Camping is a great time to ditch the screens and play games at the picnic table. While you spend time packing up paper plates, bug spray, and fishing poles – also make sure you pack up a few games and activities for the whole family to play!
These 7 options are unique games that not everyone plays at the campsite. So they’re good opportunities to make new memories with your loved ones or activate your mind in new ways on your next camping trip.
Dice Games
What could be more simple than a game that only requires a pair of dice? Cheap, easy to bring, easy to pack up – it’s the perfect addition to your camping supplies! Yahtzee is probably the most widely known, and still popular at many campsites. Backgammon is also one whose popularity is waning, but still can be exciting with the right partner. Unfortunately, it does require a board.
These 2 dice games are a great new game to play and are quick to learn.
#1 10,000 (Farkle)
If you enjoy Yahtzee but want to add a little more excitement, you might want to try 10,000, more commonly known as Farkle. All you need for this game is 6 dice that will be shared by all the players, a shaker cup if desired, and a notebook and pen to keep score. You can play with as many players as you like, but need at least 2.
Play begins by having the oldest player roll all 6 dice. The object of the game is to get as many points with each roll as possible. The points are listed below-
Each 1 is worth 100 points.
Each 5 is worth 500 points.
Any 3 of a kind are worth the face value times 100. (ex. 3 2’s are worth 200)
Any 4 of a kind is worth the face value times 200. (ex. 4 2’s are worth 400)
Any 5 of a kind is worth the face value times 400. (ex. 5 2’s are worth 800)
Any 6 of a kind is worth the face value times 800. (ex. 6 2’s are worth 1600)
A straight is worth 1,500 points.
First, each player must roll 1,000 points in one turn to get on the board. This may take a while, and that is OK. It is quite comical when a friend rolls to 950 and can’t make the 1,000 threshold. After “making it” on the board, each turn after the player may add up all points they roll and add onto their initial 1,000. Or, they can remove one of their point-scoring dice and roll again. They must remove any points from their score associated with the dice they choose to roll again. The player can do this repeatedly until they no longer roll any new points, but if they do, all of their points for that turn are lost.
This one takes a minute to learn the scoring system, but once you have it down it becomes very enjoyable. The first player to 10,000 points is the winner, and you can go over without penalty. It’s a great game for kids as well, with patience it is quick to learn and great for addition and multiplication practice!
#2 Liar's Dice
I first was introduced to Liar’s Dice as a teenager playing the county-western video game, Red Dead Redemption. While my friends were robbing stagecoaches, hunting bears, or other fun cowboy activities you could do in-game, I was in a little Mexican cantina playing a video game version of Liar’s Dice. I just found it so fun and addicting, I couldn’t get enough!
This game does require more dice than others, as each player (up to six, but four is best) will need 5 dice. Having an empty plastic cup is best to keep your dice contained for this game and will help you hide your dice from your competitors. Each game starts with each player putting the dice in their cups and shaking them. Then, they “roll” by playing the cup face down so the dice hit the playing surface but are hidden by the cup. Players lift the edge of the cup to see what they’ve rolled.
Then betting begins. Bids are placed as a combination of face and quantity. For example, the player can say “four 5s” which would mean they believe at least four 5’s were rolled by all players combined. The next player can either increase the quantity of the previous bid, or challenge the previous bid. If the player increases the quantity, it goes to the next player who can do the same. If the bid is challenged, all players lift their cups and the total number of dice with the noted face value are counted.
If there are equal to or more dice than the quantity of the bid, then the person who challenged the bidder has to remove one of their dice. If there is less dice than the bid, the person who placed the bid removes one of their dice. The next round continues with the initial bet being placed by the person who lost their dice in the previous turn. You win the game by being the last person left with dice in their cup.
As you get better at the game you can add multiple variations like poker dice, different betting rules, and much more found here. But this simple approach is a great place to start and a very fun use of just basic dice.
Card Games
Traditional card games played with a Bicycle deck of 52 cards (or cool National Park versions like this) might sound boring, but there are tons of games that can be created from just one deck. Best of all, it’s easy to pack a deck of cards for the road and you don’t have a lot to clean up or keep track of at a campsite. Just make sure you have a picnic table or some type of hard surface to play on.
