Best Giant Board Games for Outdoors: Checkers and More

Q: What size giant checkers should I buy?

Buy by how you want to play. 10 in pieces on 13 in squares is a standing lawn game; 4 in pieces on 6 in squares fits a patio but is played kneeling.

Q: Do giant checkers come with a board?

Some do. Both MegaChess sets include a nylon board with spikes; Kettler sells its pieces only, with the board sold separately.

Q: How much space does giant checkers need?

Eight squares a side. A board of 13 in squares is roughly nine feet across — our arithmetic from the published square size. Add standing room.

Q: Are giant checkers pieces weatherproof?

The ones here say so: MegaChess publishes waterproof, UV-resistant plastic and Kettler publishes all-weather resin. The nylon board is the part to bring in.

The short answer

Quick picks

Ranked on published specs, not on play we have not done. Tap any row to jump to the full write-up further down this page.

Ranked picks with what each is best for, our published-spec score and a live price link.
#	Product	Best for	Score	Price
1	No photo MegaChess 10 in Giant Checkers with Nylon Board Twenty-four 10-inch checkers in waterproof, UV-resistant injection-molded plastic on a quick-fold nylon board with 13-inch squares, metal grommets and spikes — published to set up in under a minute.	Best giant checkers	7.4/10	Check price on Amazon #ad How we make money
2	No photo MegaChess 4 in Plastic Giant Checker Set with Board Twenty-four 4-inch checkers in the same waterproof, UV-resistant plastic on a nylon board with 6-inch squares — the version that fits a patio rather than a lawn.	Best patio-size set	7.3/10	Check price on Amazon #ad How we make money
3	No photo Kettler Giant Checker Pieces Twenty-four all-weather polypropylene resin pieces over 4 inches high and 10 inches wide, with six poles for kinging and stacking rods, in a package published at 32 pounds — board sold separately.	Best for a permanent board	7.2/10	Check price on Amazon #ad How we make money
4	No photo Triumph 28-Piece Wood Lawn Domino Set Twenty-eight wooden tiles at a published 3.5 by 7 by 0.5 inches each, varnish finished with color-coded pips, in an Oxford cloth carry bag — the only giant domino set we could verify as purchasable.	Best overall	6.9/10	Check price on Amazon #ad How we make money

Giant board games are the quiet end of the giant-games family. There is no throwing, no stacking and no tower to fall; there is a board on the grass and two people thinking. That makes them the one game at a wedding or a long lunch that the older guests will actually sit down to — and the one that keeps going while everything louder stops.

Checkers is the version that works best at scale. It has one kind of piece, so a set is simple, and the rules are the ones everybody learned as a child.

Published specs

Three checkers sets, three decisions

Published manufacturer figures for the three giant checkers sets we verified as in stock.
	MegaChess 10 in	MegaChess 4 in	Kettler resin
Pieces	24	24	24 (12 white, 12 black)
Piece size	10 in diameter	4 in diameter	Over 4 in high, 10 in wide
Material	UV-resistant injection-molded plastic	UV-resistant injection-molded plastic	All-weather polypropylene resin
Board	Nylon, 13 in squares, spikes	Nylon, 6 in squares, spikes	Sold separately
Setup	Under 1 minute	Under 1 minute	Not applicable
Published weight	Not published	Not published	32 lb package
Extras	Not published	Not published	6 kinging poles, stacking rods

The square size decides how the game is played. Thirteen-inch squares with 10-inch pieces is a standing game: you walk across the board and push pieces with your foot or pick them up. Six-inch squares with 4-inch pieces is a kneeling game, or a low-table one. Neither is wrong, but they are different events.

The Kettler set is for a board you already have. It is the most solidly specified of the three — a published height, width and package weight, all-weather resin, and kinging poles that solve the stacking problem giant checkers always has. But it is pieces only. It suits a painted patio or a paver grid, not a lawn with nothing on it.

Criteria

How we picked

Verified in stock at the maker. One set we checked first — a wooden chess-and-checkers set from Yard Games — was sold out and is not recommended here.
A published piece size. Size is the whole decision in this category.
Weatherproof pieces, published. A giant game is left outside; all three state their material.

