The best place to escape from the chaos of your daily life is the campsite. Sleeping in tents, swimming in the lake, and sleeping under the stars are a few of the things that we all look forward to.
Eat, sleep, hike, campfire, relax, and repeat. That’s the standard camping trip and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Is there something you can do to make it more interesting?
Play camping games that get everyone involved, laughing and having an all around great time. It gives everyone a chance to be silly while forming stronger bonds that will last a lifetime.
14 Awesome Camping Games
We present a list of 14 awesome camping games that can be enjoyed at any campsite, anywhere in the world. There is a game for every age group and getting loose, being silly, and having fun is the only steadfast rule.
Camping conversation games for adults
The best way to break the ice when bringing groups of people together is a game that gets everyone talking and getting to know each other. These games can all be played with all ages but are more geared towards adults.
1. Two truths and a lie
This is a simple conversation game that anyone can play. All you need is a group of people, the larger the better.
Each person is going to introduce themselves and then say two truths about themselves and one lie. They can be serious, wacky, outrageous, simple, or life-revealing things. Each person in the group tries to guess which one was the lie.
For example, “Hi, I’m Brandon. I have never broken a bone, my middle name is Tyrone, and I don’t own a TV.” To help you get the creative juices flowing take a look at this list of 100+ ideas for two truths and a lie.
Material required:
- Creativity
- Imagination
2. Would you rather
The easiest way to describe this game is to ask yourself this question… “Would you rather be silly or serious?”
The premise of the game is each person takes a turn asking a silly question that begins with “Would you rather.” The questions that everyone comes up with is where the fun begins. They can be silly, gross, serious and everything in between.
If you’re having a hard time coming up with questions, take a look at this list of would you rather ideas. Print it out a few copies and hand it out to the group for a little creative inspiration.
Material required:
- Creativity
- Imagination
3. Three things I can’t live without
Everyone writes on three small pieces of paper three things they can’t live without. Put all the pieces of paper in a bowl and mix it up.
Next, a person picks up one of the random pieces of paper and the other people try and guess who wrote it and say if they agree or disagree. Simple enough and it gives you a chance to get to know everyone a little more intimately.
Material required:
- Paper
- Pencil
Camping games for families
Spending time with your family is always important and what better way than to get everyone involved in a game everyone can play.
4. Storytelling
Storytelling requires keeping all ages in mind if there are kids present (depending on your standards). Each person gets the opportunity to tell a funny, scary, true, hilarious, or boring story based on their own experiences and creativity.
It’s always fun to hear the crazy and imaginative stories that the kids come up with. And, the crazy and hilarious stories that you haven’t heard from close friends or family.
The machine is a perfect example of a well-told story, taken from the life of Bert Kreischer. It truly is a masterclass in the art of storytelling. Bert is a hilarious comedian, a great father, awesome husband, and host of the Bertcast podcast.
Material required:
- Creativity
- Imagination
5. Hide and seek
The quintessential classic kids game that 99.9% of people have played at one time in their life or another.
The game where kids can be kids and adults can get back to being kids. Determine who is going first and that person gets inside a tent and counts to 30 and then tries to find where everyone is hiding.
It’s best to set a boundary for hide and seek when playing outdoors, otherwise, one round can potentially take hours.
Material required:
- Willing participants
6. Scavenger hunts
Scavenger hunts can be designed for people of all ages by changing the items you search for. For example, the kids can search for bugs and plants while the adults search for beer and wine.
For families with small children, pair the young ones with adults. Each pair has to find one of the items listed. As they find the items, check them off the list, collect it or take pictures with a phone (which is more in line with the Leave No Trace principles).
The items on the list can range from a simple flower to an insect. It can prove to be an educational game for the kids and also fun for the entire family.
Material required:
- List of plants and bugs
- Any items you choose
Camping games for groups
Camping is the most fun when you have a large group of people. Whoever it is, camping is never complete without a few games for everyone to enjoy.
7. Charades
Divide the group into two teams of equal size. Each team then chooses titles of books, movies, songs, television shows, or plays. Then the teams choose a term that the other team wrote down and attempts to act it out in one minute or less.
When acting out a phrase, you usually start with how many words are in the phrase by holding up your fingers and a predetermined gesture for the category and go from there. Here are a few charade ideas that you can use on your next camping trip.
