26 DIY Pool Games For Adults
Stock up on cold beers, find the fun floaties, and gather your friends as we dive into the best pool games for adults!
You can read all of my game guides here.
Explore GTQ’s list of adult games.
Racing and Chasing Games
Colors is another rapid-fire guessing game, with high-intensity chases across the pool and a stealth game.
One participant stands at the edge of the pool, facing away from the pool, while everyone else is perpendicular to this person, going back and forth across a set distance.
Each person has a color in mind, and the participant takes turns guessing colors.
When your color is chosen, you must try to cross the pool before the other participant jumps in and grabs you.
The trick is to be as stealthy as possible so the participant doesn’t know you’re crossing or finds out too late.
A favorite game of swim clubs worldwide, the Watermelon Relay Race incorporates high-speed intensity with a sizable challenge.
Players organize into teams, with the objective of moving a watermelon from one end of a pool to the other.
The catch?
The watermelon is greased up using petroleum jelly, so it is slippery.
A referee drops the watermelon in the middle of the pool, and the two teams try to get the greasy fruit to either end of the pool using their hands and feet.
Hugging the watermelon is not allowed.
The Movie Game is a great way to combine creativity and agility while reliving your favorite films.
One person sits at the pool’s edge while everyone else holds to the other side.
The lone person then begins to explain the plot of a movie of their choice with as vague and nondescript a synopsis as possible.
For example, if the person picked Star Wars, their description could be ‘an orphan meets up with his long-lost father with a complicated past, eventually working with a team of outcasts to take down his father’s business.’
Once someone can guess what the movie is, they swim at a rapid pace to be the first person to reach the other side of the pool.
The first person to reach the other end of the pool has the chance to guess the movie.
The first person to guess correctly wins a point and gets the chance to be the person describing the movie next.
When played by children, Marco Polo may be a humorous game, but with adults, it can become a hilarious sight of grown men and women wandering around the pool with their eyes closed, screaming out the name of an old explorer.
One player (Marco) closes their eyes and tries to tag others by calling “Marco,” while the other players respond with “Polo” and attempt to avoid being caught.
Once tagged, the new Marco continues the pursuit.
Freeze Tag is similar to a standard game of tag, except that teammates work together to cooperate by unfreezing each other through a touch.
Combining the cardio-intensive tag race with teamwork and collaboration, Freeze Tag is a great strategic edge to the original game.
Of all of the swimming pool games for adults, Freeze Tag incorporates all adults who enjoy a mix of swimming and light-hearted competition.
Chicken Fight is a classic game that combines a test of coordination with the strength involved in wrestling.
Two teams of two players each, where one player acts as the “chicken” and sits on the shoulders of their teammate (the “carrier”).
The objective is to knock the other chicken into the water while protecting your own.
This game is a great option for groups of four adventurous adults who want to have some friendly competition and physical fun in the pool.
In Inflatable Derby, players get on an inflatable pool toy (e.g., unicorn, flamingo) and race to the other side of the pool and back.
Both flamboyant and competitive, racers can exercise some silliness while also testing the speed limits of an inflatable flamingo.
Sports
Grab a water football of your choice and head into the pool, organizing for a traditional game of football played in the water.
The traditional rules of football apply, with one team playing offense with the goal of making it across the pool to a designated ‘end zone.’
It should be emphasized that the end zone should not be up against the pool’s edge since that could end in injury.
One quarterback holds the ball while the receivers swim around the pool hoping to get open, while the defense swims in stride with the offense attempting to block a pass or get an interception.
Football fans will find this game highly entertaining, along with anyone looking for intense competition.
In this game, competitors work against the water’s current to create space between them and their defenders.
This can be played with a water-specific American football, a soccer ball, or a light beach ball.
Set up a poolside basketball hoop and take turns shooting the ball into the net, with the extra factor of playing in the pool making for a fun additional challenge.
There are plenty of ways to make a game out of pool basketball, from a traditional shoot-off, H-O-R-S-E, or if there are enough people, you can play an actual traditional game to a certain score.
It appeals to larger groups willing to compete in some athletic activities or basketball enthusiasts who want to showcase their skills in a unique setting.
Volleyball is a great option for the pool, the net and general layout applying nicely to a pool setup.
According to the traditional rules of volleyball, teams on each side try to get the ball over the net without letting it touch the water.
Regular volleyball rules apply, but some adjustments are allowed due to the pool setting.
This game is a great option for energetic competitors looking for intense sports and cardio.