Some games that most campers are sure to know, or at least have some vague idea of, are Rummy, Spades, and Poker. Rummy is best for an easy, simple game where you don’t want to get too competitive and just enjoy your company. Hearts or Spades is a great game for two couples, as you will need a partner. And poker is fun for those who want to add a little gambling into their games – just remember to bring an easily packable chip system. Texas Hold ‘Em is the easiest version to manage as well as teach potential new players.
But why be traditional? If you want to spice up your camping trips into something memorable, you should try out some new card games not everyone knows. Below are a select few games that are more unique but extremely fun for the right crowd.
#3 Cheat (Bulls***)
This is a great game for camping with any age group because it can be picked up very easily. But the name can change depending on how adult you want to make it – being called the PG-friendly “Cheat” or the more adult friendly “Bullshit”.
The game begins by dealing all of the cards in the deck (minus the Jokers) to players (any number, but more than 6 becomes difficult). If any cards are remaining, place them face down in a discard pile. The person with the Ace of Spades in their hand begins first by playing it face down in the discard pile. Then, the person to their left is next and must play any 2’s in their hand face-down into the discard pile. If you have multiple, you can play multiple. After, the person to their left plays any 3’s in their hand. This continues for the rest of the game, starting back over with Aces again when you’ve run through each card value. The goal of the game is to be the first person with no cards left in their hand.
The catch to the game is you always have to play at least one card when it is your turn, even if you don’t have the card that is supposed to be played. So for example, if it is your turn and you’re supposed to play 8’s but don’t have any, you can place any card in your hand down and say it’s an 8. If the person to your left plays a 9 before any other player says anything, the game continues.
However, if someone at the table says “Cheat!” (or in the adult version, “Bulls***”) after you play the incorrect card, you will have to pick up everything that is face down in the discard pile. But if they say “Cheat!” and you did in fact play the right card, then they have to pickup everything in the discard pile.
Obviously the fun in this game is getting good at being a Cheater, or being good at calling out the Cheaters. You can keep score by counting the point values left in peoples hands if you want a long-term game, but I prefer just playing round by round and letting players come in and out of the game as they please.
#4 Scopa
Sometimes it’s fun to play non-American games and get a little international flavor into your camping trip. So consider playing the national card game of Italy – Scopa!
At its core, Scopa is a matching game. That makes it easy for most to understand base gameplay and also a good opportunity for young campers to display their math skills. You can play with 2-4 people and it’s one of the few games on this list that are really enjoyable with just 2 players. Plus, when you get a “sweep” you get to yell “SCOPA!” which can be quite fun for all ages.
However, the point scoring can be a little confusing to understand at first and it’s a little more complicated than other games on this list, so I recommend watching this 3 minute video below which will quickly get you the basics so you can start playing on your next camping trip.
#5 Kemps
If you find most card games a little too boring and want to add in some more action, you might find Kemps is more up to your speed. This game has less to do with outthinking your opponents and a lot more to do with reflexes and reading your partner.
The game must be played with a partner, so you do need even numbers but up to 12 players (6 teams) will work. The game begins with the dealer placing 4 cards face down in front of each player. Players look at their hands and then the dealer places 4 cards face up in the middle of the playing area. When the dealer says “Go!” all players are able to pick up one of the face up cards in the playing area to add to their hand, but must also discard one card from their hand face up into the playing area. There are no set turns and all players can do this simultaneously. If no player wants the 4 cards upright, the round ends and the dealer deals 4 new upright cards to start a new round.
The goal of the game is to get 4 of a kind in your hand, but the catch is you cannot announce when you have 4 of a kind. Instead, your partner must call “Kemps!” to announce it for you and end the game. Therefore, an important part of the game is making a non-audible signal to your partner that you have 4 of a kind – and making sure they notice you when you do it.
You get one point for each successful 4 of a kind, and negative one point if your partner calls Kemps but you do not have a 4 of a kind. The first team to 5 points wins the game.
This game is great for children because it’s fast paced, requires some physical activity to pick up the cards quickly, and fun signals can be created to tell their partner to call Kemps. But even adults, especially those with a little liquid encouragement, can have great fun coming up with weird signals or fighting each other for face up cards.
Physical (Lawn) Games
Card games are great, but sometimes if you’re camping you want to get up and do something physical. After all, you could sit at the kitchen table and play cards at home, what about something a little more special you could only do outdoors?
