Updated on: Feb 16, 2024
If you're planning a party for a teenager and you have access to a large outdoor space, this is the blog for you. It can be hard to find outdoor teen party games with the popularity of video games. You need a teen party checklist. This is our suggestion: get those teens outside. You won’t regret providing an entertaining way for teens to channel their energy. This list consists of fun outdoor activities for you to use at your next teen party.
Outdoor Teen Party Games - Water Based
1. 500 Toss
For this game, you will need a rubber ball or a whole lot of water balloons. If you choose water balloons, you may want to let your guest know to bring a change of clothes.
To play this game, one person (usually the host/hostess) tosses the ball high in the air for the other players to try and catch. As the thrower does this, he or she calls out the number of points the catch is worth. Only the person who makes the catch earns the points, so expect a bit of rowdy competition.
Once a player “catches” 500 points, he or she is the new thrower. If you are going to use water balloons as your “ball,” make sure to provide a lot of extras in case of popping. You can also make this more intense by allowing points only to those who catch the balloons without popping them.
2. Water Gun Warfare
If you wish to have a water fight at your party, purchasing supplies for everyone in attendance could be quite expensive. To save a bit of time and money, ask the guests who RSVP to bring supplies for a water fight. However, you can also pay a small amount for good quality but cheap items online. These can be things like sprinklers, water balloons, super soaker guns, etc. Also, make sure to remind guests to bring a bathing suit, a change of clothes, and a towel.
If you would like, having a few extra supplies for those who forgot theirs or don’t own any would be a generous touch. This water fight can be a free-for-all or an organized team effort. You could declare the “least-soaked” team the winner or create another way of judging the competition.
3. Slip N’ Slide Madness
Although traditional slip n’ slides are a bit small for teenagers, that doesn’t mean they are completely off the table. Instead, get a giant tarp and set it in a large outdoor space, like a backyard or a park. The larger the tarp, the longer the slide, but be warned, the longer the tarp, the more supplies you will need to keep it slippery.
If you have access to a hill, the incline makes the sliding experience a lot more fun. Make sure you have access to at least one water hose to keep the tarp slick. To create a slippery effect, spray the tarp with water and add some baby shampoo or bubbles. Then you are ready to let your teens slide away!
4. Water Balloon Dodge Ball
You will need a good supply of water balloons for this game. Split the participants into two teams that will be on opposite sides of a line. Supply each team with a good amount of water balloons. If a water balloon hits you, you are out. The last man standing is the winner.
Outdoor Teen Party Games - The Classics
5. Tug of War
Everyone knows the classic game. Divide into two teams and find something that can work the same as a rope. Put each team at each end of the rope and start tugging! First team to let go and loose grip is the looser of the game.
6. Twister
This is a classic game that will always end in laughs. You can buy the game or make the Twister board yourself. Depending on how big you want the board, you can use an old bedsheet and markers or cut out construction paper circles. The bigger the board, the more people can play!
7. Capture the Flag
A great old-fashioned game that never fails. The rules are simple: divide your guests into two teams and divide the playing field in half. Then give each team a “territory” and a team flag to hide in that territory.
The objective of the game is for each team to steal the other team’s flag. However, once a player crosses into the other team’s territory, they can be caught and sent to the opposing team’s jail. After a player ends up in jail, they can only be freed by being tagged by another member of their team. The game is best played in a sparsely lit area with many obstacles and places to hide behind. We highly recommend a great deal of (neutral) adult supervision to ensure a fair game and the safety of all guests.
8. Don’t Break the Egg!
A classic relay race is great for all ages, but this one is especially great for competitive teens. Set up a relay course and divide the guests into teams to play. Give each person a spoon. The first person on each team also gets an egg. The goal is to carry an egg on a spoon through the relay course.
Once you have successfully made it through the course, you pass it to the teammate next in line. It is then their turn to try and make it through the course. If someone drops an egg, the team has to start back at the beginning and try again. To make this even more challenging, you can make your guests carry the spoon in their mouths; no hands!
Outdoor Teen Party Games - New and Unique
9. Balloon Stomp
The goal is simple- pop the opposing team's balloons without losing yours. Split the players into 2 teams with an equal amount of players in each group. Using different colored strings for each team, have the players tie a balloon to their legs with a long string, so the balloon isn’t too near you. When the moderator says “go,” the participants must quickly move around to try and pop the other team’s balloons. The winner is the first team to successfully pop the opposing team’s balloons.
10. Sleeping Beauty
Have one player lie down and pretend to be sleeping. Everyone else will have a turn trying to make the sleeping one laugh or smile, who ever does it wins the game!
11. Photo Scavenger Hunt
Most teens now have cell phone so lets use that as an advantage. Create a list of items for the guests to find and take pictures of. Place a time limit on this and whoever gets the most photos wins.
12. Reality TV, but in Reality
Bring your guests’ favorite reality television shows to life by having teenage guests compete in theme contests or challenges. Set up obstacles that teams must overcome in The Amazing Race or Survivor style, or create a scavenger hunt that includes creative and difficult clues.
Teens will love getting to use their brains and brawn to overcome these challenges and win the ultimate victory.
13. Glow Stick Commandos
An organized twist on Flashlight Tag, a game of Glow Stick Commandos requires multiple “its,” and a large group of people monitors the game. For this game, divide your players into teams.
Glow sticks serve as points and/or currency for prizes, and each color of glow stick has a different point value. Glow sticks must be laid out in different parts of a large outdoor area before the game begins.
At the start of the game, players must leave “home base” to collect glow sticks, aka points, for their team. However, leaving the “home base” is dangerous because they could get caught in the flashlight beam of one of the “it” people!
The flashlight holder has three tries to guess the identity of the glow stick holder. If they guess correctly, the holder must give up their glow sticks and return to “home base” before setting out again.
The possibility of getting caught encourages players to use disguises: hence the name “commandos.” The people monitoring the game are in charge of giving out points and prizes. Though a bit complex, this is an incredibly fun and memorable game.
14. Manhunt
If your party is in the evening, take advantage of the darkness by starting a game of Manhunt. In a safe and large outdoor area, designate one party guest as “it” and give them flashlights. The participant who is “it” must count to 50 or 100 before setting out to find the other party guests.
“It” catches a person by shining their flashlight on the other players. Once a person is caught, they become “it” as well. To officially “catch” someone, the person who is “it” must identify the person they’ve caught by saying their name. If “it” gets the name wrong, the person gets ten seconds to run free.
15. Hunger Games Balloon War
In this game, all participants are tributes, and each tribute gets a balloon. The balloon you are given represents your life, so protect it as your life depends on it. If your balloon pops, you “die” (you are out of the game). If your balloon is dropped, pick it up quickly before someone pops it. You are out if you lose possession of your balloon for more than 60 seconds. The last person who still has their balloon wins.
Some additional rules include that you are not allowed to hide your balloon, but you are allowed to hide with it. You must always have your balloon on you.
16. Limbo
Limbo is a great way to get the whole party involved! It brings fun, joy, and laughter to any party. You can even show off some cool skills and impress everyone!
Outdoor Teen Party Games: Conclusion
These outdoor teen party games are sure to get your party guests’ blood pumping. Allowing teens to be active and enjoy time in the teen scene is always a win. With these creative party game ideas, your guests will certainly never forget what a great time they had at your party.
Written by Rachel Word and Jillian Smith; Contributors: Jack Leduc, Anna Wertman and Sadie Penwright