Fun camping games for Adults

Are you going on a camping trip with other adults? You might be planning on spending plenty of time hanging out, maybe going sightseeing, fishing, or hiking … but you might want some games planned for times back at your campsite, too. A refreshing trip with others and wilderness immersion could be just what you need and could have a positive impact on your overall mental health.1

Whether you’re camping with adult family members or with a group of friends, these fun activities and games should work well.

Top Tip: Take A Large (Eight-Person) Tent on Your Camping Trip

On a family camping trip with young children, you might get away with a small tent. If you’re camping with other adults, make sure you’ve got a large enough tent for card games or board games on wet days.

Even though you might be sleeping in separate tents, it’s worth having one large communal tent where you can gather during the daytime. An eight-person tent is a great option for this.

1. Sports or Ball Games

A woman playing frisbee

Image courtesy of Pixabay

If you have a sporty group of campers, take along some balls for impromptu games of football, basketball, volleyball, etc. If your campsite doesn’t have a sports court, you might need to get creative with trees or branches to create goals, nets, or baskets. After all, there are plenty of ways to keep active when you’ve forced yourself to stay outdoors for days.2

Frisbee is another fantastic option for a group game, as you only need the frisbee! (You could even take a glow-in-the-dark one for games of night frisbee.) If you’re happy to take a bit more equipment, you might want to try badminton, croquet, or even create a crazy golf course.

2. Mafia or Werewolf

Mafia (also called Werewolf) is a classic party game with a “night” phase and a “day” phase. Two players (sometimes more) are chosen to be the mafia (or werewolves). During the night, the mafia can open their eyes and “kill” a player, who is then out of the game. During the day phase, the remaining players have to try to figure out who the mafia are. This repeats until either the mafia kills a sufficient number of people or the mafia is identified.

If you’re a fan of the online game Among Us, you might think of mafia/werewolf as an offline version. Other social deduction games include the card games Bang!, The Resistance and a more elaborate version of Werewolf called “The Werewolves of Millers Hollow.”

3. Drinking Games

Drinking games with friends

Image courtesy of Pixabay

If you’re going on an adults-only camping trip, you might be planning on taking along a fair few bottles of wine, cases of beer, or even your favorite spirits. There are plenty of classic drinking games you might enjoy – such as Never Have I Ever. If you’re not sure what drinking games you should play, do a quick search and plan ahead.

Of course, make sure you’re drinking responsibly and respecting the fact that some people may not want to play this type of game.

4. Trivia Games

Be prepared for a wet day with some board or card games. Trivial Pursuit is a great one to pack.

There are lots of variations – so pick one that suits the interests of your family or friends. You might even find there’s a specific edition devoted to your favorite TV series or film franchise: there’s a Friends Trivial Pursuit, for instance, and a Star Wars Trivial Pursuit.

5. Truth or Dare

Relive your slumber party days with a game of truth or dare. This one can provide a lot of laughter and some great stories for future trips! Just don’t get too wild … you don’t want to get kicked out of your campsite.

If you’re with a group who don’t know each other too well, “Two Truths and a Lie” is a great alternative. Each person tells the group three facts about themself: two of these should be true, and one should be a lie. This one can easily be played as a drinking game, too.

6. Hide-and-Seek

Here’s another great game that you can enjoy just as much as an adult as you did as a kid: hide-and-seek. It can be particularly challenging at night.

A great variation is “Sardines” where, instead of one person looking for everyone else, everyone looks for one person – each joining them in their hiding place as they discover them. This option is probably best when everyone in your group already knows one another pretty well. There are plenty of other hide-and-seek variations you might want to try, too.

7. Would You Rather?

A great one for when you’re sitting around the campfire, ‘Would You Rather?’ aims to pose tough-to-answer questions.

These can be thoughtful, like “Would you rather have more time or more money”, goofy, like “Would you rather be 11 feet tall or nine inches tall?” or really tough to choose between like, “would you rather lose the ability to read or lose the ability to speak?”

Maybe one of your favorite camping games is already on this list … or maybe you’re looking forward to having a go at some new ones. Have a great time camping, and make sure you give everyone a chance to pick a game to try.

Article Sources

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  1. Shniderman, C. Impact of Therapeutic CampingSocial Work.1974;19 (3): 354-357.
  2. Artinger L, Clapham L, Hunt C, Meigs M, Milord N, Sampson B, Forrester SA. The Social Benefits of Intramural Sports. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. 2006; 43(1): 69-86. doi: 10.2202/1949-6605.1572