable targets. 

Line the bottles up at the far end of your yard, find a frisbee, and then make your friends try and knock over as many bottles as they can in the least amount of moves. 

It’s actually more difficult than it sounds!

Lawn Scrabble

Scrabble is typically a very sedate and serious board game that is not really suitable to an outdoors barbecue where everyone wants to have a good time. 

Lawn scrabble, however, is a completely different kettle of fish, and you will draw in your entire barbecue crowd in an attempt to find a winner!

You can buy a lawn scrabble set online or at some big box stores, but you can just as easily make your own. 

You’ll need about a dozen cardboard moving boxes, some paint and a brush. Cut the boxes out into discs, and then paint on letters of the alphabet. 

Once dry, you can start playing lawn scrabble, and remember: the same rules of regular scrabble apply to lawn scrabble!

BBQ Kickball

On a budget but still want your guests to have an amazing time at your barbecue? 

Why not get everyone to play some backyard kickball? 

All you need to make this happen is a rubber ball and some odds and ends that you can use to make the bases. 

Divide everyone up into 2 teams, and watch as your friends get competitive. Easy!

Cornhole

Cornhole is an oldie but definitely a goodie! 

Regardless of your age, you won’t be able to resist having a go at trying to get the little bean bag into the hole. 

Whether you make your own cornhole set, or you buy a ready-made one, it is just as much fun, and is sure to turn a boring barbecue into one where everyone laughs and has a good time.

Backyard Golf Cornhole

Regular cornhole a bit too “been there, done that” for you and your barbecue guests? 

Instead of playing the old-fashioned version of the game, you could play golf cornhole instead! 

This involves using a platform that’s quite similar to that of regular cornhole, except that it has nets underneath the holes to catch the golf ball.

Give your guests each a golf club (putters work best), and then have them try and get the golf ball into the holes. 

A lot of concentration is needed and you’d be surprised at how difficult it is to get it right!

Volleyball

Volleyball or beach volleyball is one of the most enjoyable summer activities, and you can also play it in your own backyard. 

All you will need is a few willing participants, a volleyball net and a ball. Assign everyone to a team, and you have a readymade game that can be enjoyed by each person at the barbecue.

Lawn Twister

Playing twister always results in bellyaching laughs and trying to contort yourself into the strangest of poses! 

When played on a lawn, twister is even funnier and everyone will want to join in! 

You can either use your current twister mat by moving it outside, or you can make your own, temporary twister set-up. 

To begin, take a piece of sturdy cardboard and cut out the shape of a large circle (the more accurate, the better). This is best done with a pen knife, and you will also need different colors of spray paint. 

Place the cut-out circle on your lawn and start spraying different colored circles to make your own, DIY twister mat. 

You’d be amazed at how much your guests will love getting involved!

Oversized Lawn Pong

As most people know, regular beer pong is played with red solo cups, a ping pong ball and, of course, plenty of beer. 

Playing beer pong outside is a much better option because there is less mess, and the set up of the game is much bigger! 

Another major difference between lawn pong and beer pong is the lack of beer for the outdoors version.

For lawn beer pong, instead of using red solo cups, you will use about 1- plastic buckets. The balls will also be bigger (small, cheap, wiffle balls work best). 

You will have a set of buckets on one side of the lawn, and then another set on the opposite side. 

Once you have all the equipment arranged on the lawn, fill each bucket with water and divide everyone up into 2 teams. 

Each team will stand next to one set of buckets and should try and throw their ball into one of the opposite side’s buckets. If they succeed, the bucket can be removed. 

The teams should take turns to attempt to get the ball into a bucket, and the winning team is the one who gets rid of their buckets first!

Basketball

Have a basket ball hoop and a basket ball? Transfer your hoop to your backyard and secure it against a solid, upright object like a large tree and you have a game waiting to happen. 

With 1 basketball hoop, you can declare the winner as the person who gets the ball the most times through the hoop. 

If you have 2 basketball hoops, even better, because you can create a basketball court right on your lawn. 

Simply mark out the sections on the grass with some paint, and then divide your friends up into 2 teams.

Larger-Than-Life Angry Birds

You loved playing the game on your phone, so why not try a life-sized version in your backyard with your friends? 

It’s even better in real life than playing the game on your phone! 

It does take a lot of preparation to make your own Angry Birds game, but you’ll thank yourself later!

You will need some large and medium-sized boxes, paint in various colors, different-colored bouncy balls and some paint brushes.

You will start your Angry birds set up by arranging a few boxes into a wall-like construction. For a realistic “Angry Birds” effect, you might want to paint the boxes with some woodgrain patterns. 

Your balls will then be painted either as pigs or as angry birds. The pigs should be placed amongst the painted boxes and the angry birds will be used to try and knock the pigs down. 

To catapult to angry birds into the pigs, you will need a large slingshot. This is easy to make, and all you need to do is take a small piece of fabric and attach 2 large loops of elastic to it. 

When catapulting your angry birds, you may need the help of a team mate or two so that you can shoot with the most accuracy.

The winner of larger-than-life Angry Birds is whoever knocks down the most pigs!

Sack Race

Another fun outdoor game that will never go out of fashion is a sack race. 

As the name suggests, all you need are a few, cheap sacks and you are good to go! 

Each person lines up in their sacks at the start line, and whoever jumps to the finish line first is the winner!

Homemade Ring Toss

There are many ring toss games out there that you can buy, but they can sometimes be a bit pricey.

Instead of wasting your money on an expensive store version, why not make your own backyard ring toss game? 

You will need a few thinnish logs or short wooden poles that can be anchored into the ground or glued onto a wooden base board (if you don’t want to have unwanted holes in your lawn). 

