Campfires are a great way to spend time with friends and family.
But what do you do when it’s dark out? There are so many fun games that can be played around the campfire, but sometimes people don’t know where to start.
We have put together a list of some of our favorite games for adults that will keep everyone entertained all night long! From playing jokes on each other to telling scary stories, there is something here for every type of camper. Check them out below!
21 Fun campfire games for adults
1. Ghost in the Graveyard
This game is so much fun! One person is “it”. The person who is “it” goes around the circle and asks the other players questions about their lives. If they answer correctly, they can go free. If they answer incorrectly, they must return to their spot in the circle. As the game progresses, more players are taken out of the game. The last person standing gets to be “it” next time!
2. Tickle Monster
One game my friends and I like to play around the campfire is called “Tickle Monster”. This game has different variations depending on who you’re with-but it typically involves trying to act like a monster tickling someone. One person is assigned to be the tickle monster, and the whole group counts down from 10. When they reach zero, they grab onto one of their friends, pretend to touch them, and say “I tickled you!” That person then repeats the counting process for another round of tickles. It’s a great way to get everyone laughing!
3. 50/50 Split
One game you can play around the campfire is called 50/50. To play, someone needs to tie two pieces of string together in the center. The person then ties one end around their waist and the other end around someone else’s waist. Both people lie down on the ground. The person with both strings tied to them then opens their legs apart while pulling on both ends of string until they are tightened against that person’s waist in order to tie them up in a knot.
The person on the other side has to open their legs wide enough for the knot not to tighten. If that person closes their legs too much or too quickly, they can’t untie themselves and would have to scream “stop” in order for the game to end.
This game is fun because it’s simple and easy to play. Even children as young as five years old can be apart of it. It does require some trust between players however, as one person is completely helpless and relies on the other player to untie them.
In order to make the game a little more exciting, people could try not taking their strings off until night time or until they reach a certain destination.
4. I went to the market
I went to the market is a great campfire game for those looking to have a good time with friends. It is very easy to play and doesn’t need any materials or supplies as you will be using your own words as well as what’s available in nature! When playing this game, one person needs to leave the circle and then say “I went to the market, and I bought some apples”. The next person continues “I went to the market and I bought some apples and (an object starting with the letter b)”.
The game continues with each player repeating what the last player said and adding something with the next letter in the alphabet until someone forgets something!
5. Telephone
Telephone is a classic game. Everyone sits in a circle, and one person starts by whispering something in the next person’s ear.
That person whispers what they heard to the next person, and this continues until the message has reached the last person.
The last person then says what they heard aloud.
It’s really funny to see how much the message changed!
6. Two truths and a lie
Two truths and a lie is a classic game that everyone can enjoy. You tell two truths about yourself and one lie. After the game, people guess which is the lie.
For example
I love fishing.
I live in Kalispell, Montana.
My favorite food is pizza.
The lie is that I don’t like fishing!
Everyone takes turns doing this. It’s a great icebreaker and an awesome way to learn something new about your group!
7. Fishbowl
An easy, fun game you can play at camp is fishbowl! It’s super simple-just group up with your friends, have one person start tossing balls in, and see who can catch them. The more solid contact the ball makes, the more points that person gets! The person with the most points after everyone finishes their turn wins!
Don’t break a sweat if you don’t have a ball though-you can play the fishbowl game with almost anything! Try it with Beanbags, dodgeballs, tennis balls…any soft object that flies will work!
8. Truth or dare
Truth or dare is a classic game where you ask someone questions or dares to answer. If they refuse, they are eliminated from the game. The person asking the question also has to ask a different person a question each time, and can’t keep asking the same person questions.
When playing truth or dare, it’s good to remember that some people might not want want to answer some of your questions or do something if asked, so keep it fun for everyone!
9. Name that tune
Name the tune is a really fun and innocent campfire game. The specific rules are up to you and your friends, but it can be a lot of fun!
The person whose turn it is will hum a song. If the person guessing is able to correctly name the song after hearing what was being hummed they get points, otherwise the person humming gets points.
10. Charades
You’ll want to divide up your group or teams into two even groups. The first person from each team will come up and act out a word or phrase and then switch with their teammate. The timer will start as soon as the words are spoken and stop once they return to their seat.
The person who guesses gets one point for each correct answer, but if you find that there’s a lot of turns going around without anyone guessing, you may want to make it worth more points per round. Alternately, if it’s too easy, go for 10 points per round.
You can guess anything: objects, movies, books, songs, the possibilities are endless!
11. Never have I ever
If you want to play the never have I ever game, each person must think of something they’ve never done and then share it with their friends around the campfire. Once every player has shared something, they can ask each other questions like “Never have I ever been to France?”, “Never have I eaten a pomegranate?” or “Never have I gone swimming in a lake?” The person who shares a thing that the other person has done is out.
