Cornhole Alternatives: Four Throwing Games That Are Not Cornhole

Q: What is a good alternative to cornhole for a small yard?

Ladder toss, which publishes a 15 ft throw and needs about 20 by 8 ft, or washer toss at about 20 ft — against cornhole's 33 by 10 ft ACL court.

Q: What plays like cornhole but for more people?

Kan Jam for four, with teams built into the format. For larger groups, a turn-based game such as Molkky works better than another two-a-side game.

Q: Is there a cornhole alternative that works indoors?

Quoits and ring toss — rope rings are safe indoors, and both are published for indoor and outdoor use.

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	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	$39.99 · View on Amazon Price as of October 19, 2026. #ad How we make money
2	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	$65.99 · View on Amazon Price as of October 19, 2026. #ad How we make money
3	GoSports Premium Birch Wood Washer Toss Game Two solid birch targets that arrive fully assembled and latch together into one object to carry, with eight plastic-coated steel washers and a construction-grade PVC cup in each target.	Best overall	7.2/10	$49.99 · View on Amazon Price as of October 19, 2026. #ad How we make money
4	Triumph Wood Quoit Target Outdoor Lawn Game Set Six 6.5-inch sisal rope rings and two stackable solid wood targets with 9-inch pins, scored 3 for a ringer and 1 for a ring on the platform, with a tournament distance published at 21 feet between pins.	Best quoits set	7.4/10	$27.99 · View on Amazon Price as of October 19, 2026. #ad How we make money

Cornhole is the most popular backyard game in America and it is the right answer surprisingly often. It is the wrong answer in three specific situations: when the yard cannot take a 33 foot corridor, when the party is bigger than four, and when you already own a set and want something that feels different.

All four games below are already covered individually on this site. What follows is the short version of when each one beats the boards.

The baseline

What cornhole actually requires

ACL published rules, as the benchmark the alternatives are measured against.
Element	Cornhole
Court	33 ft x 10 ft (about 330 sq ft)
Board separation	27 ft, front to front
Board size	4 ft x 2 ft
Bags	8, 16 oz each
Players	2 or 4
Set weight	38 lb on the set we recommend

What to buy instead

The four alternatives

Kan Jam — when you want teamwork, not turns

Published at 50 feet between goals and 4 players as 2 v 2, finishing at exactly 21. The deflection rule makes every throw a two-person act, which is the thing cornhole never does. It needs more length than cornhole but far less width. See Kan Jam sets.

Ladder toss — when the yard is short

A published 15 foot throw, six bolas with real golf balls, and the same exactly-21 endgame cornhole players already understand. Roughly 20 by 8 feet, which fits a side yard cornhole cannot. See ladder toss.

Washer toss — when you want cornhole, smaller

This is the closest thing to cornhole in miniature: two targets, three points in the cup and one in the box, played to 21 at about 20 feet. Two solid birch boxes that sit on the grass, no pits and no assembly. See washer toss.

Quoits — when you want it to work indoors too

Six sisal rope rings pitched between two stackable wooden targets with 9 inch pins. Rope means it is safe on a deck or in a room, which extends the season past the first wet weekend. See quoits sets.

The shortlist

Picking by what is wrong with cornhole for you

Published figures for the four alternatives.
If the problem is	Buy	Because
The yard is too short	Ladder toss	15 ft published throw, about 20 x 8 ft total
Everyone is queueing	Kan Jam	Published 2 v 2 with partner deflection
You want the same game, smaller	Washer toss	Same 3-and-1 scoring to 21, about 20 ft
Rain keeps stopping play	Quoits	Rope rings, published for indoors and out
You already own boards	Any of the four	None of them repeats the cornhole motion

The picks in full

Every pick, with its published specs

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

Manufacturer listing: Kan Jam published rules

$39.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 19, 2026. #ad How we make money

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: —

Manufacturer listing: Yard Games product listing

$65.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 19, 2026. #ad How we make money

Best overall

GoSports Premium Birch Wood Washer Toss Game

GoSports

Our spec score

7.2/10

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

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

Two solid birch targets that arrive fully assembled and latch together into one object to carry, with eight plastic-coated steel washers and a construction-grade PVC cup in each target.

Skip this if

Skip this if you wanted the dimensions on paper. GoSports states the set meets regulation size guidelines but does not publish a box size, a cup diameter or a throwing distance, so you are trusting the claim rather than checking it.

