21 Fun Campfire Games to Try this Year with Your Adult Friends

Ah, summer and fall evenings by the campfire – there’s just nothing like it. Gathering around a campfire to play campfire games with friends and family is just one of the simple pleasures to look forward to as an escape to our everyday lives. Those precious times around the campfire where we do not have to think about everyday stress (paying the bills, cleaning the house, and running with kids) are times to treasure with people we care about. It’s an easy way to relax, reflect, and reconnect with the people and world around you.

Aside from an escape from everyday life, times around the campfire are times to be enjoyed. Drinks, food, and fun are always high on the list of things to do as we sit around the campfire. Other than eating or drinking, try some of these fun games for adults we listed below at your next campfire gathering!

When it comes to some of the best campfire games when you are in a group of adults, remember the general rules of having a good time: everybody should be willing to play, the questions you ask during a Get to Know You Game, a Never Have I Ever Game or 20 Questions should be in good taste, and everyone has to have fun. Keep in mind that there are some campfire drinking games for adults to try during a laidback vacation, together with campfire games for kids that adults should try when there is no alcohol present.

In fact, why don’t you check out our ultimate guide of fun things to do with the kids during the 2020 lockdown, maybe you get some inspiration for the next holiday trip with the children!

Fun Adult Activities: Best Campfire Games to Try this Year

Five Daily Facts

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While this sounds simple at first, it can get harder based on how tired or inebriated the players are. All players start by listing five facts of their day (Examples: “Today, I swam,” “I got a new car today,” or “My phone rang today.”), they can be silly or normal – it doesn’t matter.  After everyone has said their five facts, Player 1 would state a different fact than one of the five they had already listed. The goal is to see how many facts about each player can be remembered as you go down the line. This is a very useful game to play for memory but you should expect lots of laughs in case there were a couple of beers per person included in the equation.

Mafia/Werewolf

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Mafia is one of the most fun games for adults that anyone can play around the campfire – even if it is the first time for some members of the group. This game can handle anywhere from 6-16 players, so it’s good for small and large groups. The only equipment needed is a deck of cards. One person must serve as the neutral moderator, but everyone else is split into two teams: The Honest or The Mafia. Check out the complete mafia game rules. Mafia/Werewolf is one of the best icebreaker games for teambuilding and mixed groups where not all members of a group know each other. While it does not reveal personal information about people – like a game of Never Have I Ever or a Get to Know You types of games –  it makes a fun and challenging way of people bonding over the same “cause.”

Truth or Dare

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Next on our list of best campfire games to try this year is Truth or Dare. This is a classic game that can be played by all ages. One player asks another “Truth or Dare?” The asked player chooses whether they want to answer a truth question or complete a dare. If the asked player does not complete their truth or dare, they have to pay some sort of penalty. Perhaps taking another drink, putting a dollar in a jar, and so on. There are many variations of this game to make it as clean or risqué as players would like. For inspiration and amusement, check out our full guide of 300+ Truth or Dare game questions to ask your friends (old and new) around the campfire during this year’s summer holiday.

Twenty Questions

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Another standard game that most people have played at one point or another is 20 Questions. It is one of the best campfire games to play with adults but also teenagers because of its versatility and high level of entertainment. In fact, you will find the 20 Questions game listed on almost all respectable lists of challenges to do with teenagers or indoor team building icebreakers and exercises. Traditionally, one player (considered the “answerer”) selects an object (or a famous person) and does not share who/what that is with the other players. All other players are the “guessers/question-askers.” The guessers must take turns asking yes or no questions of the answerer. If one of the guessers figures out what the answerer is talking about, they will become the answerer next round. If 20 questions pass and no players have figured out what the object is, the answerer gets to choose another object in the next round since they have stumped the other players. The biggest rule: no lying allowed.

Crazy Balloon Popping

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This game requires a little prep, but it’s a fun take on musical chairs. Write down a bunch of crazy actions on small strips of paper (like “thump on your chest like a gorilla” or “yodel”) and put each strip of paper in a different balloon then inflate them all. Turn on some music and pass the balloons from person to person. Once the music stops, all players sit on their balloons and once the balloon pops, the player must do the crazy action from their popped balloon. Keep playing until all the balloons have been popped. You can adapt this activity into one of those campfire games for kids to try in summer camp if you are a teacher or in your back yard if you are a parent. Either way, balloon popping will always be fun at any age, so get your hands on a stock of fun balloons and turn it into an outdoor challenge for kids and teenagers!


