5 Ways to Make Laser Tag More Fun!

The awesome thing about laser tag is that by using your gear and a little imagination you have the ability to create live-action video game adventures in your own home, yard, and neighborhood. But what if you could turn a typical game of tag into something more exciting? Below you’ll find some great ideas for taking your game to the next level.

Scavenger Hunt and Obstacle Courses

Almost everyone loves following clues to the next big prize and feeling the sense of pride that comes with overcoming challenges in their way. This type of game can be played indoors or outside, and with teams or individual players.

How to Play:

1. A parent sets up obstacles by using items or simply building them out of cardboard. Things to crawl through, over, under, and setting up stations where a problem must be solved to pass, are just a few of the ways you can create the perfect course.
2. Place puzzles to solve or create a target to shoot by placing a sensor on a moving object or a tricky space in order for each player to complete the challenge and earn the next clue. (It’s a good idea to have an adult or older sibling to help younger kids)
3. In the event that the players or teams cross paths, they will have a laser battle. Players that are hit receive a penalty. (Penalties can be having to wait for 5 minutes or having to go back to the last challenge and continue form there)
4. At the end of the course, winners can receive a prize for being the first to finish, or even just bragging rights.

Capture the Flag and Superhero Adventures

Teaming up to take down another team is a great way to create a fun competitive game. This is perfect for both kids, teens, and adults.

How to play:

1. Decide what the prize/end goal will be. (e.g. a flag, an artifact, a person or doll to save…)
2. Choose your teams. (eg. Superheroes vs. Villains, Red Team vs. Blue Team…)
3. Decide who will guard and who is going to go after the other team’s prize
4. Create the playing field. (eg. a maze, darkened arena with hiding places…)
5. Let the games begin and destroy your enemies, in a friendly way of course. (When players are ‘tagged’ by the opposing team, they can either be out of the game or have to freeze for a few minutes)
6. The first team to capture or rescue the object that’s being guarded wins!

Spy vs. Spy

With a small but even number of players—two to four—a simple game of Spy vs. Spy can be just the thing to turn tag into an intense secret mission. Whether the goal is to steal a secret formula or a doomsday device, this is a fun combination of two classic games.

How to play:

1. Decide if you’re going to compete as teams or individually.
2. Each player or team hides their secret item.
3. Players then sneak around as stealthily as possible to take out their competition in a laser shoot out.
4. The first spy to discover and steal their opponents’ secret item without getting hit wins.

Haunted Maze

Who doesn’t like a little fright in their night? You can have a spooky good time in a maze filled with ghosts, ghouls and other creepy crawlies.

How to play:

1. Create your maze. Make your theme as scary or mild as you want depending on the players’ ages. (This is a great for indoor play)
2. Choose your monsters. People can take turns being zombies, aliens, or whatever gives you the heebie geebies. (To make it less scary, the monsters could also be drawn on cardboard and not able to jump out at little ones.)
3. To complete the maze a player must defeat all of the monsters along the way. If a player gets ‘tagged’ by one of the monsters, they must go back to the beginning and start over.

Laser Tag Date Nights and Parties for Grown-ups

This isn’t just a kid’s game, it’s also fun for anyone who’s still a kid-at-heart. Bring a little extra fun to a typical night out by strapping on some laser tag gear and hunting down your friends and loved ones. This can also be a great change of pace for a Work Office Party, Bachelor, or Bachelorette party.

How to play:

1. If you have little ones, leave them with a sitter, grab your friends or significant other, and gear up.
2. Set up in the dark outside or creep around the house hunting each other down, shooting as many of the other players as possible without getting hit yourself.
3. Last one standing wins.

Bonus

For a little added fun, you can embellish all of the players with black light reflective body or fabric paint. Painting mazes and obstacle courses to help guide players through is also a great idea.