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 Classic 4 ft x 2 ft Cornhole Set (MDF) Full regulation footprint on an MDF top instead of plywood — the cheapest honest way to get 4 x 2 ft boards, eight bags and a case. | Best cheap regulation set | 7.1/10 | |
| 2 | No photo St. Pierre Sports Professional Bocce Set, 107 mm 107 mm thermo-set composition resin balls built to international bocce specifications and named an official ball of the United States Bocce Federation. | Best overall | 8.8/10 | |
| 3 | No photo Yard Games Giant 4 in a Row A 31 x 23 in wooden board on finished legs with 42 coins at 3.5 in and a carry case, at a published 14.5 lb — the giant game that actually fits on a deck. | Best overall | 8.7/10 | |
| 4 | No photo Yard Games Ladder Toss (Double Wooden Ladder Ball) A finished wood frame with real golf-ball bolas and a nylon case — the version that does not rattle apart the way tube-and-plastic ladder sets do. | Best overall | 7.8/10 | |
| 5 | No photo Kan Jam Original Disc Game Set Two goals and a disc, played at a published 50 ft, with a scoring system that only works because one player deflects for the other — the most genuinely cooperative game on this site. | Best overall | 8.2/10 |
Buying games for a property you rent out is a different problem from buying them for yourself, and the difference is supervision. Whatever you put outside will be used by people who did not read the listing, will not put it away in rain, and will not tell you when something is missing.
So the filter is not “which game is best”. It is which game survives being used badly.
The brief
Four properties a rental game needs
- No rules to explain. Nobody reads a laminated card. Bocce is “get closest to the small ball”; giant 4 in a row is a game everybody already knows. Kubb takes five minutes to teach and will therefore never be played.
- Nothing that degrades outdoors. Guests will leave it out. Solid resin does not care; pine, hardwood, birch, plywood and MDF all do — the full breakdown is in wood vs plastic yard games.
- Few loose parts. Every component is a component that can go home in somebody's bag.
- Nothing that can hurt an unsupervised guest. This rules out one game entirely.
| Game | Loose parts | Left outside | Rental verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bocce | 8 balls plus a pallino | Fine — solid resin | Best on the list |
| Cornhole | 2 boards, 8 bags | Boards must be stored dry | Expected by guests; needs a shed |
| Giant 4 in a row | Board, legs, 42 coins | Frame needs hard ground; do not leave out | Good, count the coins |
| Ladder toss | 2 frames, 6 bolas | Dry the frames | Good |
| Kan Jam | 2 goals, 1 disc | Plastic — fine | Good, but needs 60 ft |
| Giant yard dice | 6 dice, scoreboard | No — pine | Only with indoor storage |
| Molkky | 13 pins | No — birch | Only with indoor storage |
| Kubb | 17 pieces plus markers | No — hardwood | Needs teaching; skip it |
| Croquet | 6 mallets, 6 balls, 9 wickets, 2 stakes | No | Too many parts |
| Spikeball | Rim, legs, net, balls | Broadly fine | Only for an athletic property |
| Horseshoes | 4 shoes, 2 stakes | Steel | No — unsupervised, and needs pits |
The expectation
Cornhole is what guests look for
Whatever the material argument says, guests arriving at a rental with a lawn expect to find cornhole. It is worth having for that reason alone — a listing photo with boards on the grass does work that a bocce case does not.
The trade is storage. A regulation court needs 33 by 10 feet, and the boards are plywood or MDF on a wooden frame. Plywood delaminates and MDF swells irreversibly the first time it gets properly wet, which at a rental it will. The honest options are:
- A budget MDF regulation set plus dry storage and a clear instruction that it goes back. Cheap to replace when it eventually is not.
- An all-weather set, which is built for the exposure rather than tolerating it — see all-weather vs wood cornhole.
What does not work is a good solid-wood set left on the lawn all season.
Shortlist
What to buy
- A bocce set. Nine pieces, resin, no rules, plays on any ground. If you buy one thing, this.
- A regulation cornhole set you are willing to replace. Guests expect it and it photographs well. Give it a shed.
- Giant 4 in a Row. Published 14.5 pounds with a carrying case, about 6 by 6 feet, works on a patio when the lawn is soaked. Count the 42 coins at changeover.