Make Me Laugh

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The classic staredown game that you surely played (even if you did not know how it was called) is next on our list of easy campfire games! This one can be trickier to play as it gets darker and darker outside. Players face-off and the first player to laugh is the loser. See how long it takes the most serious people to crack! You can make them laugh by telling them jokes, making faces, asking them the craziest questions, and so on. It doesn’t matter much what method you use as long as you keep the “opponent” laughing.

Name That Tune

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This campfire game has variations, but having each person “sing” their song could be much more fun. One person sings or plays their song and then the rest of the group guesses based on what they’ve heard. You heard about some variation of this group activity when we described the best texting games for people to enjoy from a safe social distance. However, if you go on a trip and campfire is a thing, you have to play this game in person so to speak. Keep in mind that is is also one of those hilarious campfire drinking games that remains memorable for all its members.

I Can Tap This Stick Just Right

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This game doesn’t require a stick! You can use a pencil, a fork, a bat, or any other item that you have around at the campfire. There’s one person who is in the know and they always start with CLEARING THEIR THROAT and saying “I can tap this stick just right,” then the object is passed to the next person to tap just right. It doesn’t really matter how the stick is tapped, the trick is in the clearing of the throat first. Players are watching how the object is tapped, it’s location, how it’s held, and may not necessarily catch the clearing of the throat first. The playing continues until everyone catches on about the throat-clearing as part of the process.

The Winking Assassin / Murder

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This fun campfire game for adults is particularly entertaining, especially for people who use their whole faces to wink! One neutral moderator secretly selects an assassin. After they are selected, everyone mingles around while making sure to look in the eyes of the other players. The assassin’s goal is to wink at the other players to kill them off without being detected. As players are winked at, they must re-enact a horrifying death where they are and they are out for the rest of the round. If a living person thinks they know who the assassin is, they can point and accuse! If they accuse wrong, they are dead for the round. The play continues until only the killer or one player remains. This is another game with many variations that’s great for adults or kids and teens. However, for this game to be as entertaining as it sounds, you need a large group, preferably over 8 people. It doesn’t work that well when four people are looking at each other intensely, waiting for someone to blink.

Hide and Go Scare

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Next on our list of best campfire games to play with your friends this summer vacation is “Hide and Go Scare!” This is exactly what it sounds like! Think of ‘Hide & Go Seek,’ but at night. Use the areas around your campfire to hide out and scare other unsuspecting players. Make sure you do not turn this one into a campfire drinking game, as people can get lost and accidents are not impossible in inebriated states. It is better to be safe.


Charades

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Most people have played this fun game for adults at one point or another, but in the dark around a campfire can bring in some unique interpretations. Charades is by far one of the most popular party games, family games, and group games of all time. You can even theme it, drawing your inspiration from the cinema world, pop culture, famous historical figures, and so on. You can play charades on any occasion, from the lockdown to team buildings, as a backyard summertime activity with the family, or as a newlywed game.

Two Truths and a Lie

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Usually an icebreaker game for team members who need to know each other better, this campfire game is quite versatile. It is also fun to play when you want to know more about the other friends playing the game! Each person says three statements – two truths and one lie. Everyone else has to guess the false statement. This is a great drinking campfire game – just don’t overdo it! The person who doesn’t guess which statement is the lie should drink a shot.

ABC Name Game

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A player begins the game by saying the full name of a celebrity and the next player has thirty seconds to name another celebrity using the first letter of the mentioned celebrity’s last name. Example: The first player says “Tom Selleck” and then the second player says “Scarlett Johansson.” The third player could say “Jennifer Lawrence.” The play continues as such for three rounds. Here is a fun spin on the rules: if a person says a celebrity whose first and last name start with the same letter (like January Jones), switch direction of the play. The winner is the player with the most names after three rounds!

There Once Was a Skunk

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This is a story game that can get pretty silly! The first person begins the story with “There once was a skunk who…” and finishes that sentence however they choose. Then, they randomly choose and point to the next person who starts their sentence with “Fortunately…” When that person finishes their sentence, they randomly choose and point to the next person who must start their sentence with “Unfortunately…” and once they complete their sentence, they pick a person who starts their sentence with “Fortunately…” and alternating for as long as the players can continue the story.

Telephone

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Playing this familiar game always warrants a few good laughs! One person whispers a phrase to the person on their right. That person whispers the phrase to the person on their right, and that sequence goes on down the line or around the circle. The last person to hear the phrase says it aloud – no matter how crazy it sounds! It’s funny to hear how much the phrase changes from person to person. This is a game we all played in childhood and it is always one of those nostalgia games to come back to when you run out of ideas, especially if you have to spend time inside the house. However, as adult campfire games go, it also works great if you run out of ideas on campfire drinking games too. The results are usually hilarious.