Material required:
- Pencil
- Paper
8. Capture the flag
Capture the flag finds its origins from the field of battle in the Civil War. If a soldier was able to obtain the enemies flag or save their own flag they won a medal of honor. Nobody really knows when it became a game but it has been played at youth camps across the country for 50 plus years.
The first step is finding a large space with lots of trees and bushes. Each team gets a flag that they hide deep in their territory and establishes a small area to keep captured players from the other team which is known as the jail. If a team member is able to get into enemy territory and touch a team member in jail, the person in jail is now back in the game.
If you are touched while in enemy territory you are immediately sent to jail. Whichever team is able to find the other teams flag and get it back to their own territory wins.
Material required:
- Flag (shirt, bandana, sweatshirt)
- Large wooded area
Camping Games for Kids
Kids love camping and more than that they love playing games. The games can be educational as well as fun. Here is a list of games for the kids at the campsite.
9. Alphabet Game
Children are creative and curious by nature. This game is simple yet works on their critical thinking abilities which are a muscle that needs to be exercised like any other muscle.
The kids are given the task to point something out around them that starts with the letters A through Z. The game starts as soon as you get in the car and doesn’t stop until someone reaches the letter Z. The fun begins when you get to the tougher letters in the alphabet.
The first person to reach Z wins and this is a game that even the adults can get in on. The best part is this game can be repeated until everyone is bored or it’s time to go home.
Material required:
- Curious mind
- Critical thinking
10. Pass the water
This game can be played in any season, but it is best to play on a hot summer day, for obvious reasons.
You make two groups in which all kids stand behind each other, and all of them are holding a cup. The cup of the first person in line is filled with water. They have to pass the water from their cup to the person standing behind cup from over their head without looking.
The group to pass the water to the last person with the maximum amount of water in the cup wins the game.
Photo by Camp Pinewood by CC BY 2.0
Material required:
- Plastic cups
- Water
11. Sleeping bag race
Children are competitive by nature and a race of any kind is a double edged sword. The kids get a chance to be involved in a friendly competition and they burn a ton of energy at a rapid rate. Meaning the parents are fortunate to have a welcomed break in the form of a nap or an early night and the kids have a blast.
Sleeping bag races are similar to the classic potato sack races. Kids take their sleeping bags and pull it around the waste and hop to the finish line.
Another twist is to have them get inside and wiggle their way to the end like a worm.
Material required:
- Sleeping bag
- Grassy field
Camping Drinking Games
If you are going camping with your friends, chances are there will be some drinking involved. Any game can become a drinking game with a little creativity and booze. Here are a few classic drinking games to liven up the campsite.
12. Never have I ever
Form a circle and choose someone to start the game by saying, “Never have I ever used a bra” or something similar. If anyone in the group has used a bra they have to take a drink.
Then, the next person says, “Never have I ever…” and it continues until everyone taps out.
This game doesn’t have a true winner, more like a large group of tipsy losers. Keep in mind, this game can get out of hand quickly so drink responsibly and never under any circumstances drink and drive.
Material required:
- Willing participants
- Beverage of choice
13. Kings
This drinking game requires you to have a deck of cards and also a large cup full of a drink which will be kept in the middle and known as king’s cup.
The 13 values of the cards are each given a rule like Aces are one drink. The card pile is kept in the middle and is spread out around the cup in the and cards are drawn in turns.
The Kings are stacked on top of the cup and the first person to spill the cards or the last King drawn has to drink the entirety of the cup in the middle.
The rules for the cards vary greatly between Universities and groups of friends. There is no hard and fast rule for each of the cards but here is a an good starting point for the rules of kings.
Material required:
- Deck of cards
- Rules for each card
- Beverage of choice
14. Flip cup
This game requires a table, plastic cups, and two teams. Each team lines up along the sides of a table with a small amount of your drink of choice. To begin the first person drinks the contents of their cup, sets it upside down on the table, and flips it until it lands right side up.
Then, the next person starts his turn and so on. The first team to finish all their drinks and flip over all the cups comes out the victor. This game is best explained through a video…
Material required:
- Plastic cups
- Drink of choice
- Table (not your mother’s)