- Ladder toss. Small footprint, no ground preparation, and six bolas is a manageable number of things to lose.
For the guest-side version of the same weekend, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and for how each material ages outdoors, weatherproof yard games.
The picks in full
Every pick, with its published specs
Best cheap regulation set
GoSports Classic 4 ft x 2 ft Cornhole Set (MDF)
GoSports
Our spec score
7.1/10
- Spec completeness
- 6/10
- Footprint clarity
- 8/10
- Durability
- 5/10
- Pack-down
- 8/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
Full regulation footprint on an MDF top instead of plywood — the cheapest honest way to get 4 x 2 ft boards, eight bags and a case.
Skip this if
Skip this if the set will be stored in a shed or left under a tarp. MDF and moisture are a one-way relationship; plywood is the upgrade that matters.
What works
- Regulation size at the bottom of the price band — the geometry is identical to the expensive sets
- Eight bags and a case included, which budget sets usually strip out first
What does not
- MDF swells if it gets wet and never comes back flat
- Lighter frame means the boards walk on a hard surface when bags land heavy
Published specifications
- Court footprint
- 33 ft x 10 ft (about 330 sq ft)
- Board size
- 4 ft x 2 ft (regulation)
- Playing surface
- MDF
- Bags
- 8 included
- Case
- Included
- Set weight
- —
- Players
- 2 or 4
- Age floor
- —
- Surface
- Grass, hard
Source: American Cornhole League published rules
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Not published by the manufacturer.
Source: American Cornhole League published rules
Not published by the manufacturer.
Source: American Cornhole League published rules
Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing
Best overall
St. Pierre Sports Professional Bocce Set, 107 mm
St. Pierre
Our spec score
8.8/10
- Spec completeness
- 9/10
- Footprint clarity
- 9/10
- Durability
- 9/10
- Pack-down
- 6/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
107 mm thermo-set composition resin balls built to international bocce specifications and named an official ball of the United States Bocce Federation.
Skip this if
Skip this if the set is mainly for kids or a beach bag. Full-size 107 mm balls are heavy enough that a small player cannot roll one accurately.
What works
- Official ball of the United States Bocce Federation — the strongest sourcing claim of any set here
- Striped for 2, 3 or 4 players, which is the format most backyard games actually use
- Thermo-set resin holds its shape on gravel where softer resins scar
What does not
- Full 107 mm weight is a lot of ball for a mixed-age game
- No published set weight for the carry
Published specifications
- Court footprint
- 86.92 ft x 13.12 ft (about 1,140 sq ft)
- Backyard footprint
- About 60 ft x 12 ft
- Ball diameter
- 107 mm
- Ball material
- Thermo-set composition resin
- Balls
- 8 (4 dark red, 4 dark green), striped for 2 to 4 players
- Pallino
- 57 mm yellow
- Players
- 2 to 4
- Age floor
- —
- Surface
- Grass, sand, gravel, dirt
Source: United States Bocce Federation regulation court
Source: Commonly published recreational court size
Source: St. Pierre product listing
Source: St. Pierre product listing
Source: St. Pierre product listing
Source: St. Pierre product listing
Source: St. Pierre product listing
Not published by the manufacturer.
Source: United States Bocce Federation — bocce is played on prepared or natural surfaces
Manufacturer listing: St. Pierre product listing
Best overall
Yard Games Giant 4 in a Row
Yard Games
Our spec score
8.7/10
- Spec completeness
- 10/10
- Footprint clarity
- 9/10
- Durability
- 7/10
- Pack-down
- 9/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
A 31 x 23 in wooden board on finished legs with 42 coins at 3.5 in and a carry case, at a published 14.5 lb — the giant game that actually fits on a deck.
Skip this if
Skip this if you were picturing a four-foot-tall board. This one is roughly waist height, which is why it packs down and the tall ones do not.
