Games to Play Outside in the Dark

Night games for a garden or campsite: pick a set in All games, then press Pick 3 new games.

Games to Play Outside in the Dark

  1. Glow Stick Relay1. Teams line up behind a cone. 2. The first player walks fast round a far cone and back with a glow stick baton. 3. Hand it on; the first team to finish sits down. Walking only in the dark. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a glow stick per team and two cones.
  2. Glow Bowling1. Put a glow stick in each of ten plastic bottles, a little water in the bottom to steady them. 2. Set them up as pins at the end of the grass. 3. Roll a ball twice per turn; count the pins down. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 20 min. Props: ten bottles, glow sticks and a ball.
  3. Manhunt in Pairs1. Split into hiders and hunters, every player with a buddy. 2. Hiders get two minutes inside the boundary. 3. Hunters catch a pair by tagging one of them. 4. Caught pairs wait at base; swap sides when all are caught. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 25 min. Props: none.

Next step Bigger team games for a youth group

How it works

These games to play outside in the dark need a torch, a few glow sticks or nothing at all. Each one stays inside a boundary you agree first, with an adult outside and nobody sent off alone.

Read the full guide

Set up before it gets dark

Walk the garden in daylight: move tools and toys, and mark the boundary with glow sticks, since every game stays inside it. One torch per pair is plenty. Print gives you the picked games with their steps to keep in a pocket.

Scary or not

A little spooky holds six mild games, such as Ghost in the Graveyard. For younger children, open More options and choose Nothing spooky, then start with Quiet games under the stars.

Tips
  • Relays in the dark are walking races. Say so before the first one starts.

Questions and answers

What can kids do outside at night at a sleepover?

Start active with Flashlight Tag or Kick the Can, then wind down with Star-Spotting Bingo or Hand Shadow Animals on a blanket. Most games here need one torch or a few glow sticks.

Are glow sticks safe for kids?

Used whole, yes. Never cut or bite one open: the liquid inside should be kept off skin and not swallowed if a case splits. Keep them away from children young enough to chew them.

How do you play Ghost in the Graveyard?

One player hides as the ghost while the rest count the hours up to midnight at base. Whoever finds the ghost shouts a warning, and everyone heads back to base before the ghost can tag them.

More tools

Browse Acting and Drawing

All 30 games

Torch games 6

  • Find the Hidden Torch 1. An adult hides a lit torch pointing at the ground so only a faint glow shows. 2. Players search without torches. 3. The finder hides it next, with an adult checking the spot. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: one torch.
  • Flash Code Messages 1. Pairs stand at opposite ends of the garden. 2. One partner flashes a number by counting short flashes. 3. The other writes it down and flashes it back. 4. Move on to short words with a code card: one flash for A, two for B. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: torches, paper and pens.
  • Flashlight Tag 1. One player is It and holds the only torch. 2. Everyone else hides inside the boundary; It counts to 30. 3. It tags by landing the beam on a player and calling their name. 4. Tagged players join It at base; the last one found holds the torch next. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: one torch.
Show all 30 games (27 more)

Torch games, continued

  • Sardines by Torchlight 1. One player takes a torch and hides, torch off. 2. The others search in pairs, torches on. 3. A pair that finds the hider switches off and squeezes in silently. 4. The last pair to find the group hides next. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: a torch for each pair.
  • Stomp the Spot 1. One player shines a torch beam on the grass and moves it slowly. 2. The others try to step on the spot of light. 3. Whoever steps on it first takes the torch. Walk, do not run. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: one torch.
  • Torch Treasure Trail 1. In daylight, stick reflective tape on fences, pots and trees to make a trail. 2. After dark, pairs follow the trail with a torch. 3. The last reflector marks where a small treat is hidden. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: reflective tape, torches and a treat.

Glow stick games 6

  • Glow Bowling 1. Put a glow stick in each of ten plastic bottles, a little water in the bottom to steady them. 2. Set them up as pins at the end of the grass. 3. Roll a ball twice per turn; count the pins down. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 20 min. Props: ten bottles, glow sticks and a ball.
  • Glow Hopscotch 1. Draw a hopscotch court with chalk in daylight. 2. After dark, lay glow sticks along the lines. 3. Play the usual way: throw a marker, hop the court, skip the marked square. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 20 min. Props: chalk, glow sticks and a marker.
  • Glow Ring Toss 1. Stand plastic bottles in a row, each with a glow stick inside. 2. Players throw glow bracelets from a line. 3. A ring over a neck scores a point; three throws each per round. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: glow bracelets and plastic bottles.
  • Glow Stick Hunt 1. An adult scatters 30 glow sticks of four colours inside the boundary. 2. Teams of two collect as many as they can in five minutes. 3. Score by colour: the rarest colour is worth three. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: 30 glow sticks.
  • Glow Stick Relay 1. Teams line up behind a cone. 2. The first player walks fast round a far cone and back with a glow stick baton. 3. Hand it on; the first team to finish sits down. Walking only in the dark. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a glow stick per team and two cones.
  • Glow Tic-Tac-Toe 1. Lay a grid of nine squares on the grass with glow sticks. 2. Two teams of three stand in lines, one colour of glow bracelet each. 3. Players take turns to walk out and drop a bracelet in a square. 4. Three in a row wins. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 6 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: glow sticks and bracelets in two colours.

