Hosting parties is fun but one thing to remember is to keep your guests entertained. To do this, you can host various backyard games like bocce ball.
If you’re looking for other games similar to bocce, try pétanque, lawn bowling, basque bowls, boccia, and short mat bowls.
Other yard games include horseshoes, ring toss, ladder toss, cornhole, kan jam, spikeball, and washers. There’s also giant jenga and connect four, croquet, frisbee, tetherball, badminton, and wiffle ball.
This list includes some of the best and most popular yard games you can try if you’re hosting parties right in your home. Make sure you choose one everyone will enjoy and one that is appropriate for your guests.
Below, we’ll go over our favorite games similar to bocce and some of the best yard games you can set up in no time.
Play These Too: Other Lawn Games Similar to Bocce
If you find yourself enjoying a game of bocce whenever you have friends and family over for barbeque parties out in your backyard, check out these similar games you might find interesting too:
- Pétanque
Pétanque falls into the category of boules sports, which has players throwing their larger playing balls toward a smaller target ball.
In pétanque, players throw their balls while standing in a circle, keeping both their feet flat and planted on the ground.
The team or player earns a score with each ball closer to the jack, also called cochennet (the target ball in a game of pétanque), than the opponent’s closes ball. The first to score 13 points is the winning player or team.
Though best played on hard dirt or gravel, this can easily be played in parks and backyards.
- Lawn Bowling
Lawn bowling, also known as lawn bowls or simply bowls, is a variant of bocce, making it another boules game.
In lawn bowling, biased balls, or asymmetrical balls, are used to play. And just like in bocce, the goal of the game is for the player to roll their ball closer to the target ball, called the jack or kitty, than the opposing team.
The game is usually played in a large, rectangular, and leveled area called a bowling green.
- Basque Bowls
Basque bowls, sometimes referred to as pirlak, pirleak, bolak, and botxak, is a Basque bowling game. The game inspired many variants across the area.
The game is played on an open field often called a bolotaki, bolaleku, or “bowls place.” The goal of the game is to bowl your playing ball toward a group of pins and knock them down.
What sets the game apart from the other variations of boules is the use of bowls with finger holes and hand holes.
Many of the game’s variations aren’t played every day or for pastimes anymore. Instead, they’re reserved for exhibition games, fiestas, events, and celebrations. Still, international competitions are still being held.
- Boccia
Boccia is a sport that is very similar to Bocce. The main difference is boccia is played by players and athletes with severe physical disabilities.
Boccia was originally played by players with cerebral palsy but over the years, it has had players with a wide range of motor skill disabilities have been playing as well.
The goal and gameplay are also quite similar to bocce: get your playing ball as close as you can to the jack.
- Short Mat Bowls
The game of short mat bowls originates from lawn bowls. The main difference is that short mat bowls is an indoor game.
The game is played on an indoor flat surface, a mat usually made from foam or rubber-backed. The players’ goal is the get their bowls nearer to the jack or target ball than the opponent’s closest ball to it.
Best Yard Games: Other Activities to Enjoy With Friends and Family
If you’re looking for other outdoor games to play with your friends and family at parties and gatherings, check out some of the best lawn games:
- Horseshoes
Horseshoes is a classic game. It’s such a popular and widespread game that the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association was established in 1926. They oversee and set the rules, standards, and guidelines for playing the game.
The goal of this lawn game is simple: toss the horseshoe to encircle the stake on the ground. One can also earn points by getting the horseshoe as close as possible to the stake.
Traditionally, the game is played with actual heavy metal horseshoes but rubber and plastic options are widely available and they are more appropriate for fun, casual games.
- Ladder Toss or Ladder Golf
Ladder toss or ladder golf is a fun game that uses two goalposts that look like ladders and two golf balls attached to a piece of rope.
The goal of the game is to toss the playing-piece golf balls toward the ladder and hook them on any of the rungs. Each rung is worth a specific number of points.
The players on both teams will take turns tossing their pieces and the scores will be totaled by the end of the round.
- Ring Toss
Ring toss games are another classic backyard game that can keep guests of all ages entertained.