We’ve got some great, unique ideas for that too. But of course the standard you’re likely to find at many campsites is a cornhole game. Most retailers have easily transportable versions where the boards velcro together and bags sit inside. Also many campgrounds will have horseshoe pits you can use if you bring your own horseshoes. Another easy to set up game that can be done more easily on uneven ground is ladder toss. All of these standards are fun by themselves, but add in a tournament system to really get people’s competitive juices flowing.
Let’s get more inventive though and add some other games that you probably have never heard of before that are just as fun, maybe even more fun, than those.
#6 Kubb & Molkky
Lets start with some more international games that you probably haven’t heard of – Kubb, a Swedish lawn game, and Molkky, a similar game popular in Finland. Both games are similar in that they are made of simple wooden blocks that stand on the ground. Then, you take a wooden baton or cylinder and throw them at the blocks to try and knock them over.
Kubb requires more space but is arguably, at least in my opinion, the more fun game of the two. You will need wooden blocks set up about 25 feet apart from each other. One team stands on one side of the pitch and tries to knock down each wooden block in one round, ending with knocking down the “King” block with the final toss. As blocks are knocked down, the opposing team is able to toss them to the other side of the pitch where they get set up again to be knocked down. This makes ever-evolving gameplay where no side is ever really out of the game.
You can certainly buy a pre-made kit for around $50, but you could also even make the blocks yourself out of scrap wood if you have a woodworker in the family. This makes it easy to buy or pack, and as long as you have a relatively flat space of about 15 feet by 25 feet you can set it up at your campsite. To get a full unpacking of all the rules and structure, I would recommend watching the video below as it gets into the nitty-gritty of setup, rules, and gameplay.
Molkky is a bit easier to set up and play, as you stand about 10 feet away from a group of 12 wooden blocks (pins) which are set up similarly to how you would rack billiard balls when playing pool. You then throw a “skittle” (cylindrical wooden block) at the pins to knock down as many as you can. Each pin has a number value, and you get the number on the pins you knock down. Players take turns, setting up the pins again after each throw attempt. You win by getting exactly 50 points. If you go over 50 points, you go back down to 25 and have to try again.
Again, if you have a good woodworker in the family you could probably easily make your own Molkky set. But several companies also make molkky games you can purchase to pack up easily and go with you. Because you only need 10 feet or so of space and just enough level ground to set up the pins – it’s a much easier game to play than Kubb and has less rules as well.
#7 Can Jam
If you would rather throw a frisbee than toss a wooden block, then maybe you should try can jam. You can buy kits that come with specially made frisbees and cans – but ultimately all that you need to enjoy this game are two open-top buckets and a frisbee that can easily fit inside them.
The objective is quite simple – to get the frisbee into the can. This game is played by 4 people, separated into 2 teams. The two cans are set up about 50 feet away from each other (you can start closer if you’re not great at frisbee) and partners play across from each other, just behind the cans. One partner throws the frisbee towards the can near their partner and it is the responsibility of the partner to deflect the frisbee into the can.
If the thrower tosses the frisbee and their partner deflects it to hit the can but not go inside of it, 1 point is awarded. If the thrower tosses the frisbee and it hits the can without a partner deflecting it, 2 points are given. If the thrower tosses the frisbee inside of the can or the partner deflects it and it goes inside the can, 3 points are awarded. No points are awarded if the frisbee doesn’t hit the can at all. Teams take turns throwing until 21 points are earned. Like darts, exactly 21 points are necessary to win. So if you are at 20 points but the thrower hits the can without deflection (worth 2 points), you are still at 20 points and the game continues until you get just 1 point.
The best part of this game is it doesn’t require flat ground, just enough space that you can clearly throw a frisbee between the two cans and ample space around the cans to play without injury. Again, try fun rules you make yourself or make a tournament bracket once you get the hang of it to encourage more competitive play.
Conclusion
There are tons of games that you can enjoy camping, so don’t just limit yourself to the same ol’ games you see at every campsite. Try something fun and unique and you might be surprised at how much more enjoyment you get from it!
Or do you already have a fun game that only your family knows about? Maybe a game you play with your friends that you’ve made up from other games? Comment below so everyone will know!