What works
- Publishes board size, overall size, coin diameter and weight — the most complete spec sheet of any giant game here
- 14.5 lb is genuinely one-hand portable
- 3.5 in coins are big enough that they do not vanish into a lawn
What does not
- Two players only — it does not absorb a crowd the way a stacking tower does
- Wooden frame on legs is a tipping risk on soft ground
Published specifications
- Footprint
- About 6 ft x 6 ft of clear space
- Board
- 31 in x 23 in wooden board with finished legs and frame
- Overall size
- 33 in x 3 in x 22 in
- Coins
- 42 (21 red, 21 blue), 3.5 in diameter
- Weight
- 14.5 lb
- Case
- Carrying case included
- Players
- 2
- Age floor
- —
Source: Derived from the published 33 x 22 in overall size plus standing room on both sides
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Yard Games product listing
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: Yard Games product listing
Best overall
Yard Games Ladder Toss (Double Wooden Ladder Ball)
Yard Games
Our spec score
7.8/10
- Spec completeness
- 6/10
- Footprint clarity
- 8/10
- Durability
- 8/10
- Pack-down
- 8/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
A finished wood frame with real golf-ball bolas and a nylon case — the version that does not rattle apart the way tube-and-plastic ladder sets do.
Skip this if
Skip this if you need the set to stand up in wind. A wooden ladder frame has a big sail area and no ground stakes.
What works
- Golf-ball bolas have real mass, so they wrap a rung instead of bouncing off
- Wood frame stays rigid where PVC flexes and drops the top rung
- About 160 sq ft of lawn — one of the smallest footprints on the site
What does not
- No published weight or packed dimensions
- Wooden ladders blow over in a breeze
Published specifications
- Footprint
- About 20 ft x 8 ft (about 160 sq ft)
- Toss distance
- 15 ft
- Scoring
- 3 top rung, 2 middle, 1 bottom; first to exactly 21
- Bolas
- 6, real golf balls
- Frame
- Finished wood
- Case
- Durable nylon carrying case
- Players
- 2 or 4
- Set weight
- —
Source: Derived from the commonly published 15 ft toss line plus a ladder and standing room at each end
Source: Commonly published ladder toss rules
Source: Commonly published ladder toss rules
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Commonly published ladder toss rules
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: Yard Games product listing
Best overall
Kan Jam Original Disc Game Set
Kan Jam
Our spec score
8.2/10
- Spec completeness
- 6/10
- Footprint clarity
- 9/10
- Durability
- 7/10
- Pack-down
- 9/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
Two goals and a disc, played at a published 50 ft, with a scoring system that only works because one player deflects for the other — the most genuinely cooperative game on this site.
Skip this if
Skip this if you have an odd number of players who all want to throw. Kan Jam is built around pairs and does not adapt to three.
What works
- 50 ft of length but almost no width — it fits a long narrow yard where cornhole does not
- The deflection rule means a weaker thrower still decides points
- Goals nest, so the whole game is one trip
What does not
- Needs exactly four to play the real game
- Published rules do not give goal dimensions or set weight
Published specifications
- Footprint
- About 60 ft x 20 ft (about 1,200 sq ft)
- Goal distance
- 50 ft apart
- Players
- 4 (2 v 2)
- Scoring
- 1 deflection, 2 direct hit, 3 into the goal, instant win through the slot
- Winning score
- Exactly 21
- Age floor
- —
- Set weight
- —
- Surface
- Grass, sand, hard
Source: Kan Jam published rules — goals 50 ft apart plus deflection room at each end
Source: Kan Jam published rules
Source: Kan Jam published rules
Source: Kan Jam published rules
Source: Kan Jam published rules
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Source: Kan Jam published rules
Manufacturer listing: Kan Jam published rules
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
What yard games should a vacation rental have?
What should you not put in a rental?
How do you stop pieces going missing?
Should you buy the cheap version for a rental?
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
Yard games for a bachelor or bachelorette party
A group that came to talk, not to play — what gets used at a rented house anyway.
Guide
Wood vs plastic yard games
Pine, hardwood, resin, MDF and plywood — what each published material does over a season.
Guide
Replacing lost yard game parts
Which single missing components kill a whole set, and what to keep a spare of.
Guide
Yard game safety and age floors
What each maker actually publishes about age, and how to judge the games that publish nothing.
Guide
Weatherproof yard games
Every game ranked on what actually happens when it is left outside, by published material.
Sources
- American Cornhole League — rules and regulations
- United States Bocce Federation — open rules
- Kan Jam — how to play
- NHPA — official rules and specifications
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.