Who wants to fly a drone?
Imagine at your next get-together with friends or family, after an amazing barbecue, you surprise everyone by placing one or two drones on the table. Curiosity kicks in fast—and once you announce a drone-flying contest, that curiosity turns into pure excitement and a race to be first in line.
We’re going to suggest several games light on the wallet you can play, safe, and durable drones designed for indoor flying.
Alternatively, you can opt for slightly larger drones with better features that can be used for other purposes. It’s up to you!
All the games we suggest can be played in three modes:
Mode 1 – Live Competition: Two or more players with identical drones compete in different challenges, all at the same time, like a Formula 1 race. This is the most fun and competitive mode.
Mode 2 – Timed Competition: If you only have one drone, you can compete by timing how long it takes each player to complete each game.
Mode 3 – Solo: Of course, you can also play alone, simply for the pleasure of flying a drone or challenging yourself to improve your completion times.
And what are the games? We’ll explain them below, ordered from easiest to most difficult. If you’ve never flown a drone before, start with Game 1, then move on to Game 2, and so on.
For these explanations, we’ll assume you’re competing in Mode 1, with at least two drones at once.
Drone games
Game #1 – Running and landing
This is the simplest game, perfect for beginners.
Set up a takeoff point and a landing zone for each drone, with the same flight distance for all players.
At the signal “3, 2, 1, go!” everyone takes off, and the first to land correctly within their landing zone wins.
You can use a tile, books, or sheets of paper with circles drawn on them as landing zones. We’ve prepared a PDF template with four landing zones in different colors that you can print and cut out, like the ones shown in the image below.
Ready to level up? Add some obstacles to the flight path, such as having to fly over a table. Or take off from under a table and land on a chair. Get creative and go wild!
Game #2 – Hoop through a hoop
This game adds a challenge to the previous one. Between takeoff and landing, each player must pass through a hoop, similar to this:
To increase competitiveness and fun, you can use a single hoop that all players must pass through. The winner is the first player to take off, pass through the hoop, and land correctly in their landing zone.
Want more of a challenge? You can also set up multiple hoops that players must pass through in a specific order. Or use hoops of progressively smaller sizes.
For hoops, you can use pool noodles, hula hoops, or anything else at home that resembles a hoop. You can even create one from cardboard by drawing and cutting it out from a large cardboard box. Then hang it from the ceiling or a lamp with a string or thread.
Game #3 – Tunnel of Death
In this game, the added challenge is not passing through a hoop but through a tunnel. Something like this:
Sure, it’s trickier—but you don’t need a super long or tiny tunnel to make it fun. You can use large boxes with openings cut into two of their sides. And you’re all set!
Game #4 – Gymkhana
When overcoming obstacles, passing through hoops, and navigating tunnels starts to seem too easy, it’s time to do it ALL at once.
We propose creating a circuit with all the skill challenges.
Game #5 – Blind Circuit
If you have drones with cameras and can pilot them even without visual contact, you’ll love this game.
Turn your house into a circuit, a giant obstacle course where players must pilot their drones through rooms, around corners, and even through windows—whatever you can safely manage without risking anything or anyone.
Game #6 – Air Battle
Some drones come with an “aerial battle” system. What does that mean? It means they have an infrared (IR) or radio frequency (RF) system that allows them to “shoot” at other drones. Do you want to know how?
You can imagine what this game is about: you have to “eliminate” other drones to be the last survivor or the one that has hit the most. How do you know if a drone has been hit? Some drones sound an acoustic alert, while others automatically land if they’ve been hit. Spectacular, right?
Buying guide and tips
If any of these games has piqued your interest, the next step is to learn a bit about drones and invest in one or two that fit your needs.
There are several types of drones, designed for different purposes. Let’s classify them into three groups and recommend the best ones in each category.
Group 1 – Micro drones WITHOUT camera
They are very small, true “mosquito drones” that fit in the palm of your hand and weigh very little.
Advantages
- Budget-friendly and fun
- The propellers are protected.
- They are highly durable, designed to withstand impacts.
Disadvantages
- Battery life is limited.
- They do not have a camera.
- Outdoors, even a light breeze can blow them off course.
These drones are ideal for beginners and indoor play. They are safe and durable.
Group 2 – Micro drones WITH camera
These are similar to the previous ones but include a camera, which adds a lot of versatility, pun intended.
Advantages
- Budget-friendly and fun
- They are highly durable, designed to withstand impacts.
Disadvantages
- Battery life varies depending on the model.
- Outdoors, they become uncontrollable in windy conditions.
With these budget-friendly drones, you need to use a mobile phone to see what the drone sees. The drone’s camera captures the image and transmits it to the mobile phone in real time. The controller has a holder to securely attach the mobile phone.
Group 3 – MINI drones WITH camera
They are called MINI drones because, despite being larger than MICRO drones, they are still very small compared to the wide range of drones available on the market.
LThe European Aviation Safety Agency (aesa.eu) classifies them in the most basic category A1-C0, which allows them to be used without the need for registration, flight permits, or passing any piloting exams.
A1 – C0 = small drones weighing less than 250 grams. They can fly over people but not over crowds of people. The pilot is only required to thoroughly read the manual.
Check out the official rules here:
Official European regulations on drone flights.
Drone Flight Regulations by country, state and city
Advantages
- Longer battery life
- Increased control range
- Higher quality camera
- Suitable for outdoor flying
- Perfect for flights without direct vision
Disadvantages
- They are more expensive
- If you want to include hoops and tunnels as obstacles, they will need to be considerably larger.
They are not drones designed solely for playing games but rather for enjoying piloting, flights, and capturing spectacular images with their cameras. However, you can certainly race and create obstacle courses with them.
They are better suited for competitions without direct vision because their cameras are of higher quality. Some models even have their own screen in the flight control system, eliminating the need for a mobile phone or app, which is much more convenient and efficient.
In case you are curious, here you can check which drones are the best sellers on Amazon:
Full transparency: some of the products we recommend include affiliate links. If you buy through them, we get a small commission — at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Final tips: what type of drone to choose?
Well, it depends.
If you just want to compete and have fun, go for drones from Group 1.
If you value having a camera to enhance your games, and since you have it, to take some cool aerial photos or spy on your dog… Group 2.
If any camera won’t do, or you want to fly it outdoors whether it’s windy or not, and you value longer battery life, higher quality, and even plan to use it more professionally, go for Group 3.
No matter what you choose. Fly safe and have a blast!
