With summer in full swing and the pungent aroma of BBQ and campfire in the air, everyone is looking for ways to have fun outside. We won’t turn our noses up at a good old-fashioned round of Flip Cup or Cornhole, but the same old stuff gets boring. If you’re looking for some alternative ways to keep the party going this summer, here are 6 new backyard games you’ve never heard of:
Spikeball
Spikeball is one of those games that sounds complicated on paper, but is actually a hell of a lot of fun in practice. We won’t even begin to go into detail, but it’s essentially a 2-on-2 game of reverse volleyball where, instead of trying to pass a ball over a net, you’re spiking the ball into a net and trying to keep it out of the grasps of the other team. The game is super high-action and probably isn’t for the slouches among us, as it can be played in a full 360-degree landscape. We like it a lot because it’s ideal for everywhere from the backyard to the beach, and works well in medium-sized spaces. $60
KAN JAM
Disc Golf meets Cornhole in this new-age summertime favorite. KAN JAM is another 2-on-2 game and incorporates the fun of Frisbee and Disc Golf with the classic appeal and easy-to-learn infrastructure as Cornhole. Opposing teams toss discs through KAM JAM goals. If you can’t make it through the tiny slit (it takes a hell of a lot of skill), your teammate may smack the Frisbee into the top of the goal for less points. It takes some getting used to, but it’s a hell of a fun game that anyone can learn—even if they’ve been drinking since 10 a.m. $38
Molkky
Molkky technically isn’t a new game, as it was invented and popularized in Finland in the mid-90s, but we’re willing to bet the majority of you have never heard of this simple summertime classic that draws inspiration from bowling and, if we have to guess, horseshoes. Players set up wooden pins from numbers 1 to 12 in an ornate—but official—pattern, and then take turns knocking them down. The game gets more and more difficult to score as the rounds progress, but essentially, the first person to get 50 (exactly 50) wins. Just be careful, because it’s definitely a game that’ll draw you in and keep you playing. $50
Kubb
If you’re working with a larger group of people or just want a game that’ll bring out the best (and worst) in your drunk friends, Kubb (pronounced “koob”) is another baton-throwing challenge that feels more like a round of chess than it does a backyard game. Players toss the baton to knock down blocks, and then strategically place them at various parts of the field—the objective being to knock down all the “baseline” and “field” kubbs in order to finally knock down the king kubb. Let us warn you though; it’s not the easiest game to learn right off the bat. There are a lot of rules involved that make the game as great as it is, but once you nail them all down, playing becomes both second nature and fun as hell. $60
LED Lighted Bocce Balls
Bocce is as old as the Roman Empire, so we won’t sit here and try to bullshit you about this “cool new game.” Everybody loves bocce because it’s super easy to learn, exceptionally difficult to master, but always fun to play. This LED Lighted Bocce Ball kit keeps the fun going long into the night, and makes bocce possible anytime, anywhere. Plus, there’s just something really funny about the possibility of 85-year-old grandfathers getting together and playing EDM-themed bocce. Isn’t there? No? Alright then. $80
Bean Bag Bucketz
Bean. Bag. Bucketz. This one is actually a brand new game that just hit its $35k production goal on Kickstarter a couple weeks ago. The game is simple—sink your beanbags into the different-sized buckets attached to a long PVC pole. We’re sure the final product is going to be a little more polished than the Kickstarter prototype, but the fun remains the same. Each size bucket has a different numeric value, and the first team to reach a score of 21 wins. $50
