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.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photo GoSports Splash Net Pro Pool Volleyball Net An adjustable pool volleyball net on water-weighted posts, with straps that span a pool up to a published 25 feet, two water volleyballs and a pump — GoSports states it fits virtually any inground pool shape and sets up in ten minutes or less. | Best for an inground pool | 7.0/10 | |
| 2 | No photo GoSports Splash Tower Burst Water Balloon Dunk Tank Throw a kid-safe ball at the target and it pops a water balloon held above the player underneath — published for ages 8 and up, with 100 water balloons, two foam balls, two frame extension tubes and a filling nozzle. | Best water balloon game | 6.7/10 | |
| 3 | No photo GoSports Splash Hoop 360 Floating Pool Basketball Game A floating basketball hoop that GoSports states stays afloat and assembles in seconds, with two water basketballs and a pump — the cheapest complete pool game we could verify. | Best budget pool game | 6.4/10 | |
| 4 | No photo GoSports 6 in Giant Inflatable Dice, 6-Pack Six inflatable dice at a published 6 inches each, with a 2-in-1 dry-erase scoreboard for Rollzee and Farkle, stated for indoor or outdoor use — the biggest dice for the least weight. | Best for pool and beach | 6.4/10 |
A pool party is two parties. One is in the water; the other is on the deck, holding a drink, not swimming. Most pool party advice is only about the first. The games that make the afternoon work are the ones that serve both — and ideally one that moves people between them.
Four games
The shortlist
| Game | Who it serves | What GoSports publishes | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool volleyball | Swimmers, 4 or more | Net spans up to 25 ft; water-weighted bases; 2 balls, pump | 10 minutes or less |
| Floating basketball hoop | Young swimmers | Floats; 2 balls and pump | Seconds |
| Water balloon dunk tower | Everyone — the showpiece | 100 balloons, 2 foam balls, extension tubes; 8+ | Quick, tool-free |
| Inflatable dice | Deck and lawn | 6 x 6 in; Rollzee and Farkle scoreboard | None |
The dunk tower is the one that unites the party. The swimmers climb out to throw at it, the non-swimmers take a turn in the seat, and the extension tubes GoSports publishes mean an adult can sit under it. It is the moment everyone watches. Full page: best backyard dunk tank.
For the swimmers
In the water
Pool volleyball for groups, a floating hoop for children. The volleyball net GoSports publishes spans a pool up to 25 feet on water-weighted bases, so nothing is drilled into the deck. A floating hoop needs no deck access at all and gives when it is hit, which is forgiving for young swimmers. The full comparison is in best pool games.
For everyone else
Around the water
The deck and the lawn need games that do not mind being splashed. Inflatable dice at a published 6 inches are the obvious one — light, silent, and nothing to break if they end up in the pool. The wider list of games that play fine wet is in games that play wet, and the ones that suit a hot afternoon are in yard games in hot weather.
Related
Where this fits
For a children's pool party, the birthday-party advice applies too — yard games for a kids' birthday party. For a party with no pool, the water games that work on a lawn are on the water games hub.
The picks in full
Every pick, with its published specs
Best for an inground pool
GoSports Splash Net Pro Pool Volleyball Net
GoSports
Our spec score
7.0/10
- Spec completeness
- 5/10
- Footprint clarity
- 6/10
- Durability
- 6/10
- Pack-down
- 7/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
An adjustable pool volleyball net on water-weighted posts, with straps that span a pool up to a published 25 feet, two water volleyballs and a pump — GoSports states it fits virtually any inground pool shape and sets up in ten minutes or less.
Skip this if
Skip this if you want to know the net height before you buy. GoSports publishes the maximum span and the setup time but no net height, no post dimensions and no base weight, so you are trusting the fit claim rather than checking it against your pool.
What works
- A published 25 ft maximum span covers most residential inground pools
- Water-weighted bases mean nothing drills into the deck or coping
- Two balls and a pump in the box, so the game is complete
- Adjustable straps rather than a fixed-width net, so an irregular pool still works
What does not
- No published net height, which is the one number that decides whether the game is any good
- No published base weight, and a pool net is only as stable as its bases
- Inground pools only by the maker's own description — not an above-ground pool game
Published specifications
- Included
- Adjustable volleyball net with posts, 2 water volleyballs and a pump
- Maximum net width
- 25 ft; net straps adjust to the pool
- Pool compatibility
- Stated to fit virtually any inground pool — lap, rounded or rectangular
- Bases
- Water weighted
- Setup
- Stated 10 minutes or less
- Net height
- —
- Post material
- —
- Base weight (filled)
- —
- Ball size
- —
- Set weight
- —
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing
Best water balloon game
GoSports Splash Tower Burst Water Balloon Dunk Tank
GoSports
Our spec score
6.7/10
- Spec completeness
- 6/10
- Footprint clarity
- 2/10
- Durability
- 5/10
- Pack-down
- 8/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
Throw a kid-safe ball at the target and it pops a water balloon held above the player underneath — published for ages 8 and up, with 100 water balloons, two foam balls, two frame extension tubes and a filling nozzle.