What works

Latching targets turn a two-piece game into one object to carry, which nothing else in this family does
Solid birch rather than a composite, and GoSports publishes the material plainly
Eight washers means four-player doubles works out of the box rather than needing a second set
Arrives assembled, so there is no build step before the first throw

What does not

GoSports claims regulation size but publishes no box dimension, cup diameter or throwing distance to check it against
No published set weight, so you cannot plan the carry before it arrives
Birch is untreated wood — this is a bring-it-indoors set, not one that lives on a lawn

Published specifications

Targets: 2
Washers: 8 (4 red, 4 blue)
Washer material: Plastic coated steel
Target material: 100% solid birch wood
Target base: Felt lined
Cup: Construction-grade PVC pipe mounted in the center
Assembly: Arrives fully assembled
Carry: Targets latch together for transport and storage
Regulation claim: Stated to meet regulation size guidelines for practice and competitive use
Box dimensions: —
Cup diameter: —
Throwing distance: —
Washer diameter: —
Set weight: —
Players: —

Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing

$49.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 19, 2026. #ad How we make money

Best quoits set

Triumph Wood Quoit Target Outdoor Lawn Game Set

Triumph

Our spec score

7.4/10

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

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

Six 6.5-inch sisal rope rings and two stackable solid wood targets with 9-inch pins, scored 3 for a ringer and 1 for a ring on the platform, with a tournament distance published at 21 feet between pins.

Skip this if

Skip this if you wanted metal quoits. These are rope rings on wooden targets — the lawn version of the game — and they suit a patio or a picnic, not a pitch dug into the ground.

What works

A published tournament distance and a published scoring rule
Rope rings — safe indoors, on a deck, around children
Targets stack with the rings stored on the pins
Solid wood targets, published

What does not

No published target dimensions
No carry bag published
Rope rings are the lawn game, not the traditional metal one

Published specifications

Rings: 6 (3 red, 3 blue), 6.5 in, sisal rope
Targets: 2 stackable solid wood targets, 9 in pins
Scoring: Ringer 3 points; ring on the target platform 1 point
Distance: 21 ft between pins stated for tournament play; any distance for fun
Players: 1 v 1 or teams of two
Storage: Targets stack with the rings wrapped around the pins
Target dimensions: —
Carry bag: —

Manufacturer listing: Triumph published specification (Escalade Sports)

$27.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 19, 2026. #ad How we make money

FAQ

Questions people actually ask

What is a good alternative to cornhole for a small yard?

Ladder toss or washer toss. Ladder toss publishes a 15 foot throw and needs roughly 20 by 8 feet; washer toss is commonly played at about 20 feet. Cornhole's ACL court is 33 by 10 feet, so both cut the length by a third or more.

What plays like cornhole but for more people?

Kan Jam, if the group is four, and Molkky if it is more. Cornhole and Kan Jam both publish 4 players, but Kan Jam's teams are built into the format. For genuinely large groups the answer is a turn-based game rather than another two-a-side one.

Is there a cornhole alternative that works indoors?

Quoits and ring toss, because rope rings are safe to throw in a room. Both of the wooden-target games here are published as usable indoors and out, which no cornhole set claims.

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.

Cornhole alternatives

Quick picks

What cornhole actually requires

The four alternatives

Kan Jam — when you want teamwork, not turns

Ladder toss — when the yard is short

Washer toss — when you want cornhole, smaller

Quoits — when you want it to work indoors too

Picking by what is wrong with cornhole for you

Every pick, with its published specs

Kan Jam Original Disc Game Set

Yard Games Ladder Toss (Double Wooden Ladder Ball)

GoSports Premium Birch Wood Washer Toss Game

Triumph Wood Quoit Target Outdoor Lawn Game Set

Questions people actually ask

Best cornhole boards

Toss & target games

Cornhole vs Kan Jam

Cornhole vs washer toss

Cornhole vs ladder toss

Quick picks

What cornhole actually requires

The four alternatives

Kan Jam — when you want teamwork, not turns

Ladder toss — when the yard is short

Washer toss — when you want cornhole, smaller

Quoits — when you want it to work indoors too

Picking by what is wrong with cornhole for you

Every pick, with its published specs

Kan Jam Original Disc Game Set

Yard Games Ladder Toss (Double Wooden Ladder Ball)

GoSports Premium Birch Wood Washer Toss Game

Triumph Wood Quoit Target Outdoor Lawn Game Set

Questions people actually ask

Related pages

Best cornhole boards

Toss & target games

Cornhole vs Kan Jam

Cornhole vs washer toss

Cornhole vs ladder toss