Bonding with friends and family over games can be rewarding and exciting. It’s a way to exercise the bones, burn some calories, and stay fit without even knowing it.
Whether you’re at the beach, the fields, your yard, or right inside your room, you’ll find games that fit the occasion.
You can try out games from the list below with your friends and family. And if you’re looking to switch things up with some video games, we have the right list for you too.
Outdoor Games
Outdoor games may involve throwing and catching items, dancing, hide and seek, jumps, dunks, and various minimal acrobatic exercises.
You don’t necessarily have to go far from your house to enjoy any of these. If you have a field, backyard, lawn, or a nearby beach, then you’re set. Below are our top picks of popular outdoor games that you can play in the summer.
1. Yard Yahtzee
All you need is 5 to 4 by 4 wooden cubes to form dice, A bucket for rolling the dice, and a scorecard/whiteboard and marker). The person with the highest number of dice scores wins. See full instructions here.
One player acts as the mother, while the other players are the children. The other players seek permission from the mother to make requested moves as long as they ask correctly.
3. Marco Polo
The game is played in a swimming pool. A player is chosen as “It” and is made to close his /her eyes. The “It” shouts Marco while the other players reply with Polo. The ‘It” will then try to catch one of the other players.
In this game, one player is “chosen as the head of the whip.” The next player holds on to the head while the other players hold each other’s hands till the last person. The leader then moves in random directions in a bid to crack the chain of hands.
5. Lawn Twister
Lawn twister is a two-player or four-player game played on colored circles made with stencils and spray paints. The game is usually played on the lawn or field.
Set up a mini-golf course in your backyard by using faced-down bowls or cups with crafted flags. Then create holes in 9 places across your yard for playing the golf ball. But if you can, build your own mini-golf course in your backyard.
More Outdoor Games
You can play even more outdoor games. Here’s a quick list of other outdoor games you might like:
- Water balloon dodgeball: More like the regular dodgeball game but with balloons filled with water.
- Lawn Bowling: In this game, the players roll little balls so that it stops close to a smaller ball, “jack or kitty.” It is played on the lawn or field.
- Cat’s Cradle: Pass strings between the fingers to create figures. Played alone or with friends.
- Drip, Drip Dunk: Players drip water on everyone on a circle till s/he gets to the chosen person, then dunks the water on him/her.
- Four Square: it is a bounce-ball game played in a square of four quadrants by four players. The aim is to remove other players by reaching the highest score.
- Hopscotch: The kids hop on hand-drawn numbered block shapes without stepping on the block with the pebble.
- Chinese Jump Rope: Played by three players; two players position the rope or string around their ankles. The third person has to jump the rope at raised levels without error.
- Outdoor Movie Screen: This involves setting up a cinema in your backyard or lawn. You can use a big-screened TV or use a projector to display your choice movie on a canvas. It is best done in the dark.
- Lawn Scrabble: This is a scrabble game, but played on the lawn with lettered boxes or letters painted on woods or cardboard papers.
- Giant Jenga: Stack Jenga woods or DIY colored woods to form a tower.
- Slide and Toss: A field game played by sliding through a slip-n-slide, spin around four times, then throw 6 frisbees to gain points.
- Bean bag ladder toss: Toss DIY bean bags through different rungs of a ladder to earn points.
- Yard Dominoes: The game is played by two or more players using 28 wooden domino tiles. It is played on a table or on any flat surface. See full instructions here
- Traffic Cop: One player acts as the cop, while the other players ride their toys and ride-on. The aim is to obey traffic rules and avoid collisions.
Things to Consider When Choosing an Outdoor Game
To guide you in choosing an ideal outdoor game for the summer, consider the following factors.
- Safety: The environment and your choice of games should be safe for the participants. Since the pandemic is still an issue, choose games that you can enjoy at a safe distance or ensure that everyone has their face mask on. Make provision for clean water, hand sanitizers, and first aid.
- Available Space and Equipment: You may want to consider the space in your home before choosing the game to play. Games like backyard mini golf, lawn bowling, and similar games might be impossible in a confined space.
- Also, consider the available equipment for the games you choose. If you can’t get them, find ways to improvise. Otherwise, go for games that do not require special items.
- Age and Experience of Participants: Go with comfortable and familiar games. Or new games that your friends or family members can learn quickly.\You should also consider the age of the other participants in the game. You don't want to introduce adult games when you have some kids playing with you.
Popular Esports for the Summer
Outdoor games during the summer can be fun and exciting. Other than time spent with friends and family, you’ll get a generous dose of fresh air. However, if you don’t have the time or luxury to go outside, you can still enjoy the summer with indoor activities.
If you’re looking for ideas on indoor activities to help you unwind during the summer, Esports is one of them. You get to live stream and play exciting video games online, watch on your TV, or even join other fans at the Esports stadiums around you.
And the best part, you could earn cool cash by playing and winning any of the tournaments.
Our top picks for the most popular Esports this season include:
League of Legends
League of Legends is one of the most famous video games of all time. It is a multiplayer battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. And has support for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.
Players are given access to powerful tools as soon as they are released, unlike in the previous multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games. These abilities allow for more dynamic and quicker gameplay than any other game in its genre at the time of release.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-strike is a free, multiplayer first-person shooter video game. It was initially released in November 1999 for the Playstation. The game is one of the most played online FPS games amongst millions of players.
Fortnite
Fortnite is an online third-person shooter game. This game is set in the fictional city of Fortnite. And is available for Windows PC and other gaming consoles.
Fortnite received generally positive reviews from critics and players, who praised its engaging gameplay style, impressive graphics, and exciting modes. The game also received some controversy for its progression system, which featured cards that allowed players to gain rewards faster than others.
Mortal Kombat 11
The arcade game Mortal Kombat is a favorite among gamers and classic video game lovers. The game allows characters to fight their past opponents and alter the present with time travel. It boasts of new defensive and offensive mechanisms with their improved animations.
Mortal Kombat 11 plays on major gaming consoles, desktops, and smart mobile devices.
Starcraft 11
StarCraft is a free-to-play MOBA game. It allows gamers to use accurate unit controls, spellcasting, research upgrades, and combat strategies to attack opponents. This game is one of the best-in-class gameplays and offers multi-million dollar prizes to winners.
It has unique graphics that allows characters to enjoy more features such as attack damage, movement speed, visual effects, and even sounds. The player has unlimited access to command centers which provide power for many of their attacks.
Overwatch
Overwatch is a team-based action multiplayer, and first-person shooter video game. It was developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
In Overwatch, players select one of several hero characters from any of its three different factions. Players on a team will primarily have objectives such as capturing control points and escorting payloads across the map in a series of matches.
More ESport Games
Want even more eSport games? You might want to explore
- Rocket League: Vehicular soccer video game developed by Psyonix.
- Dota 2: A multiplayer online video game that is popular among gamers.
- Destiny 2: An action MMO online-only video game.
Takeaways
Whether you prefer to spend your summer indoors or outdoors you’ll find more than enough games to play. The list here should help you find a good game for the summer, but a poor internet connection won’t help.
Ensure that you have a solid and reliable internet connection to fully engage in your favorite games.
