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If you’re looking for a great gift for the tailgater or homegater in your life, tailgating games are a great option. Tailgating games can be played anytime, whether at the stadium or in your backyard. Games help bring people together and have a lot of fun, just like the holidays. To help you find the perfect gift, we’ve put together this helpful master guide of great tailgating games that are perfect for under the tree.
Cornhole Bag And Boards
Cornhole is by far one of the most popular tailgating games and there’s a reason. When purchasing a cornhole board, make sure that you choose a board and bags that meet the American Cornhole League specifications, like the ones you can find at AllCornhole.
If you’re like me, after you’ve gotten a few beers deep, you can lose track of your Cornhole game score. This is definitely a huge problem. It can cause fights, and bean bags flying faster than usual. Plus, just keeping score verbally, you have no proof of your victories or of all the points you’re scoring. That’s why the Score Tower Combo set is essential for any serious Cornhole player.
The Score Tower Combo set lets you keep score of your game easily. You’ll never forget the score, and there won’t be any arguments between you and your friends. As an added bonus, these have a beer holder, making it easy to play Cornhole drinking games.
Some of the features of the Score Tower Combo:
- 58 inches tall
- Double sided graphics
- Dual column scoring
- Reusable storage box
- All weather material
Whether you’re a serious Cornhole player or just getting started, the Score Tower Combo is an absolute must. You can get it here.
If you’re new to Cornhole too, make sure to learn the rules of the game, and get your first boards here!
For The DieHard Cornhole Players
If your gift shopping list includes a cornhole diehard, there are some great options that can help them better enjoy the game. One great option is to buy them a cornhole score tower.
If you’re like me, after you’ve gotten a few beers deep, you can lose track of your Cornhole game score. This is definitely a huge problem. It can cause fights, and bean bags flying faster than usual. Plus, just keeping score verbally, you have no proof of your victories or of all the points you’re scoring. That’s why the Score Tower Combo set is essential for any serious Cornhole player.
The Score Tower Combo set lets you keep score of your game easily. You’ll never forget the score, and there won’t be any arguments between you and your friends. As an added bonus, these have a beer holder, making it easy to play Cornhole drinking games.
Cornhole Meets Darts
Blending our favorite tailgating game with our favorite sports bar game is simply genius. This is a perfect game for anyone who loves either cornhole or darts.
A new bar game called “AHoles” is becoming all the rage in the Midwest and we at Inside Tailgating are taking note. When folks from that neck of the woods start talking tailgating, we listen.
This creative new game combines the skills, scoring and setup of darts and cornhole. Players throw four bean bags to three holes in an “A-shaped” target 11 feet, 4 inches away. The game is portable, which means it’s perfect for tailgating, the backyard or taking to your local pub.
Football Fans Will Love QB54
If you are looking specifically for the football fans in your life, consider QB54. Our tailgating team loves this game and we think everyone on your list will enjoy it as well.
We at Inside Tailgating love the game called QB54 for its dual function, creativity and catchiness! It’s two canvas tailgating chairs that convert into a goal and goalposts to play a two or four-person game of “football.”
To play, all you need are two chairs and a football. The makers of QB54 have created a standard canvas tailgating chair that converts into an “end zone,” complete with a basketball-goal shaped net to catch touchdown passes and bright yellow uprights for extra points.
The chairs are set 40 feet apart (or closer depending on skill level.) Players take turns making throws. If you throw the ball into the basket, it’s a touchdown and six points. Hitting any part of the chair on the fly is three points and kicking the ball through the uprights gets you an extra point. If your kick goes into the hole, you automatically win the game then and there. Otherwise, the first team to 54 points wins. The game can be played one-on-one or in teams of two. It’s great for adults and kids of all ages!
More Game Options That Make Perfect Gifts
If you’re still shopping, there are plenty of other options from flip cup to ladder golf to Polish horseshoes. All of these games are perfect for any tailgate and they can easily be bought online. For example, we love the game Phloops.
Phloops is a portable ring-toss tailgating game that you can play just about anywhere. It is great at the beach, in the tailgating lot, and you could even ‘pack it in’ on your next camping trip!! Structured for 2-8 players, you can get everyone at the party into the PHUN and even create your own phlooping tournament.