We have not played with any of them. Figures are each maker's own — how we pick.

Dominoes

The other giant board game

Checkers is a two-player game. For a table of four, the giant version of dominoes does the same quiet job for more people — a full 28-tile double-six set at a published 3.5 by 7 inches a tile. It has its own page: best giant dominoes set.

And for the loud end of the same family, giant 4 in a row is the obvious companion — same scale, same “everybody knows how to play,” much faster.

Crowd and occasion

Where giant board games fit

Seniors and low mobility — no throwing, no running, and a 4-inch set plays from a chair.
Weddings — the game the grandparents will sit down to during the cocktail hour.
Giant game storage — the nylon board is the part that suffers if it is left out.

The picks in full

Every pick, with its published specs

Best giant checkers

MegaChess 10 in Giant Checkers with Nylon Board

MegaChess

No product photo

Our spec score

7.4/10

Spec completeness: 6/10
Footprint clarity: 7/10
Durability: 8/10
Pack-down: 6/10

Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.

Twenty-four 10-inch checkers in waterproof, UV-resistant injection-molded plastic on a quick-fold nylon board with 13-inch squares, metal grommets and spikes — published to set up in under a minute.

Skip this if

Skip this if you need to know what it weighs. MegaChess publishes the piece diameter and the square size but no piece height and no set weight — and a board of 13-inch squares needs a lot of flat ground.

What works

The board is included, with spikes to hold it down on grass
UV-resistant plastic is published, so the color survives summers
10 in pieces are readable from standing height
Under a minute to set up

What does not

No published piece height or set weight
Eight 13 in squares make a board roughly nine feet across
No carry bag published

Published specifications

Pieces: 24
Piece diameter: 10 in
Material: Waterproof, UV-resistant injection-molded plastic
Board: Nylon, 13 in squares, metal grommets and spikes
Setup: Under 1 minute
Weather: Stated to withstand outdoor elements and retain its color
Piece height: —
Set weight: —
Carry bag: —

Manufacturer listing: MegaChess published specification

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Best patio-size set

MegaChess 4 in Plastic Giant Checker Set with Board

MegaChess

No product photo

Our spec score

7.3/10

Spec completeness: 6/10
Footprint clarity: 6/10
Durability: 8/10
Pack-down: 9/10

Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.

Twenty-four 4-inch checkers in the same waterproof, UV-resistant plastic on a nylon board with 6-inch squares — the version that fits a patio rather than a lawn.

Skip this if

Skip this if you wanted the spectacle. At 4 inches the pieces are big for a board game but small for a yard, and you play it kneeling or at a low table rather than standing.

What works

A 6 in-square board fits a patio or deck
The same UV-resistant plastic as the large set
Board included
The least expensive way into giant checkers we could verify

What does not

Played kneeling or at a low table — not a standing game
No published piece height or set weight
Overall board dimensions are not published

Published specifications

Pieces: 24
Piece diameter: 4 in
Material: Waterproof, UV-resistant injection-molded plastic
Board: Nylon, 6 in squares, metal grommets and spikes
Setup: Under 1 minute
Weather: Stated tested in heat, humidity, cold and salty environments
Piece height: —
Set weight: —

Manufacturer listing: MegaChess published specification

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Best for a permanent board

Kettler Giant Checker Pieces

Kettler

No product photo

Our spec score

7.2/10

Spec completeness: 7/10
Footprint clarity: 3/10
Durability: 9/10
Pack-down: 4/10

Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.

Twenty-four all-weather polypropylene resin pieces over 4 inches high and 10 inches wide, with six poles for kinging and stacking rods, in a package published at 32 pounds — board sold separately.

Skip this if

Skip this unless you already have a board. Kettler sells the pieces only; you need a painted patio, a paver grid or a separate mat before these are a game.