Team games in the dark 6

  • Glow Stick Capture the Flag 1. Each team gets a bundle of glow sticks for a flag and a colour of glow bracelets. 2. Hide the flags on your own half. 3. Tag an opponent on your half to send them to your jail. 4. Carry the other flag home to win. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 30 min. Props: glow sticks and bracelets in two colours.
  • Kick the Can 1. Put a can near the porch light; one player is It. 2. Everyone hides while It counts. 3. It calls the names of players spotted and taps the can to catch them. 4. A free player who kicks the can frees everyone caught. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 25 min. Props: a can.
  • Lighthouse 1. One player is the lighthouse in the middle with a torch. 2. The rest are ships that must cross from one side to the other. 3. A ship caught in the beam sits down where it is and becomes a rock. 4. Rocks may tag passing ships by reaching out while sitting. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: one torch.
  • Manhunt in Pairs 1. Split into hiders and hunters, every player with a buddy. 2. Hiders get two minutes inside the boundary. 3. Hunters catch a pair by tagging one of them. 4. Caught pairs wait at base; swap sides when all are caught. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 25 min. Props: none.
  • Torch Baton Relay 1. Teams line up at one end of the grass. 2. The first player walks fast to a far marker and back with a lit torch. 3. Hand the torch to the next player. 4. Walking only: running in the dark ends in trips. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a torch per team and markers.
  • Treasure Keeper 1. The keeper sits on a chair with eyes shut and a glow stick by their feet. 2. Players creep up one at a time to take it. 3. If the keeper hears them, they point and say "there"; if the point is right, that player goes back. 4. Whoever gets the treasure keeps next. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: a chair and a glow stick.

Quiet games under the stars 6

  • Find the Big Dipper 1. On a clear night in the northern hemisphere, show everyone a picture of the seven stars of the Big Dipper. 2. Players look for it and point it out. 3. Follow the two end stars of the bowl to find the North Star. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a picture of the Big Dipper.
  • Hand Shadow Animals 1. Shine a torch onto a wall. 2. Players take turns to make an animal with their hands in the beam. 3. The others guess; a right guess scores for both. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a torch and a wall.
  • Lantern Story Circle 1. Sit in a circle round a battery lantern. 2. One player starts a story with one sentence. 3. Pass the lantern; each player adds a sentence. 4. The adult ends the story when it is time for bed. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: a battery lantern.
  • Night Sounds Count 1. Everyone sits still with eyes shut for one minute. 2. Count every different sound you hear. 3. Compare lists: who heard the owl, the car, the wind? An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  • Shadow Charades 1. Point a torch at a pale wall or a hanging sheet. 2. One player steps into the beam and acts out an animal or a job. 3. The others guess from the shadow alone. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: a torch and a pale wall or sheet.
  • Star-Spotting Bingo 1. Hand out bingo cards with things to spot: the Moon, a plane's blinking lights, a star brighter than the rest, a moth, a bat. 2. Lie on a blanket and look up. 3. Cross off what you see; call bingo on a full line. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: bingo cards, pencils and blankets.

A little spooky 6

  • Ghost in the Graveyard 1. One player is the ghost and hides. 2. The others count together at base, "one o'clock, two o'clock" up to midnight, then search. 3. The finder shouts "ghost in the graveyard" and everyone walks fast back to base. 4. The ghost tags someone before base to make them the next ghost. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: none.
  • Glow Ghost Hunt 1. Cut ten paper ghosts and tape a small glow stick to each. 2. An adult hides them inside the boundary. 3. Pairs hunt until every ghost is back at base. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: paper ghosts, tape and glow sticks.
  • Mild Ghost Story Chain 1. Sit in a circle with one torch. 2. The holder tells one sentence of a ghost story that is spooky but not scary: no blood, no real places. 3. Pass the torch on. 4. Any player may say "brighter" to make the story friendlier. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: one torch.
  • Mr Wolf at Midnight 1. One player is the wolf, back to the group, at the far end. 2. The group calls "what's the time, Mr Wolf?" and steps forward as many steps as the hour the wolf says. 3. When the wolf says "midnight", the wolf turns and chases the group back to the start. 4. Anyone tagged is the next wolf. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: none.
  • Owl or Not 1. An adult stands behind a sheet or a hedge and makes night sounds: an owl, a creaky gate, a howl. 2. Players guess what each sound is. 3. Players take turns to make sounds for the others. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
  • Spotlight Footsteps 1. The watcher stands at the far end with a torch, back to the group. 2. Players creep forward. 3. When the watcher turns and switches on the torch, anyone caught moving in the beam goes back to the start. 4. First to touch the watcher takes the torch. An adult watches; stay inside the boundary. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: one torch.

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors for sleepovers, camps and back gardens after sunset, in our own words; player ranges, ages and times are our estimates. Every game stays inside an agreed boundary with an adult present, sends no child off alone and goes near no road or water. Rules were checked on 2026-09-23 against English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by the name): Tag_(game), Capture_the_flag, Kick_the_can, Manhunt_(urban_game), Sardines_(game), Hopscotch, Big_Dipper, Glow_stick; and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What%27s_the_time%2C_Mr_Wolf%3F. Licence: own work