Games for a lawn
The garden games worth owning — Mölkky, kubb, pétanque and the rest — with what each needs, who it suits and how long a game takes.
Updated August 13, 2026 · 4 min read
The garden games worth the cupboard space are the ones that set up in under a minute, work with any number of players, and do not need anyone to be athletic. Mölkky is the best all-rounder for a mixed group, kubb if you want something more tactical and physical, and pétanque if the ground is rough or you want a game you can play with a drink in the other hand.
What makes a good garden game
Most garden games fail on one of four points, and it is worth naming them because it explains why the same three or four games keep coming out on top.
Setup time. If it takes longer to set up than to play a round, it stays in the shed. Mölkky is ten seconds. Badminton with a net is ten minutes.
Ground tolerance. Real gardens are lumpy and slope. A game that needs a flat pitch is a game for a park, which is a different kind of afternoon.
The athleticism floor. The moment a game requires running or reaching, it excludes the youngest and oldest people at the party — who are usually the reason you are outside in the first place.
How it handles odd numbers. Five people is the most common awkward group size in the world. Anything strictly for pairs is out.
The games, compared
| Game | Space needed | Players | A round | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mölkky | ~4 × 3 m | 2–8 | 20 min | Flattish |
| Kubb | ~5 × 8 m marked | 2–12, in teams | 30–45 min | Flat |
| Pétanque | ~4 × 15 m | 2–6 | 20–30 min | Anything |
| Ring toss | ~3 × 3 m | 2–6 | 10 min | Anything |
| Croquet | Large, mown | 2–6 | 45+ min | Very flat, short grass |
Mölkky
Twelve numbered pins, one throwing stick, and a target of exactly fifty points. The scoring is what makes it: one pin scores its number, several score how many fell, so a big scattering throw is worth less than a precise one.
Best for: mixed ages, small gardens, groups that want a game with actual decisions in it. Weakness: twelve pins scattered in long grass are easy to lose at dusk.
What is Mölkky? is the full introduction, and the rules takes five minutes to read.
Kubb
Swedish, and often called "Viking chess", which oversells the strategy but captures the feel. Two teams throw wooden batons underarm to knock over each other's blocks, and the game is won by knocking over the king in the middle — but only after all of the opponent's blocks are down. Knock the king early and you lose immediately.
Best for: groups of six to ten who want teams, and who will stay out for an hour. Weakness: the throw-back mechanic takes a full round to explain, and the pitch has to be marked.
Kubb rules and how to play covers it properly, and Mölkky or kubb? is the comparison if you are buying one.
Pétanque
Steel boules thrown towards a small wooden jack. Closest boule wins the round.
The most ground-tolerant game there is — it was designed for gravel and rough ground, and it plays better on a rutted path than on a lawn. It is also the only one on this list where standing still and thinking is a legitimate strategy, which is either the appeal or the problem depending on who you ask.
Best for: rough ground, adults, long summer evenings. Weakness: a set of boules is heavy, expensive, and genuinely dangerous to drop on a foot.
What to buy first
If you own nothing: Mölkky. It is the cheapest of the three (€25–45), the smallest to store, the fastest to teach, and the only one that works equally well with three people and eight.
If you already have Mölkky and want something different rather than something better: kubb, because it is a team game and Mölkky is not, and the two do not compete for the same afternoon.
Playing Mölkky? Let the app count
Exactly fifty, the drop back to twenty-five, three misses and out. Free, no account, works with no signal.
Open the scorekeeperEvery garden games page
Every page in this guide
Kubb rules and how to play
Kubb is the Swedish lawn game with wooden blocks and a king. The full rules, the pitch dimensions, and the throw-back rule that catches everyone out.
Mölkky or kubb?
Mölkky and kubb compared — space, players, game length, how hard each is to teach, and which one to buy first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best garden game for a mixed group of adults and children?
Mölkky. The throwing action is gentle, nobody has to run, a seven-year-old and a seventy-year-old can play the same game without handicaps, and a round takes about twenty minutes. Kubb is the closest rival but is more physical and takes longer to teach.
What garden game needs the least space?
Mölkky. It needs a flat patch roughly four metres by three. Kubb needs a marked pitch of about five by eight metres, and pétanque wants fifteen metres of run.
Which lawn games work on uneven ground?
Pétanque is the most forgiving — it is designed for gravel and rough ground. Mölkky needs a reasonably flat patch for the pins to stand. Kubb needs the flattest pitch of the three.
What can you play on a lawn in the rain?
Kubb and Mölkky both survive light rain; wet wood is fine, wet grass just makes throws stop dead. Neither should be left out overnight — birch swells and the printed numbers lift.
Let the app do the counting
Exactly fifty, the drop back to twenty-five, three misses and out. Add names and start scoring in ten seconds — no account, no signal needed.