You’ve got the food, the company, and the beverages, but take your next summer BBQ to the next level by including some of the best BBQ party game ideas for adults as well.
There are 2 key things that any good BBQ party game needs – being able to include everyone and being simple enough to set up at a moment’s notice.
There are also different games to play depending on time constraints. Whether you’re looking for an active game to entertain guests while waiting for food or a card game for your guests to relax and unwind into the evening..
See Also: Games Gift Ideas Guide
So check out our list of some of the most entertaining BBQ party games ideas for adults to really impress your friends and family this summer.
- 1. MOLKKY
- 2. CROSSNET
- 3. KAN-JAM
- 4. HORSESHOES
- 5. SPIKEBALL
- 6. CORNHOLE
- 7. BOCCE BALL
- 8. BACKYARD CROQUET
- 9. LAWN DARTS
- 10. BEER PONG
- 11. SLIP & SLIDE DRINKING GAME
- 12. TIKI TOSS
- 13. LADDER TOSS
- 14. GIANT JENGA
- 15. GIANT YAHTZEE
- 16. FRICKET
- 17. LIMBO
- 18. HUMAN RING TOSS
- 19. WASHER TOSS
- 20. CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY
- 21. UNSTABLE UNICORNS
21 BBQ Party Games Ideas for Adults
1. MOLKKY
Players: 2+ players.
Time to Play: 15 – 20 minutes.
Objective: Score points by throwing skittles to knock over other skittles.
Molkky in a nutshell:
Set up your 12 Molkky scoring skittles in a 3-4-5 formation. Players have 3 turns each to knock over skittles and score points. After the 3 turns, the skittles are reset, and the next team takes their turn. Whatever number is on the skittle that gets knocked over gets added to a player or team’s total. After each player or team has 3 turns each, the team with the most points wins.
Related: See our Molkky rules guide.
2. CROSSNET
Players: 4 players only.
Time to Play: Around 10 – 20 minutes per game.
Objective: Eliminate the 3 other players to take the 4th square and score 11 points first.
Crossnet in a nutshell:
The Crossnet rules state that you must assign each quadrant of the court a value between 1-4 before the game begins. Then players volley a ball to other players, attempting to make them miss the ball so that they get eliminated. If all other players get eliminated, and the sole remaining player is in the 4th quadrant, they score 1 point. The game restarts until a player reaches 11 points, who wins the game.
3. KAN-JAM
Players: 4 players, 2 teams of 2.
Time to Play: 15 – 30 minutes.
Objective: Score points by throwing a flying disc into a Kan.
Kan Jam in a nutshell:
Place your Kan-Jam Kans about 50 ft away from one another. Attempt to throw the flying disc into a Kan by either throwing it straight in or throwing it towards your teammate to deflect in. The first team to reach 21 points by 2 clear points over the other team wins.
Related: See our Kan-Jam rules guide.
4. HORSESHOES
Players: 2 – 4 players.
Time to Play: 10 – 20 minutes.
Objective: Throw a Horseshoe onto a stake to score points.
Horseshoes in a nutshell:
Players take it in turns, even individually 1 vs 1 or in 2 teams, to throw a horseshoe at a stake or at least as close to the stake as they can. If a player or team manages to score a ‘ringer’ by wrapping their horseshoe around a stake, they gain a point. If neither team manages, the player closest to the stake gains a point instead. The winning player or team is whoever gets to 21 points first.
Related: See detailed Horseshoes game rules.
5. SPIKEBALL
Players: 4 players in 2 teams..
Time to Play: 30 – 60 minutes.
Objective: Compete to bounce a ball onto a trampoline. Any foul gives the other team a point.
Spikeball in a nutshell:
Set up your Spikeball set, and play to see which team serves. After you’ve seen which team is serving, bounce the ball onto the Spikeball trampoline to the other team. If someone commits a foul by missing the ball or missing the trampoline, the other team gets a point. Whichever team gets to 21 points first wins.
