The great thing about games with ping pong balls is that they don’t require too much… bouncing back and forth. As long as you’ve got your supplies, you might as well call your friends and let them know that the best game night is on! There are a bunch of activities out there but we’ve made a selection for you. We’ve gathered the best games with ping pong balls and we’ve put them into 4 categories: ‘minute to win it’ games with ping pong balls, party games with ping pong balls, drinking games with ping pong balls, and Christmas games with ping pong balls. U ready?
‘Minute to win it’ games with ping pong balls
Junk In The Trunk
This is suitable for all ages. Are you looking for fun outdoor activities for kids or for team building ‘minute to win it’ games for adults? ‘Junk in the trunk’ does the trick. Bonus: players will definitely move their hips better after playing this game with ping pong balls.
First, you need to gather the supplies. Every player needs a paper box (an empty tissue box will work), 8 ping pong balls, and a belt. Make sure you have some strong tape and use that to attach the tissue box to the back of each player’s belt. The box will sit just above the player’s buttocks, with the opening of the box facing away from the player. Put 8 ping pong balls into each of their boxes. Lastly, play some cool, fast beats and be ready to judge.
Since it’s a ‘minute to win it’ game with ping pong balls, the main rule is for all players to empty the tissue box of all ping pong balls in less than 60 seconds. We told you that they’ll be moving their hips a lot better after this game, and here is why: they should use the swinging and shaking of their hips to get all those ping pong balls out. The first player to evict all balls from their box wins! And yes, it might be harder than you think!
*Tip: We encourage cheering to keep the twerkers working.
Ponginator
*Warning: This might turn the place into a mess, but does that even count when everyone’s having the time of their life? We thought so. ‘Ponginator’ is a ‘minute to win it’ game with ping pong balls that is all about aiming, shooting, and nailing. It’s a fast-paced activity and it works perfectly as a team building activity for teens or for an outdoor gathering with the family.
Basically, players have to bounce ping pong balls into an egg box… without the actual paddles. To do that, they will need 10 ping pong balls (every participant should get a different color to keep the score easier), an empty egg box (and make sure the vacant egg space fits the ping pong balls), 2 flat surfaces (a table/a chair – pretty much anything will do. One is for the player, the other one is for the egg box).
Now, you can set up the game. Place the egg box on the flat surface in the middle (table/chair) of the room and place the chairs/tables where players will be sitting at an equal distance from the egg box. Ideally, in a circle. Next, every participant should get a bag and a box/bowl full of ping pong balls of one color. They may begin. Players must bounce the balls off the chair/table in front of them so that it lands in the egg box. It might sound easy, but it can be quite challenging when the clock is ticking. ‘Unfortunately’, this is a ‘minute to win it’ game, so they must land 5 balls of their color in the egg box in less than 60 seconds! The first one to do that wins.
All players must bounce the balls at the same time and can work through them as fast as they like. Technique and consistency are key for this ‘minute to win it’ game with ping pong balls!
Puddle Jumper
‘Puddle jumper’ might as well be considered one of the best ‘minute to win it’ games for teens. That’s because it tackles their competitive spirit and self-control. Players must use the air expelled from their lungs and propel ping pong balls from one glass of water to another. And as you might have already figured out, yes, every participant will need 6 glasses of water for each player and at least 3 ping pong balls.
Make sure that every glass is filled with water up to the top. Then, set the glasses up in pairs: one where the ping pong ball starts, and another where it should end. The distance between the leftmost glasses should be 10 cm apart, the middle glasses should be 17.5 cm apart, and the rightmost glasses should be 25 cm. The pairs must get harder as the player goes on, that’s why you should put them further apart. The three “starting glasses” should be aligned. Put a ping pong ball in these glasses.
Now you should be looking at 6 glasses, in 3 increasingly difficult pairs, in front of each player, with a ping pong ball in each of the 3 glasses closest to the player.
Start the timer. Players must use just the power of blowing to push the ping pong balls from the starting glasses into the target glasses. If you don’t have any spare ping pong balls, players must chase after the ping pong ball they just blew and use that again. The first one to get ping pong balls in all of the target glasses – in less than a minute – wins!
Tear It Up
You need a bit of a setting for this one so it’s more of an indoor activity rather than a camp game. Every player/team should be assigned a paper roll and everyone receives a rubber band or an elastic that’s meant to work as a catapult for the ping pong balls. The rolls of paper should be suspended in the air in a rod. Next, attach empty cans (soda cans or beer cans, if this is a drinking ‘minute to win it’ game for adults) to the end of the paper roll. Start a 60 seconds timer. Players must shoot the ping pong ball using the rubber bands so as to tear up the toilet paper. The first one who makes the paper roll fall to the floor wins the game.
Drinking games with ping pong balls
Beer Pong
We could’ve stopped at that because… who hasn’t heard of ‘Beer pong’?! This is one of the most popular drinking games with ping pong balls.
You will need: a sufficiently large table (that can be used while you wait for your beer pong/ping pong table to arrive); lots of ping pong balls; 12 cups; preferably beer, but any sort of alcohol will do too. The most common formation is an equilateral triangle with 6 cups. The formation is assembled on each side of the table.
Make 2 teams and ask them to sit on opposite sides of the table. Both players from one of the teams are given a ping pong ball to shoot and may do so simultaneously. The standard shot is comprised of the player tossing the ball across the table and into an opponent’s cup. The bounce shot is performed by bouncing the ball off the table and into the opponent’s cups. Each time any one of the cups is scored, the team must drink the beer in it. The game ends when all the cups of a team are scored.
