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25 Best Beach Games for the Whole Family

All you may need for fun in the sun and sand this summer.

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This season is going by fast, but there's still time to make the most of your summer with fun-filled beach days. Leaving behind work and school to soak up the sun is a great way to relax. Gather up the beach chairs, pack up the beach towels and enjoy the great outdoors — just don't forget the sunscreen! When you're not jumping through waves, building a sandcastle or scoping out the best seashells on the shore, you may be on the lookout for some more exciting activities to keep the whole crew entertained and engaged — especially if you have little ones in tow.

Whether you're on vacation with the kids or spending the day with a friend or two, finding the perfect beach game for everyone at each person's skill level and dexterity can make for hours of active play and entertainment. For little kids, toss-and-catch games, kites and skip ball can hold their attention all day long and leave you all laughing. As your family gets older, more involved games for adults and teens like TidalBall, Cornhole and Kan Jam will appeal to their more competitive nature. If you're rolling with an all-adult crew, BucketBall and Volleyball will be crowd favorites.

GoSports Portable Cornhole

Portable Cornhole

Grab a set of portable Cornhole boards and beanbags to turn any beach into party central. At only 10 pounds, they're lightweight and compact, and you can simply deconstruct and store them in its convenient travel case. We love how much fun Cornhole is for players with even the worst hand-eye coordination, so don't worry about winning and just focus on having fun. The best part? You can put the whole thing together in less than a minute!

TidalBall

TidalBall

Tidalball's only rule is "to have fun"; everything else is just extra. The set comes with six balls — three for each team — and you can have as many or as few people on each team as you want. To play, dig two holes about 10 paces away from each other and try your best to roll your ball into the hole. Or, make up your own rules along the way!

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There's a reason Spikeball has more than 13,000 five-star ratings on Amazon and is one of the first games you think of when you think of beach games. It's like beach volleyball, only you bounce the ball on a mini trampoline rather than over a net — and you don't have to worry about staying on your side of the court! It's easy to set up anywhere and can be transported in a light drawstring bag.

GoSports Bocce Ball Set

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Bocce Ball Set

Bocce ball is a family favorite, and this set comes with a convenient carrying case. The goal of the game is to roll your balls as close to the pallino (small white ball) as possible. We love how fun this set is and the endless hours of play it encourages. It even includes a measuring device so you don't have to fight over the exact distance between your ball and the pallino. Anything to limit arguments between siblings, right?

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Activ Life Ring Flyers

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Ring Flyers

Flying discs are so last season — pick up a set of Activ Life's Ring Flyers which are lightweight and easy to play with for kids and adults of all ages. These are great for youngsters and those with lower skill levels as they're easy to catch and throw, and almost always fly straight. Kids as young as 3 can join in on the fun and safely participate in this game!

A personal favorite of the Good Housekeeping editors, Kan Jam is a great team game that's easy to set up, perfect for people of all athletic abilities and sure to inspire many laughs. Although it has a few more rules than some of the other games, it's easy to get a hang of and you'll be sure to be scoring points after a few short rounds. Teams of two stand opposite their partners across the beach while one player at a time throws a flying disc and their teammate does their best to smack the disc into the top of the can. Bonus points if you get it into the slot on the front!

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Mattel Games UNO Splash

UNO Splash

Play a round of UNO Spash, which features all the same rules as traditional UNO in a waterproof package. Now you don't have to worry about ruining your cards with sand or water damage. Plus, it comes on a convenient clip great for keeping track of all of the cards and hooking to your beach bag, belt loop or purse. Pick four, anyone?

Bucket Ball Beach Edition

Beach Edition

If you've ever played beer pong, you'll ace BucketBall. It's like a giant version of the beloved drinking game, only without the alcohol and featuring three different types of balls so you can play on all surfaces. When you're done for the day, the whole set packs up into a carry case that weighs less than ten pounds.

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Jazzminton is the beach badminton, tennis and ping pong game you didn't know you needed. Ideal for kids and adults alike, this game lets you adjust your playing speed by choosing to use the paddle ball, slow birdy or fast birdy. No need to carry around a net with you (but you can if you want to) — for this game, the whole beach is your court!

Everich Toy Toss and Catch

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Toss and Catch

For the youngsters in your life, Toss and Catch will keep them entertained for hours — and help get rid of some of that pent-up energy. It's soft and easy to carry and use. Simply throw the ball at their partner's velcro-covered paddle and watch it stick like magic. You can play as close or as far apart as you want, and the paddles mean more surface area for catching than traditional games of catch.

