The tent's up, the food's eaten, and it's 8:40pm with no telly, no wi-fi and one bar of signal that comes and goes with the wind. Perfect. The best camping games were designed for exactly this century-old situation, and the one modern option on this page needs no signal either.
Sitting in a circle in the half-dark is the native habitat of the talking game.
A scavenger hunt is twenty minutes of peace for the adults: deal a list of ten finds below, send everyone out in pairs, then judge the haul back at the table with full pomp. Tap each find off as it lands. Rounders, french cricket or boules with pinecones if anyone packed nothing but enthusiasm.
Here's the trick most people don't know: a phone hotspot doesn't need a connection to carry a local game. Mortified runs entirely over the host's hotspot, no internet at all: one person has the app, everyone else joins by QR code from their own phone, and the whole game happens right there in the tent. Fifteen people, one field, zero bars.
Out now on Google Play
The party game that works in a field.
Runs on the host's hotspot with no internet at all, everyone joining by QR from their own phone. Download it before you leave home; the campsite doesn't need to cooperate.
See how it playsFree to try. One £3.99 unlocks the full game, every pack.
Werewolf, two truths and a lie, fortunately-unfortunately, I went to market, twenty questions and wink murder all need nothing but the circle you're already sitting in. That's most of an evening before anyone misses a board.
All the classics, obviously. On phones, Mortified needs no internet: the host's phone makes a hotspot, everyone joins it by QR code, and the game runs locally. No bars required, download it before you leave home.
Small-space games: twenty questions, I went to market, two truths, consequences if anyone packed a pen. Mortified works lying down, which at hour three of rain matters more than you'd think.
Werewolf after dark is the classic for a reason. Two truths and a lie sharpens up nicely with old friends, and Mortified's scenarios were basically written for a circle of adults with a fire and a history.
The whole toolbox is on the games night guide, including a picker that filters by what you've got with you. And if one phone opened the instant games before you left signal behind, they keep working in the field.
Charade!
The acting game, fed.
4–10 playersOne phone
Your charade
The last biscuit in the tin, defended
Deal a card, hand this phone to your victim, and they act it out in silence. Whoever guesses gets dealt next.
The Duel
Two of you. One kettle.
2 players60 seconds
Your duel
Alternate naming crisp flavours. First to blank makes the tea.
The stakes are traditional and non-negotiable. Best of three for the biscuits as well.
The Letter Round
Name things. Fast.
2–8 playersNo kit
Crisp flavours
Round the circle: things in the category starting with the letter. Hesitate, repeat or blank and you're out.
Who Goes First?
Settle it like adults.
Any numberZero arguments
Phone flat in the middle of the table.
Spin. The arrow picks. Losers are welcome to argue with physics.
The Hunt
Ten finds. Full pomp at the judging.
Pairs or solo20 minutes of peace
Your list
Deal a list, send the teams out, and tap each find as it lands on the judging table. The judge's decision is final and openly accepting bribes.
The Cracker
A joke and a forfeit in every one.
Whole table🎄 Seasonal special
Why did the snowman refuse the carrot? He already nose everything.
