Are you looking for fun outdoor nerf gun games? If yes, then you’ve come to the right place.
Outdoor Nerf gun games are fun, safe, and they get kids off their phones. Plus, they’re great for bonding time. You don’t even have to go to the park to play these games.
All you need is some nerf guns, friends, and a safe place big enough to run around.
There are lots of fun games to play outdoors with these toys. Kids can practice their aim, build teamwork skills, and even get into some serious competition.
Nerf guns are perfect for outdoor use because they don’t require batteries or electricity. And since they’re made of foam, they’re pretty harmless, so kids can play outdoors without worrying about damaging anything or hurting each other.
You can use any type of toy gun with foam darts (or any brand of dart gun), or you can check out our suggestions for the best Nerf guns for playing outside.
You can also adapt any of these Nerf gun game ideas so they’re more enjoyable for you and the kids to play.
Table of Contents
1. Capture the Flag
This is the Nerf variation of the classic game and popular capture-the-flag outdoor . Each team has a different flag, a base, and an equal amount of nerf bullets. The first team to capture the opposing team’s flag, take it to their home base without getting hit by a bullet and have their team flag in their base wins
The Flag: Any object can be considered a flag, from bandanas and scarves to a towel. We suggest using a brightly colored item like a shirt or large napkin.
Players: This game requires teams of equal size. When picking the team size, consider the size of the play area. You need a team size that provides space to run around but not so much space that they are isolated from each other.
Gameplay: Divide the playing field into equal parts and line place each team on either end. Place the flag on a visible platform on the base. Teams must try to get into each other’s bases to capture their flag and take it to their base without getting hit. They’re also trying to defend their team’s flag and prevent the other team(s) from capturing it.
If you get hit with a dart while on the enemy’s part of the field, you are out for 1 minute, or you can do something like count to 30 for younger kids.
The game is over when one of the teams captures the opposition flag and safely hangs it in their base with their own flag or when the time limit runs out.
In addition to the rules listed here, there are many more variations of Capture the Flag. For example, some versions allow more than one team. Other versions implement hiding the flags, so the teams have to search for them.
Capture the flag games are probably better suited for older kids and even teenagers because they’re more competitive and require more skills to hit the other players. We think this kind of game best suits children eight and older.
It’s a great game to play when there are many kids, e.g., at birthday parties or school playtime.
2. Target Nerf Game
When it comes to outdoor targets for Nerf guns, you can make all sorts of great options for your kids.
If you have younger kids, you can make larger targets out of paper plates or poster boards. For older kids, you can make the targets like tin cans or ping pong balls placed on top of pop bottles to make it more challenging.
If you’re up for some DIY, you can make your own Nerf gun targets. There are countless ways to make targets for dart guns.
Check out this DIY nerf target to give you an idea of the targets you can make.
A fun way to play target games is to start close to the targets, maybe only a few feet away, then move back farther each round. You can keep score to see who has the most points, or for younger kids, just simply play for fun.
The person that can hit the target from the farthest distance wins the game.
3. Nerf Cowboy Gun Duel
For each duel, the duelists begin with their backs to each other and weapons at arm’s length. They then walk a predetermined number of steps before turning to face the opponent and firing.
Whoever gets hit first loses.
Both players should use the same type of dart gun to make it a fair game. It’s also a great indoor game.
4. Nerf Gun Freeze Tag
Nerf gun freeze tag is a fantastic, awesome game that everyone should try at least once! It’s easy to learn and fun for all ages.
You will need at least 4 players to really be able to play this game.
The rules are simple: each player has their own Nerf gun, and if you are hit by another person, you are frozen. This means no moving at all or shooting your gun. To be unfrozen, a person must hit you with a dart again. If you are playing teams, you would need your team member to hit you with the dart to unfrozen.
The goal is to freeze all players on the other team.
Some variations to this game are adding a time limit to being frozen instead of waiting to be tagged by a teammate.
5. Free for all
There are no rules in this game except those you create – we recommend banning HeadsDesignatingnating a hit spot(s) on the body. The objective is simple; don’t get hit. The last player standing wins the game.
There are so many fun outdoor games and activities for Nerf guns when it comes to getting kids acting and playing outside. Get creative with what you have and get your kids involved in making the games.
6. Nerf Gun Water Balloon Challenge
There are a few different ways that you can play this with Nerf guns, depending on how wet you want to get.
To make it suitable for older kids, you can do more of a water balloon toss where you toss the balloon in the sky and see who can break the water balloon open. It takes quite a bit of accuracy to hit the balloon when tossed in the air.
For younger kids, you can hold the water balloon off to the side, or if you don’t want to get wet, place it on a table or raised platform to see who can hit the balloon and break it open.
It’s a fun game to play outside while practicing motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
7. Defend Your Base
For this game, you will need two large baskets or containers that can’t easily be knocked over. You could use something like a laundry basket or large cardboard box but just make sure that they are stable enough to stand properly and not be knocked over all the time.
Divide the kids into two teams. Each team has a base, which is the basket they must defend while also trying to land their darts into the other team’s base.
You can set a certain amount of time for the game, such as 5 minutes to get the most ammunition in the other team’s base, or you can play until everyone runs out of ammunition. The game can be played with regular Nerf darts or even with Nerf guns that launch larger missiles or balls.
Kids can block the darts that are shot at their base, but there is no touching the other teams or any type of shoving or tackling to prevent them from getting the ammunition in the container.
8. Team Triage
This is an awesome Nerf gun game to play when the playing area or team size is unbalanced, except a lot of fast movements and risk-taking when playing this team game.
9. Humans VS. Zombies
For this game, players are divided into two groups. Team Zombies and Team Humans.
Humans get guns, and Zombies don’t.
Zombies try to tag Team Human members to get them out before they are hit by the darts.
The winner is the team with the last player standing.
10. Escort Mission
One to two players are guards who carry “The Talisman” from point A to point B and must protect it from being captured. The Talisman can be anything from a doll, briefcase, water bottle, etc., as long as it is visible to the attackers. The protectors must safely transport the Talisman to its destination while under fire from the assailants, who try to capture it by eliminating all the defenders. If the attackers hit the talisman, they’re out.
This is a great team game when there is a large gap in Nerf gun skill level or an uneven number of players.
There are so many fun outdoor games and activities for Nerf guns to get kids to play outside. Get creative with what you have and get your kids involved in making the games.
These game ideas are excellent options if you’re looking for fun outdoor nerf gun games. They’re fun, safe, and a great way to spend a few hours outside with your family and friends. And since they’re also pretty inexpensive, you can have hours of fun without breaking the bank. Just remember always to use common sense when playing outdoors, especially for children. For more outdoor games for kids, check out this fun outdoor ball games list.