In a classic ring toss game, any number of players will take turns tossing their rings and try to land them on the target sticks on the ground.
It’s a simple game with very simple rules but is quite fun.
- Cornhole
Cornhole is a widely popular and widely loved backyard game that has its own governing body, the American Cornhole Association.
A game of cornhole will have players split into two teams. They will take turns tossing bean bags, trying to land them into the holes of the target elevated wooden board.
- Kan Jam
Kan Jam is similar to playing the classic frisbee game but with a more competitive spirit.
Th is outdoor game would need two teams and would involve flying your team’s disc into the opponent’s can-shaped goal to score a point. Teamwork is key and teammates can assist each other to earn their points.
Kan Jam would require space so a huge backyard space would be best to play this game.
- Spikeball
Spikeball has become popular yard game in the last few years as an alternative game to volleyball.
Two teams of two play the game with a circular net, resembling a trampoline, and rubber playing balls. One player from one team will throw a rubber ball into the net. Then the other team will have to keep the ball from hitting the ground, just like a real volleyball game.
The game continues until a team reaches a certain number of points, usually 21 points.
- Washers
Also called, Washoes, Washers Toss, and Texas Horseshoes, Washers is a fun backyard tossing game.
The game involves tossing metal washers toward a target box or hole. One can increase the difficulty of the game by putting more distance between the players and the target. Adults and kids alike can play this game and find enjoyment in it.
- Giant Jenga
Giant Jenga is simply like any other classic game of Jenga but with oversized playing pieces, typically child-sized.
This game can accommodate multiple players. They will take turns carefully removing wood blocks until the tower tumbles down. The player who makes it go down loses.
- Giant Connect Four
Connect Four is a fun classic game but to make it even more fun? Make it giant-sized.
Just like the original game of Connect Four, players take turns sliding a colored ring into the board. The first team or player to get the same four colors in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally wins.
- Croquet
Croquet is a traditional British sport that has gained popularity and love from the rest of the world.
The game uses mallets, wooden or plastic balls, and hoops. The goal of the game is to use the mallet to push the balls through the hoops to gain points.
You can enjoy this game on any adequately-sized lawn and with your own croquet game set.
- Frisbee
Frisbee is another classic game many people, of all ages, enjoy.
For a successful game of frisbee, you would need a combination of good aim and toss. Throwing a frisbee around from one person to the next makes time go fast and keeps you and your friends active.
Moreover, it’s also the perfect game to play with your dogs to keep them active.
- Tetherball
Another classic game enjoyed by players of all ages, tetherball is a game between two players.
The game uses a pole with a rope attached to it and a ball attached to the other end of the rope. The goal of the game is for the players to hit the ball in opposite directions. The player who wraps the rope completely around the pole and stops the ball wins the game.
- Badminton
You can never go wrong with a game of badminton. You can play this with friends, family, adults, and kids alike.
The rule of the game is to hit the birdie with the racket back and forth. But the player has to make sure that it’s hit only once on each side unless they’re playing doubles.
A badminton game set would usually include two badminton rackets, a net, and a birdie.
- Wiffle Ball
Lastly, we have the Wiffle Ball game. Wiffle ball is a variation of the classic baseball game.
The game uses a lightweight plastic ball and a long plastic bat, quite similar to baseball.
And you can make up teams and play the game essentially like you’re playing a classic baseball game.
Conclusion
Who doesn’t like hosting people over for a small gathering or barbeque party, right? It’s a good way to spend quality time with family and friends. To make these parties better, you could utilize the best outdoor yard games to keep people entertained.
First on our list are our favorite games that are similar to bocce ball. Our list includes pétanque, lawn bowling, basque bowls, boccia, and short mat bowls. If you’re looking for something different, try any of these other yard games: horseshoes, ladder toss or ladder golf, ring toss, cornhole, kan jam, spikeball, washers, giant jenga, giant connect four, croquet, frisbee, tetherball, badminton, and wiffle ball.
And that has been our favorite games like bocce ball. If you have other queries you’d like us to answer, hit us up below!