Related: See all Spikeball rules
6. CORNHOLE
Players: 2 – 4 players.
Time to Play: 30 – 60 minutes.
Objective: Throw cornhole bags into the holes on a cornhole board to score points.
Cornhole in a nutshell:
Set up 2 Cornhole boards on either side of the playing area. Either individually or in teams, players take it in turns to throw a cornhole bag into the hole, scoring points if they are successful. First team to gain 21 points or more wins.
Related: See all Cornhole rules.
7. BOCCE BALL
Players: 2 – 8 players.
Time to Play: 10 – 20 minutes.
Objective: Score points by rolling your ball as close to the jack or pallino as possible.
Bocce Ball in a nutshell:
The Bocce Ball rules state that the first player or team to score a predetermined number of points wins the game. Start by rolling the pallino to set its position for the rest of the game. Then players take it in turns to roll a bocce ball as close to it as possible. Points get awarded depending on how close to the pallino a player gets to the ball.
8. BACKYARD CROQUET
Players: 2-6 players.
Time to Play: 15 minutes.
Objective: Knock the ball under the wicket/arch to score points.
Backyard Croquet in a nutshell:
In Backyard Croquet, players pot colored balls in a particular order in a certain sequence. Players navigate a set order and hit their ball through the gate before moving onto the next wicket. The winner is the first player to be able to successfully navigate the course.
Related: Best croquet set
9. LAWN DARTS
Players: 2 – 4 players.
Time to Play: 10 – 20 minutes.
Objective: Throw a lawn dart into a ring to score points.
Lawn Darts in a nutshell:
In Lawn Darts, set up the 2 rings apart from each other, with one closer to the players than the others. Players take it in turns to throw the 4 darts into the rings; if the dart lands in the closer ring, they get a point, the ring further away gains 2 points. The first player to 21 points wins.
10. BEER PONG
Players: 2 – 6 players.
Time to Play: 10 – 20 minutes.
Objective: Bounce a ball into all of the other teams’ cups first to win.
Beer Pong in a nutshell:
Set up 6 beer pong cups per team in a triangle formation. Fill up the cups about a quarter of the way with beer. Players need to bounce a ping pong ball into the other team’s cups, if a ball bounces in then that cup must get drunk by that team. First team to bounce the ball into the team’s 6 cups wins.
Related: Best ping pong table
11. SLIP & SLIDE DRINKING GAME
Players: 4 – 8 players.
Time to Play: 5 – 10 minutes.
Objective: Have every member of your team flip a cup and slide down a water slide before the other team.
Slip & Slide Drinking Game in a nutshell:
Set up a Slip and Slide and 2 tables with as many cups as participants turned upside down. Members of each team must race to drink the cup’s contents and flip that cup, so it’s the right way up and then launch themselves down the slide. Once a player completes this, the next person in the team can begin. Winning team is the first to have all their team finish first.
12. TIKI TOSS
Players: 2+ players.
Time to Play: 5 – 15 minutes per game.
Objective: Be the first player to score 21 points by tossing rings onto a hook.
Tiki Toss in a nutshell:
Attach Tiki Toss onto a wall or flat surface and stand about 2 meters back before you begin to throw. Player’s get 10 rings each to toss at the hook to see who can get the most rings onto the hook. Play 3 rounds, with the player with the most successful ring tosses winning the game.
13. LADDER TOSS
Players: 2 – 6 players, 2 teams of 3 if playing with 6.
Time to Play: 30 – 60 minutes.
Objective: Wrap the bolas around the rungs to score as much as possible.
Ladder Toss in a nutshell:
Set up 3 teams of 2 and assign each team a different color bola. In Ladder Ball, each team’s player takes it in turns to attempt to throw a bola around a rung. Points get awarded depending on the rung that the bola wraps around. The first team to exactly 21 points wins the game.
14. GIANT JENGA
Players: 1+ player.
Time to Play: 5 – 20 minutes.