Blinded
‘Blinded’ is another fun drinking game with ping pong balls that can also work as a fun ‘minute to win it’ game for couples. That’s because it doesn’t require too many players to get things started. Begin by prepping up all you need. Cut 2 cardboard tubes into 2 pieces. One piece should be twice as long as the other. That will turn it into 2 short tubes and 2 long tubes. Have the tubes stand in a vertical position and place a ping pong ball on top of each. Next, blindfold the player, spin him around a few times, then start the timer. The player will have to search for the ball without crawling. If a ball falls down or touches the floor at any time, the player is out of the game. To complete the game, he must gather at least two balls within 60 seconds.
Beer Ball
Just like ‘Beer pong’, ‘Beer ball’ is another group game that requires 2 teams. Have 2 players from each team sit on opposite sides of a table. On both ends, place 2 cans each. Next, players must toss ping pong balls in order to hit their opponents’ cans. If they hit, they must grab a cup of beer in front of them and gulp it down quickly. While they are drinking, the other team has to retrieve the ball and slap the table, shouting ‘Stop!’. They must stop drinking at that very moment. Take turns in throwing balls. The team whose beer finishes first wins.
*Note: If an opposing team player catches the can before it touches the ground, he will have to drink the beer.
Pong-Bucket Challenge
This drinking game with ping pong balls is one of the best out there. Players must grab one ball at a time and bounce it. Wait, it’s not that easy. They must bounce it so that it hits the floor first, then the wall second, then catch it in the bucket fixed on their head – all in this exact order. Players are not allowed to kneel down, touch the bucket with their hands at any time, or play this game while seated. The player who gets 3 balls in their bucket first wins. You could also turn it into a ‘minute to win it’ game, and declare the winner the player who gets the most balls in the bucket on their head.
Total Blackout
*Warning: This drinking game with ping pong balls is only for the brave ones.
You will need 2 teams and a bit of a setting. For ‘Total blackout’, you must prepare a line of cups filled with beer and place them at the end of a table. A player must stand behind this line while their partner stands diagonally, across the table from them. Next, the one sitting across the table starts shooting ping pong balls at their partner’s cups. If they hit the bull’s eye, the player standing behind the cups will have to drink the beer in that cup and flip it on the table upside-down using their finger. The first team to hit, drink, and flip all the cups wins.
Party games with ping pong balls
Ping Pong Hunt
This is a great party game with ping pong balls and an even greater pool party game with ping pong balls!
Spread your players into 2 teams and ask them all to jump in the water and form a large circle. Next, spread lots of ping pong balls in the water. Place one bowl on each side of the pool; any type of container would pretty much work, just make sure it’s not made of paper. You wouldn’t want them to disintegrate once they get wet. Have your players collect all the ping pong balls and place them in their containers. Make sure you keep track of how many balls each team pulls out. You may give each ball a point value. The team with the highest score wins this party game with ping pong balls.
You can also place a small colored dot on each ball in different colors or balls of different colors. The teams should only get the balls with their respective colors.
Tilt A Cup
‘Tilt a cup’ is another fun party game with ping pong balls. To play it, you will need enough players to form 2 teams, then assign to each of them 4 plastic cups, and at least 4 ping pong balls.
Ask 2 players of the same team to sit on opposite sides of the table. Player 1 is in charge of holding the 4 stacked cups, while player 2 gets the balls. Player 2 must bounce the ball onto the table, toward the other player – one at a time, while player 1 tries to catch it in the cup. Once the ball is caught in the cup, player 1 takes that cup (with the ball still in it) and moves it to the bottom of the cup stacked in their hand to catch the second ball. The same happens for the third and the fourth ball. The team that gets the balls in the cups the quickest wins.
Bouncing Basketball
*Specially designed for parties. To play ‘Bouncing basketball’, every player should receive 10 ping pong balls of different colors. Place a basket in the center of the room (the trash can will do the trick) and ask everyone to stand in a circle around the basket. Next, the players are given 10 shots to bounce a ping pong ball into the trash can in the center of the circle. Players get one point for each ball that goes into the basket at the end of each round. The one with the most points wins this party game with ping pong balls.
Christmas games with ping pong balls
Snowman Shake
‘Junk in the trunk’, only a bit adapted according to the Christmas spirit.
Now, ‘all we want for Christmas’ are some white ping pong balls (some ball ornaments can work too), paper boxes (empty tissue boxes are perfect), duct tape, and pantyhose. At least, this is what we want if we’re about to play the ‘Snowman shake’. This Christmas game with ping pong balls is perfect for banning boredom during holidays. When it’s too chilly to go outside, have some quality time with your loved ones and get creative! Start by decorating white ping pong balls to look like snowman faces. Then, fill an empty tissue box with the snowmen ping pong balls and tape it to someone’s backside. If you want to make the game more challenging, set a timer. The players will then have to shake all of the snowmen out of the paper box before the time runs out.
Snowball Fight
This is another Christmas game with ping pong balls that stirs up the fun. All you need for the ‘Snowball fight’ are lots of white ping pong balls, a fishbowl (but any boxes/bowls work just as well), and some cotton balls.
Place the bowl at a certain distance from the players. You can use a table and have the players sit at one end and the bowl at the other end, or you can use chairs. Next, one player has to bounce ping pong balls into the bowl, while the others… are trying to make things difficult. The rest of the players start throwing cotton balls at the ping pong balls the main player is bouncing, to knock them out of the way. The main actor has to bounce only one ping pong ball into the bowl and that’s it: he wins.
Is there an epic game with ping pong balls you know and isn’t on our list? Let us know and we’ll add it asap! Browse eTeamBuilding anytime you need some fun activities for you and your people!