What works

Published height, width and package weight
Resin pieces heavy enough to stay put in wind
Kinging poles solve the stacking problem giant checkers usually has
All-weather resin, published

What does not

No board — the pieces are only half the game
A 32 lb package is heavy to move around
Individual piece weight is not published

Published specifications

Pieces: 12 white, 12 black
Size: Over 4 in high and 10 in wide
Material: Polypropylene resin, all-weather
Extras: 6 poles for kinging a piece; stacking rods
Package weight: 32 lb
Board: Sold separately
Individual piece weight: —

Manufacturer listing: Kettler USA published specification

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Best overall

Triumph 28-Piece Wood Lawn Domino Set

Triumph

No product photo

Our spec score

6.9/10

Spec completeness: 6/10
Footprint clarity: 2/10
Durability: 6/10
Pack-down: 8/10

Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.

Twenty-eight wooden tiles at a published 3.5 by 7 by 0.5 inches each, varnish finished with color-coded pips, in an Oxford cloth carry bag — the only giant domino set we could verify as purchasable.

Skip this if

Skip this if you wanted a standing-domino-run game. At half an inch thick these are laying tiles, not topplers, and Triumph publishes no weight so you cannot judge whether a breeze will move them.

What works

Publishes an exact tile dimension, which is rare in the giant-games category
28 tiles is the full double-six set, so the standard game works without house rules
Varnish finish is published, which is the difference between a season outdoors and a summer
A carry bag is in the box rather than sold separately

What does not

No published set weight for 28 wooden tiles, which is the one number that decides whether you carry it anywhere
Nothing published about player count, age or how much ground a game needs
Half-inch tiles lay flat well but will not stand up for a domino run, which is what half the buyers want

Published specifications

Pieces: 28
Tile size: 3.5 x 7 x 0.5 in each
Material: Wood
Finish: Varnish finished
Pips: Color-coded
Carry bag: Oxford cloth storage carry bag
Set weight: —
Players: —
Age: —
Footprint: —
Surface: —

Manufacturer listing: Triumph published specification (Escalade Sports)

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FAQ

Questions people actually ask

What size giant checkers should I buy?

Buy by how you want to play. MegaChess publishes 10-inch pieces on a board with 13-inch squares — a standing game for a lawn. Its 4-inch set sits on 6-inch squares, which fits a patio but is played kneeling or at a low table.

Do giant checkers come with a board?

Some do and some do not, and it is the first thing to check. Both MegaChess sets we verified include a nylon board with spikes. Kettler sells its resin pieces only and states the board is sold separately.

How much space does giant checkers need?

The board is eight squares on a side, so multiply. A board of 13-inch squares is roughly nine feet across — our arithmetic from the published square size, not a published figure. Add standing room around it.

Are giant checkers pieces weatherproof?

The ones we verified publish as much. MegaChess describes its pieces as waterproof, UV-resistant injection-molded plastic; Kettler publishes all-weather polypropylene resin. The nylon board is the part to bring in.

Why you can check our work

We have not played these. Every figure above is copied from a manufacturer's published listing or a governing body's published rules, and named so you can verify it. Where a maker publishes nothing, the field is blank rather than filled in. How we pick explains the whole method, including what would change a recommendation.

Every figure on this page is copied from one of these sources. If you find one that is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

Best giant board games

Quick picks

Three checkers sets, three decisions

How we picked

The other giant board game

Where giant board games fit

Every pick, with its published specs

MegaChess 10 in Giant Checkers with Nylon Board

MegaChess 4 in Plastic Giant Checker Set with Board

Kettler Giant Checker Pieces

Triumph 28-Piece Wood Lawn Domino Set

Questions people actually ask

Best giant yard games

Best giant dominoes set

Giant connect four

Yard games for seniors and low-mobility players

Best yard games for a wedding

Giant game storage

Quick picks

Three checkers sets, three decisions

How we picked

The other giant board game

Where giant board games fit

Every pick, with its published specs

MegaChess 10 in Giant Checkers with Nylon Board

MegaChess 4 in Plastic Giant Checker Set with Board

Kettler Giant Checker Pieces

Triumph 28-Piece Wood Lawn Domino Set

Questions people actually ask

Related pages

Best giant yard games

Best giant dominoes set

Giant connect four

Yard games for seniors and low-mobility players

Best yard games for a wedding

Giant game storage