12. Six degrees of Kevin Bacon
A popular campfire game is Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. To play, everyone needs to think of a movie star and the person who played their love interest in that film. They then try to find a connection between themselves and that actor by going through all the actors in the film until they find someone who is connected to both people. It can be tricky but it’s a lot of fun!
13. Bullshit
Bullshit is a version of the popular card game known to many as “Three-Card Monte.” All you need are cards and players to play the game with. Place three cards on a table, face down. The dealer then flips up one card, which will have either red or black on its back. Players must then bet if that particular card has red or black showing. If they guess right, they win that round – but if wrong, they lose it! It’s pretty simple but always lots of fun!
14. Make me laugh
In the make me laugh campfire game, one person thinks of a funny object and gives clues until someone guesses it. The clues can get really silly, so be sure to keep them clean!
It’s a fun, quick game that everyone will enjoy!
15. Hide something
To start this game, choose one person to be the hider. That person will then hide an object somewhere in the camping area (but within your line of sight). The next player must correctly describe where it is hidden in order for them to take a turn hiding. Once all players have had their chance to find it, whoever was last to go can now keep hiding until someone else correctly describes where they are hiding the object. If they guess incorrectly three times, they are out and it’s the next player’s turn. You can also play that you get two guesses total before being eliminated-that way no single person ever takes more than one turn as hider!
Variation- There are many variations to the game of hide something, with fun twists that bring on different challenges. For example, when playing hide something with three or more people, one variation asks each player to take turns hiding objects until there are at least two left. Then players can attempt to find the leftovers in any order they wish. Another way to play Hide Something is called “finders keepers”. This means whoever finds it first gets to keep the item being hidden!
16. Word association
The rules are really simple. You’ll need at least two people to play. The first person thinks of a word and then says it out loud. Then, the second person needs to say the word that they think of when they hear the first word.
We can use some examples for this game, too! You might say “ant” and I might say “antelope”.
From there, it’s totally up to you what you do with the game!
At this point, the only rule is to not repeat words.
For a different twist on this game, you can play with numbers or colors instead of words!
17. Pass the song
This one also requires at least two people. The person who starts singing chooses a song and sings at least one verse for everyone to hear.
Once they are finished, whoever’s turn it is gets to choose another song and keep going around until everyone has had their turn.
You might want to switch up the order so that everyone has a chance to be the person starting off the next song!
After all songs have been sung, see if anyone remembers any of them using just small pieces of lyrics each time sing one. If someone does, they get a point!
18. Twenty Questions
To play twenty questions, one person thinks of a person and everyone else has to guess who that is by asking up to twenty questions.
The questions can only be yes or no type, so these are some of the things you can ask:
“Is this person a woman?”
“Do I personally know this person?”
“Does this person have a tattoo?”
Make this game more fun by choosing outlandish people and trying to get your friends to guess!
19. The Winking Assassin
What you need: A killer, a victim and someone acting winking assassin.
The Killer is trying to wink at the victim without the winking assassin catching them. The winking assassin is trying to catch the victim being winked at by the killer. The winner will be the person who manages to wink at someone without getting caught – or if it’s too hard, then whoever can outwit the other two. The killer can’t wink at the winking assassin, only at the victim. The Winner is whoever manages to successfully ‘assassinate’ their target first.
20. Would you rather
“Would you rather” is a game that requires creativity and imagination to come up with two arbitrary comparisons that one person (or team) chooses over the other.
It can be played in any number of ways, like 4p-3p, 2p-1p, 2p-2p, 3p-2p, etc. One person will make two choices for two people. The other person (or team) will pick which of the two they would rather do. For example:
I would rather eat ice cream or cake?
A. Ice Cream
B. Cake
C. Neither
I would rather break a bone or get a cold?
A. Break a Bone
B. Get a Cold
C. Neither
21. Name place animal thing
This is a really fun game that can be played with a group of friends around a campfire. To play, first have someone go through the alphabet in their head.
Say stop at a random time, and whichever letter they reached is the letter you will play with.
All players must write one name, one place, one animal, and one thing starting with the letter.
Then everyone reads what they wrote aloud. If someone says something someone else has written, those words are cancelled out.
The person with the most words remaining at the end of a few rounds is the winner!
Conclusion
Some of the best memories are made around a campfire. The games you play with your friends can be just as memorable, and there is no shortage of fun activities to choose from!
We hope this list has provided some inspiration for how to spend time in nature with your loved ones-whether it’s during daylight or after dark. So grab the marshmallows, get ready for an adventure, and enjoy these great outdoor games!