Every month we pick a “Select 6,” sharing our expertise on all things tailgating, whether it’s our favorite portable grills, RVs, coolers, barbecue sauces, burger recipes or seasonal beers. Then we turn it over to you, our readers to vote for your top pick. We will announce the results at the end of July. Meanwhile, as NFL training camps open up, MLB pennant races heat up, and college football inches ever closer, our own Danielle Maslany picks our Select 6 Tailgating Games.
Maslany is our Social Media tailgater and co-host for the Inside Tailgating Lounge, our traveling tailgate party that accompanies the American Cornhole League to its championship events. Bottom line: she knows what makes a great tailgate party. She is also a Philadelphian, which means she’s seen close up how much tailgating games set the tone at a tailgate.
“Philadelphia is special when it comes to tailgating,” says Maslany, pointing out that all three professional sports venues in Philadelphia share the same complex, whether it’s the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, and the Flyers and 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.
“The parking lots are always jam-packed and people are everywhere, trunks popped, campers set up, stacked grills and stocked coolers. But tailgating is more than just food and alcohol… right? It’s socializing, hanging out with friends and getting to know new people. What better way to do that than over a tailgate game?”
Here are Maslany’s Select 6 tailgating games and her reasoning for each one:
Flip Cup
I love involving everyone. That’s why Flip Cup is my all-time favorite tailgating game. We use a beer pong table to play it and jam as many people as possible on each side and play several rounds. The concept: line your team up across from your opponents,’ each with a cup of beer filled about 1/4 of the way.
One player on each team chugs the beer, places the cup upside down on the edge of the table and flips it with his or her fingers until it lands right-side up. Once it lands correctly, the next player starts chugging and flipping. The round continues until one team finishes first.
Beer Pong
Beer pong is always fun at tailgating. It is limited to four people at a time but our tailgates are known to have a “guest shooter” or two as the day progresses. Rules often differ based on where you are from, but the basic concept is two teams of two people play. Each team takes turns throwing a ping pong ball down the table into the other team’s cups, which are set up in a triangle of six or 10 cups.
Once a ball lands in a cup, the cup is removed and the opponent has to drink the contents of the cup. If both teammates hit cups, you bring it back and shoot again. The first team to eliminate all of the other team’s cups wins.
Dizzy Bat
This can get dangerous, but it is so much fun. We played this all the time in college. You take a whiffle ball bat and cut off the bottom portion near the handle.
You fill the bat with beer, chug it and then place the bat on the ground standing upright, rest your forehead on the bat, spin around three times and then someone pitches (usually a crushed beer can) or a ball and you try to hit in. BE CAREFUL THOUGH! I’ve seen so many people fall.
Football Buckets
It’s played much like beer pong but with a football and a large circular trash can as your target rather than a series of cups.
You can play one-on-one or in teams. The goal is to get the football into the trash can. We make up our own rules, but they always involve alcohol.
Cornhole
Cornhole is a tailgate staple. It’s where I was first introduced to the game, and I’ve never been to a tailgate where I haven’t seen people playing. People of all ages and skill level can play it, and you don’t need to be drinking to enjoy. This one is family friendly!
KanJam
This sometimes gets messy depending on the amount of alcohol consumed and how big your tailgating space is… as well as how Kool your surrounding tailgaters are. The game has two cans with open tops and a larger slit on the front that’s slightly wider than the frisbee.
The fans are set about 50 feet apart. You can modify teams as you see fit, but we play with two teams of four using one Frisbee. The goal is to get the Frisbee into the front slot. There are a number of variations to obtain points as well.
We also created a list of tailgating games that will inspire some healthy competition in your backyard. View the full list here.
Check out all the other fun tailgating games here and you’ll quickly get through your holiday shopping list.
Tailgating games are the perfect present for the tailgaters in your life. Whether you are gifting to a skilled cornhole player or host who’s mastered homegating parties, they will love the gift.
Don’t forget to shop at our Amazon storefront, where we’ve listed more of our favorite tailgating games. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram then let us know what your favorite games are.