Pool Hunts
Players sit on the pool bottom and try to gather the best poker hand by collecting cards scattered underwater.
This game is a great option for card game lovers up for a breath-holding challenge with a poolside twist.
A poolside scavenger hunt is a great way to use some imagination and send a whole party on a detective chase for all of the secret items around the pool.
An anonymous member hides various items around the pool area, creating a list of clues for teams to find them.
The winner is the first team to find all the items on the list.
Items could be things that already exist in the poolside, like plants, items that have been added to the area, or themes such as something blue or something that smells sweet.
Teams can retrieve items or take photos of them as evidence that they have been located.
Scavenger hunts are also featured in our guide to beach games for adults.
A floating treasure hunt is a fun twist on a traditional scavenger hunt, with diving and cross-pool swimming mixed in.
The items tossed into the pool are not secret; they are tossed in generous quantities all over the pool, from the shallow to the deep end.
Players must swim and collect as many items as possible within a given time frame, with deep-diving mixed in with scouring the shallow end with their feet.
Poolside Activities
Test your coordination with the risk of a big splash with an old-fashioned water balloon toss.
Divide into pairs and stand facing each other, one person holding a water balloon.
The one holding the balloon tosses to the other, each person taking a step back after each successful catch.
The game goes on, with the distance between the throwers growing steadily until only one unpopped balloon is left.
A little more reserved with additional back-and-forth exchange, poolside charades combine social gaming with a poolside theme.
Each team takes their turn using a chosen word and trying to get their teammates to guess the word in the process.
Who doesn’t love a quiz to test their friends’ knowledge on topics they love?
Create a set of questions around a theme such as movies, TV, music, sports, or even facts about the friends at the pool party for the quizmaster to ask, and then tally up the scores to see who knows the most about the topic.
The beauty of this game in a pool setting is that the number of participants is unlimited.
Another bonus is here at Games & Trivia Quizzes we have our trivia catalog already made for you!
We also have this nifty guide to quiz rounds, including picture rounds, music, and unusual rounds your guests would never think of.
Limbo in the Pool is a watery twist on the classic stretch-to-the-floor game.
Participants hold a pool noodle across the pool and challenge players to limbo under it while in the water.
This game is a great option for flexible and fun-loving adults who enjoy testing their limbo skills at the beach.
Limbo is also featured in our BBQ games for adults guide.
Set up a long water slide leading into the pool, and participants slide down to reach the farthest point.
Slip ‘n Slide makes for a hilarious showing of a complete lack of style and grace as everyone in the party stumbles to the finish, usually covered in grass and mud as they make their way toward the pool.
Set up a poolside karaoke station and take turns singing your favorite tunes while others enjoy the water.
If you are looking to make the game competitive, set up a team of judges to determine who put on the best show.
If your guests play an instrument, get them to play while others sing along.
This game is a great option for music enthusiasts who aren’t afraid to sing their hearts out and entertain the crowd and may be looking for something less competitive.
Contests
The splash contest is a classic game that has been around as long as there have been diving boards.
Contestants take turns doing their most impressive and creative splash into the pool, with different contestants unleashing cannonballs as large as they can possibly get.
Judges score based on the size of the initial splash, the following waves, and the style and technique of the cannonball.
In the belly flop contest, participants take turns performing their best belly flop, unabashed and bold, into the pool.
Judges score each flop based on style and splash, with special marks for those that show utter fearlessness in their pursuit of the master flop.
Drinking Games
Poolside Mixology is a win-win game when it comes to games to play at a pool party.
The mixologists compete, and everyone gets to taste their creations.
Set up a poolside bar area with all the ingredients to make delicious cocktails.
Each participant creates their signature poolside drink, and judges rank them by taste and creativity.
Note: milk-based cocktail ingredients will require a reliable cooler.
You may also like our tea party games for adults, which features a mixing game like this.
Set up a beer pong table by the poolside and take turns attempting to get small balls into red solo cups.
If a ball lands in a cup, the opponent has to drink its contents.
Similar to beer pong, but with a floating beer pong table in the pool.
Players must make shots while in the water, adding an extra challenge to the classic game.
Go back to college for the day with a game of flip-cup by the pool.
Form two teams and have each player drink from a cup, usually a red solo cup, before attempting to flip it over with their fingers.
The team that finishes first wins.
Flip Cup is a lighthearted pool drinking game for adults who want to have fun and laugh by the pool.
Try next: Cocktail Party Games for Adults.
Is there a themed quiz you’d like us to make? Tell us in the comments or contact us.