Net games are the outlier family on this site, and the reason is shape. Almost everything else we cover plays down a corridor: cornhole is 33 by 10, Kan Jam is 60 by 20, ladder toss is 20 by 8. Net games need space in every direction, because the play radiates outward from the net rather than traveling along a line.
That makes them the wrong purchase for a narrow yard and an excellent one for an open lawn, a park or a beach.
Space and crowd
The two games, compared
| Game | Court | Footprint | Players | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spikeball | 3 ft net, 15 ft service circle | About 30 x 30 ft | 4 (2 v 2) | Tolerable |
| Badminton (full doubles) | 44 x 20 ft | 880 sq ft | 2 or 4 | Unplayable in a breeze |
| Badminton (casual) | About 30 x 15 ft | About 450 sq ft | 2 or 4 | Unplayable in a breeze |
Spikeball's footprint is the interesting one because there is no fixed boundary in the rules at all. Play radiates outward from the net; the published geometry is the 3-foot net and the 15-foot-diameter service circle, and everything beyond that is wherever the ball goes. Thirty by thirty feet is the honest working number for a game that will not constantly stop.
Character
What these two games are actually for
Spikeball is a sport
Four players, rally scoring, a 3-foot net and a governing body. It is genuinely athletic: quick feet, dives, and a real skill ceiling. If your group plays sport, this is the best purchase on this website. If your group does not, it will be played twice. See Spikeball sets.
Badminton is the gentlest net game there is
A shuttlecock decelerates hard, which gives a slower player time to get there. That makes badminton the most age-inclusive net game — and the same lightness makes it completely unplayable in wind. See badminton sets.
Cross-check
Fits your yard, fits your crowd
- Big lawns — the only space category where these are a comfortable fit.
- Beach and sand — Spikeball is at its best on sand, and the dives stop hurting.
- Games for adults — Spikeball anchors this list alongside cornhole.
- Spikeball vs Kan Jam — the comparison people actually want, since both are four-player and fast.
Newly added
Two new games in this family
Pickleball and volleyball now sit alongside badminton and Spikeball here. They are the two ends of this family's footprint range: a portable pickleball net is 22 feet wide and wants a hard, flat rectangle, which in most households means the driveway rather than the lawn — see pickleball sets for a driveway. A backyard volleyball net is the opposite problem: 32 feet of span and a published 60 by 30 foot boundary, which is the second largest footprint of any game we cover.
The two existing games also gained buying pages for the decision each one actually hinges on: portable badminton nets and Spikeball standard vs Pro.
Newly added
Three new buying pages for the nets themselves
The net is the part with a published specification to hit. Volleyball nets are compared on span and anchoring in portable volleyball nets; pickleball nets against the USA Pickleball 22 ft, 36 in and 34 in figures in portable pickleball nets; and family sets in badminton sets for kids. Every published net height on the site now sits in one table in backyard net heights, and the two head-to-heads are volleyball vs badminton and Spikeball vs volleyball.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
How much space do net games need?
Are net games good for mixed ages?
Do net games work in wind?
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.
Read next
Related pages
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Weatherproof table tennis tables ranked on the specs each maker publishes — and the one none of them does.
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Spikeball alternatives
Roundnet is the game, Spikeball a brand — three alternative sets and what each is built for.
Picks
Best volleyball net for a backyard
32 ft of net, a 60 by 30 ft boundary and a published 21 lb set weight — the most fully specified net system here.
Picks
Best portable pickleball net
22 feet wide, 36 inches tall, and the one portable net we could verify as in stock.
Picks
Spikeball sets
Pro versus Standard on published rim strength, ball type and included pump — the same game either way.
Picks
Backyard badminton sets
Portable net, rackets and shuttlecocks — the gentlest net game, with an honest wind caveat.
Sources
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.