Who Am I?

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This is one of my favorite campfire games for adults. Celebrities, historical figures, or superheroes make a great theme for this game! After you’ve chosen a theme, have each player write down the name of a person who belongs to that category. There are many variations on how this game is played. Check out the detailed Who Am I instructions.

Stand Up & Shout!

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This game could get really hard to play as the night comes on, but that might add to the fun! Count up the number of people in your group and remember that! Everyone can sit around the campfire and any player can start. Each player can shout only one number, but they must stand up when they shout it out. Though numbers must be shouted in order, there is no assigned order around the campfire – anyone can shout out a number at any time. The big problem, you can’t call out a number that someone else is also trying to call out. If you do, you’re out of the game. Playing gets more frantic as you go since players don’t want to get caught calling out the last number. As more and more people try to call out numbers, there will be lots of opportunities to be eliminated. You may not even get to the last number!


Glow in the Dark Frisbee

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As long as the frisbee doesn’t land in the fire, this is fun! There are many glow in the dark frisbee’s on the market. You can try playing it as a fun campfire game for kids as well.

Marshmallow Mystery

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This is less of a game, but rather a fun activity to just see just how many times you can roast a crust around a marshmallow until there is nothing left.

Would You Rather…

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Next on our list of fun campfire games for adults is a classic game that gets everyone talking. Take turns asking “Would you rather…?” style questions. Example: Would you rather walk on broken glass or eat a piece of metal? The questions can be ridiculous or serious.

Go Off, Throw Your Shoe

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This game is extremely silly, but fun to try. The goal is to sit and balance a shoe on your toes, then kick it backward over your head (and NOT into the fire). The person whose shoe has gone the farthest wins!

Bonus: Campfire Games For Kids

Chubby Bunny

Get your cameras ready, cause your kids are going to love this! The game is simple: stuff as many marshmallows in your mouth as you can without chewing, swallowing or spitting any of them and try to say “Chubby Bunny” as clearly as you can. Watch the kids’ small cheeks expand to new hilarious dimensions with this fun game!

Numbers

If you have ever wondered how you can make basic maths fun for kids, this game might just do the trick. The basic premise is that there are two or more teams of children, and one kid start out the count by saying “one”. After that, campfire ring yells numbers out going upwards to count as high as they can. However, only one person at a time from each team is allowed to say the next number. If two or more kids from one team try to say the following number, their team loses the game. The ultimate goal is to count as high as possible without failing the task.

Truth or Dare

This classic game is so versatile that just about anyone can play it. Kids are known to love truth or dare, so giving them this idea on a camping trip is a surefire way to start having some fun. If, for some reason, you’ve never played this game in your life, here’s how simple it is to get a grip of it. The game moves in a circle, and each person needs to pick from “truth” or “dare”. If they pick “truth”, the group gets to ask them a question of their choosing and the selected person needs to answer it truthfully. On the other hand, if the person picks “dare”, then the group can make them do a crazy stunt or just about anything they can think of.

Final Thoughts on Campfire Games

Grab your friends and family and head out to your nearest burn pit and test our campfire fun games! Try out some of these other campfire games for adults and enjoy some great company and memorable laughs!

Don’t forget to stay safe, drink responsibly, and adapt all these games so you can also play them with your children and other people as well! After all, summer vacations are the best moments to bond with your kids, get closer to other family members, or make new friends while on holiday.

Featured Image via Unsplash

4 replies
  1. www.prohunters.club
    www.prohunters.club says:

    Great blog you have got here.. It’s difficult to find high
    quality writing like yours these days. I seriously
    appreciate people like you! Take care!!

    Reply
  2. Liz Flynn
    Liz Flynn says:

    So, it is not just me that hasn’t grown out of playing games around a campfire then? Truth or dare is obviously a classic, but I had totally forgotten about the winking assassin game. We used to play this at our local youth group. It is so long since I played it that I haven’t even taught it to my children. I am playing this with them tonight! I have plenty of fun ideas for my next camping trip now, thanks!

    Reply
  3. Kirstin Hatfield
    Kirstin Hatfield says:

    These games bring back lots and lots and lots of fun memories! From my childhood and even my young adulthood. And it’s true, so many of them I have never played with my own children. That needs to change! ? Many of them can also be adapted to the classes that I teach to Elementary and Middle school-aged childrenI, in both Art and Glee singing ensemble. Great great great ideas! Thank you! ?

    Reply

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