Skip this if
Skip this if you hate cleanup. Every dunk is a burst balloon, and a hundred balloons is a hundred scraps of latex in the grass that small children and pets will find.
What works
- Uses balloons rather than a tank, so there is no fill time and nothing heavy overhead
- Extension tubes are published for taller players — adults can take the seat
- Foam throwing balls, not hard balls
- A published age floor of eight
What does not
- Every dunk consumes a balloon, and 100 is a finite number at a party
- Balloon scraps are a lawn and pet hazard
- No published height or weight
Published specifications
- How it works
- Hitting the target pops a water balloon held above the seated player
- Age
- 8+
- Included
- 100 water balloons, 2 foam throwing balls, 2 frame extension tubes, hose filling nozzle
- Frame
- Pre-glued PVC
- Assembly
- Stated quick and tool-free
- Tall players
- Extension tubes included
- Height
- —
- Set weight
- —
- Storage
- —
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing
Best budget pool game
GoSports Splash Hoop 360 Floating Pool Basketball Game
GoSports
Our spec score
6.4/10
- Spec completeness
- 3/10
- Footprint clarity
- 5/10
- Durability
- 5/10
- Pack-down
- 9/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
A floating basketball hoop that GoSports states stays afloat and assembles in seconds, with two water basketballs and a pump — the cheapest complete pool game we could verify.
Skip this if
Skip this if you want a real shot at the rim. A floating hoop moves every time a ball hits it, and GoSports publishes no rim diameter, no dimensions and no ball size to tell you how forgiving it is.
What works
- Floats, so it does not depend on pool shape or deck access
- Complete in the box — hoop, two balls and a pump
- Assembles in seconds, published
- A hoop that gives with the water is forgiving for young swimmers
What does not
- No published rim diameter or dimensions at all
- A floating target drifts, so expect to reposition it constantly
- No published material, so nothing to judge sun and chlorine resistance by
Published specifications
- Included
- 1 Splash Hoop, 2 water basketballs, 1 ball pump
- Design
- Floating — stated to stay afloat
- Assembly
- Stated to assemble in seconds
- Rim diameter
- —
- Dimensions
- —
- Material
- —
- Ball size
- —
- Pool type
- —
- Set weight
- —
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing
Best for pool and beach
GoSports 6 in Giant Inflatable Dice, 6-Pack
GoSports
Our spec score
6.4/10
- Spec completeness
- 3/10
- Footprint clarity
- 5/10
- Durability
- 4/10
- Pack-down
- 10/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
Six inflatable dice at a published 6 inches each, with a 2-in-1 dry-erase scoreboard for Rollzee and Farkle, stated for indoor or outdoor use — the biggest dice for the least weight.
Skip this if
Skip this for a hard patio game. GoSports publishes no material for these, and an inflatable die bounces and rolls — fun on sand or in a pool, frustrating on concrete.
What works
- The largest dice in the range at a published 6 in
- Inflatable, so the whole set packs flat
- Scoreboard for two games included
- Nothing to break if it lands on someone
What does not
- No published material
- Bounces unpredictably on hard ground
- An inflatable can puncture; nothing published on repair
Published specifications
- Dice
- 6, 6 x 6 x 6 in each
- Scoreboard
- 2-in-1 dry-erase, Rollzee and Farkle
- Use
- Stated indoor or outdoor
- Material
- —
- Pool use
- —
- Weight
- —
- Age floor
- —
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
What games are best for a pool party?
What pool games work for young children?
What games suit guests who are not swimming?
Are pool games safe?
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
Picks
Yard games by occasion
Fifteen occasion guides — what each event actually demands of a game, and the picks that meet it.
Picks
Best pool games
Pool volleyball or pool basketball — the span, the bases and the pool each one actually fits.
Picks
Best backyard dunk tank
Two portable dunk towers — one that holds water overhead, one that pops a water balloon instead.
Picks
Yard games that play fine wet
Which games survive a hosed-down lawn, by published material — and which are ruined by it.
Guide
Yard games in hot weather
Which games are pleasant at 95 degrees, which to postpone, and what the sun does to equipment.
Picks
Yard games for a kids' birthday party
Twelve children, two hours and no patience for rules — filtered on published age floors.
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.