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If you haven't heard of ladder toss before, you're missing out! Each player tosses a set of two rubber balls attached by a string (called a bolo) across 15 feet to land around one of the three rungs on the ladder. The first player (or team) to reach exactly 21 points wins. The tricky parts are not going over 21 points and expertly aiming for each rung since they each have different point values: The top is worth 3 points, the middle is worth 2 and the bottom is worth 1.

Poleish Sports Bottle Bash Game Set

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Bottle Bash Game Set

Take your basic game of Frisbee to the next level with this exciting rendition. Bottle Bash requires teams of two players to take turns to try and knock a bottle off their opponent's pole using a flying disk. You can set this game up in the sand, on the grass or even in shallow water for fun at the beach — meaning it's easy to use wherever your barbecue is taking place. It also comes with a handy over-the-shoulder bag for easy transport and storage.

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Melissa & Doug Seaside Sidekicks Sand Baking Play Set

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Seaside Sidekicks Sand Baking Play Set

For future bakers, this play set offers endless opportunities for imagination in the sand. Kids can sift, measure, stir and play as they bake their beach cake right by the surf. This set encourages exploration and cooking play without the worry about any mess in your kitchen! Plus, kids have the flexibility of creating their own rules and using their creativity to invent new games as they go.

Wave Runner Ball

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Ball

If playing QB is your thing, Wave Runner's waterproof football is the perfect beach accessory to have fun in the sun — and sand. Not only does it feature a special grip pattern that makes it especially good for throwing and catching, but it's double-laced so you can throw that spiral you've been working on acing your whole life. Don't worry about losing it if your catching skills aren't up to par — it floats!

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Hoyle Waterproof Playing Cards

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Waterproof Playing Cards

If you prefer something a little less active, these water-resistant playing cards are the perfect companion to any beach day. From kid-friendly Go Fish and Crazy Eights to more grown-up games like Poker and Blackjack, the possibilities are practically endless. Best of all, this deck of cards is compact enough to fit in most purses and won't weigh down your beach bag.

WIn SPORTS Horseshoes

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Horseshoes

Let's take it back to the carnival with a classic game of horseshoes. This set has rubber horseshoes so you don't have to worry about them landing painfully on someone's foot if you miss your throw. The rules are simple, the set is easy to pack up and store and its durable material means you'll be able to play for years to come.

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CROSSNET x USA Volleyball Net

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x USA Volleyball Net

Beach volleyball, meet four square. In this unique combination of two popular outdoor games, players try to hit the volleyball over the net into an opponent's square. The first to reach 11 points is the winner, and up to four people can play at a time. While this set is definitely a bit bigger to transport than others on this list, it's still relatively easy to set up, carry and store, so you can take it on the road with you as long as you have a little extra space in your trunk.

Zdgao Portable Volleyball Net System

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Portable Volleyball Net System

You can't beat a classic beach game, which is why we love this portable volleyball set. In just a few simple steps, you can transform your backyard or beach area into a legit volleyball court. It comes complete with an easy-to-assemble net, volleyball and convenient travel bag that makes it easy to carry everything wherever you go.

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HENGDA KITE Octopus Kites

Octopus Kites

There's nothing quite like flying a kite on the salty surf air, and these colorful octopus ones will be the envy of the beach. The package comes with three kites so you don't need to worry about kids fighting over who gets a turn. Each kite is around 13 feet long but can be rolled down to a fraction of that size — perfect for packing in a suitcase or storing in your beach bag while en route.

SwimWays Hydro Lacrosse

Hydro Lacrosse

You don't need a field to play lacrosse thanks to this water-resistant set from Amazon. Recommended for ages five and up, the set of two lacrosse sticks has soft foam handles that are easier for small hands to grip. Reviewers love how the included ball floats in the water, making it a great option for the pool or beach.

Headshot of Jamie Spain

Jamie (she/her) is the former parenting and pets reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute. She has also worked a BuzzFeed and People. She's a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and psychology and a master’s degree in journalism.

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Lauren Gruber
Associate Editor

Lauren Gruber is an associate commerce editor at Hearst Magazines, where she writes for publications like Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Prevention, Country Living, House Beautiful, and more. She has over four years of professional experience covering a variety of lifestyle topics from home to fashion, with an advanced background in beauty and fragrance. When she’s not researching the most worthy Prime Day deals or hands-on testing all the latest perfume launches, Lauren is probably hanging out with her cat Serafina or flexing her AMC A-List membership at the movie theater. 

You can find her previous work at Entertainment Tonight, Shop TODAY, USA Today, Self Magazine, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, and Modern Luxury Media

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