The rings can be made out of anything you have lying around the house or garage: thick pieces of rope, spare bits of fabric and pieces of wire can all be fashioned into rings that can fit over the poles. 

The winner of backyard ring toss is the person who can get the most rings on the pole. 

Egg and Spoon Race

An egg and spoon race is a very old-fashioned way of entertaining kids, but adults can get in on the fun, too! 

It’s actually more difficult than you think to be able to run as fast as you can with an egg in a spoon! 

So, why not challenge your friends to an egg and spoon race, and see who can hold on to their egg for the longest? 

Any eggs that do break will make a mess on the lawn, which is easy to clean up with a spray of water from your hosepipe.

Lawn Checkers

Playing checkers is part of every childhood, but the adult version can be played larger than life in your backyard. 

With lawn checkers, you have 2 options: you can either paint black and white squares onto your lawn (don’t worry, it washes and fades away after a while), or you can make your own checkers “board” with a large piece of fabric. 

The actual checkers pieces can be made by gluing some thick cardboard circles together and then painting them black and white. 

When you have all the elements of the game ready, you can display it on your lawn and see who the best player is. 

Of course, if you’re a chess fan, you could always make a life-size chess board. Understandably, real-life chess pieces are more difficult to make, so you may want to resort to buying a set, which can be quite costly. 

The investment would be worth it, though, as it will give you, your friends and family, many years of outdoor fun.

Backyard Pool

No one can resist taking a shot when there’s a pool table in the vicinity. 

Playing pool indoors is not really a summer activity, but what if you moved your pool table outdoors and into your backyard? 

A backyard game of pool is sure to get your guests in the competitive spirit and having fun. 

To make the game more comfortable for your guests, move the table to a shady spot underneath a tree, for example. 

This is a great way to entertain your guests, regardless of their age.

BBQ Mini Golf Course

Mini golf is always a winner for people of all ages on vacation. 

Instead of waiting to go on vacation before playing your next round of mini golf, why not bring a mini golf course to your next barbecue? 

A lot of planning is involved in creating a great mini golf course, and if your backyard has parts that slope, even better! 

To make your own mini golf course, you will need some felt, odd pieces of wood, some stiff cardboard, and anything else you think would make for an interesting circuit. 

Don’t be afraid of introducing bowls of water, pipes and other sharp bends to make it more challenging for your guests. 

Once your mini golf course is ready, have some scoring cards and pencils available so that your guests can determine the winner.

Hop Scotch

Some folks remember playing hop scotch during their childhood years, but the game is just as fun if you have one in your own backyard as an adult! 

Creating a hop scotch outline is really simple: all you need is some paint (or chalk if you plan on laying on paving bricks) and a stone, and you’re good to go. 

When your guests arrive, watch as they show off in front of each other with their old, childhood jumping and hopping tricks!

Giant Noughts and Crosses

Noughts and crosses is way more fun when you play the giant version in your backyard! 

Making a noughts and crosses grid is very easy: simply mark out the grid using paint or chalk. 

The only time-consuming part is creating the noughts and crosses. For this, you will need some easy-to-cut cardboard, a pencil, ruler and a pen knife. 

You’ll use the ruler and pencil to mark out the noughts and crosses shapes, and the pen knife to carve them out.  

Once you’ve done this, though, you’ll have a ready-made game that can be reused for barbecues for many years to come.

Water Gun Target Cups

On hot days, folks don’t mind getting a bit wet, in fact they welcome it! 

Water gun target cups is a simple, yet very exciting backyard game that anyone can play. 

All you’ll need to do is get hold of a few solo cups and some board with a target printed on it. 

The target boards should be placed behind the cups so that when the shooter hits the bull’s eye, the water will go running down into the cup.

With this game, you can have as many participants as you like, you just have to make sure that you have enough cups and target boards. 

The winner is the first person to fill their cup with water.

Pool Noodle Shooting

Pool noodles are pretty inexpensive and many dollar stores stock them in a range of bright colors. 

Pool noodle shooting involves shaping a few pool noodles into circles and then fastening them with string or tape. These pool noodle circles can then be attached to each other to form a set of targets. 

Elevate your pool noodle targets from the ground with 2 additional pool noodles, and then have your guests each take (you guessed it) a pool noodle and try and shoot them through the targets. 

The winner is the person who is able to shoot the most targets.

Badminton

Badminton is an old lawn game that was normally played by the British aristocracy, but who says you can’t also have the same level of fun playing it at your barbecue? 

Badminton rackets and shuttlecocks (what you would use instead of a ball) are available to buy online or at some sporting goods stores. You will also need a net, and, if you have a tennis or volleyball net, this can also be used. 

The rules of badminton are much like tennis, but it’s much more difficult to hit the shuttlecock than it is a tennis ball. 

Your guests should soon get the hang of it, though, and you can play several singles or doubles rounds to find a winner.

Impromptu Charades

Having a barbecue but forgot to plan the outdoor games? No problem! 

Charades is always a crowd pleaser and can be played wherever you find yourself. 

It almost always results in uncontrollable laughter as the participants try and describe something using only hand signals.

The best part is that no special equipment or preparation is needed, as long as you have a few guests wanting to be entertained.

Final Thoughts

It’s not always easy to think of games and activities for a backyard barbecue. But the truth is, there are plenty of classic outdoor games that everyone knows how to play! In this article, we’ve shared some quick-and-easy ideas you can do before guests arrive or when they’re in between courses. And if all else fails (or your budget isn’t large enough), no worries-just let people get creative with impromptu charades!

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