Objective: Avoid being the player who knocks over the Giant Jenga tower.
Giant Jenga in a nutshell:
Begin by stacking the Giant Jenga tower. Players take it in turns to remove a game piece from the tower and place it on top. The player who knocks over the tower by either failing to remove a piece or when placing a piece on top gets eliminated. Restart the game and play until there’s only 1 player left.
15. GIANT YAHTZEE
Players: 1+ player.
Time to Play: 5 – 20 minutes.
Objective: Roll dice that fit different category combinations which obtain points.
Giant Yahtzee in a nutshell:
You play Giant Yahtzee in the same way as regular Yahtzee, and subsequently, it is also played in 13 rounds. Each round, players have a category in which they need to roll the dice to achieve a perfect score combination. Player with the highest score after the 13 rounds wins.
16. FRICKET
Players: 2 – 4 players.
Time to Play: 10 – 20 minutes per game.
Objective: Use a frisbee to knock cans off a perch, scoring points depending on how many cans a player knocks off during the game.
Fricket in a nutshell:
Start playing Fricket (see our complete Fricket rules guide) by setting up each cup on a pole, as these are what players need to knock off with a frisbee. Players or teams take turns throwing their frisbee at the cups, scoring 1 point for every cup knocked off with each individual throw. The player or team who gets to 21 points first wins the game.
17. LIMBO
Players: 1+ player/s.
Time to Play: 5 – 15 minutes.
Objective: Be the player still left standing at the end of the game.
Limbo in a nutshell:
Get yourself a Limbo set, or use a stick with 2 people holding each end. Get a line of players to lean back and move under the limbo stick; anyone who knocks the pole or stick gets eliminated. Last player to successfully limbo while everyone else is out wins the game.
18. HUMAN RING TOSS
Players: 2 players.
Time to Play: 10 – 20 minutes.
Objective: Successfully toss rings around your opponent before they manage to toss their rings around you.
Human Ring Toss in a nutshell:
Players take it in turns to toss an inflatable ring around their opponent. Players have 3 rings each, the first player to throw all 3 rings around the other player wins.
19. WASHER TOSS
Players: 2+ players.
Time to Play: 10 – 20 minutes.
Objective: Successfully throw a washer into a cup or box to score points.
Washer Toss in a nutshell:
The first player to score 21 points in Washer Toss wins the game. Score 1 point by throwing the washer into the box and 3 points if you can get it into the cup in the middle.
20. CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY
Players: 4 – 20 players.
Time to Play: 30 – 60 minutes.
Objective: Earn the most black cards at the end of the game by combining different white cards to be as offensive as possible.
Cards Against Humanity in a nutshell:
Shuffle the Cards Against Humanity deck and hand out 12 white cards to each player. Left of the dealer picks out a black card that has missing words which players fill in with their white cards. All players read out their answers and the person who read out the black card picks their favorite. Next person in the circle picks a black card, and the game continues. The winner is the player with the most black cards.
Related: See our Cards Against Humanity rules guide
21. UNSTABLE UNICORNS
Players: 2 – 8 players.
Time to Play: 30 – 45 minutes.
Objective: Compete against other players to end up with the most unicorns at the end of the game.
Unstable Unicorns in a nutshell:
Shuffle and deal out the Unstable Unicorns cards to players, making sure each player has 1 white card and 5 black cards. Players then take it in turns to collect unicorn cards until a player has the correct number of unicorns in their stable (changes depending on player numbers). Then, that player wins the game.
Related: See how to play Unstable Unicorns
Wrap Up
You should now have a selection of excellent BBQ party games for adults to play at your next summer outing to ensure that none of your guests go home bored.
And now that we’ve covered games for adults why not check out some of our favorite office party games, youth group games and indoor group games for kids as well.
We’ve also got suggestions for some Halloween party games for kids, Thanksgiving game ideas and group games for teenagers too, including various board games and outdoor games, especially for teens.
