Top Fives: Top 5 Airsoft Game Types

Game On. Airsoft Style.

Just like there are many different types of airsofter, there are many different types of airsoft game. Load up your airsoft guns, throw on your facemask and tactical gear and get ready to check ou t our list of Top 5 Airsoft Game Types.

 

#1. Team Death Match

Team Death Match (or TDM as it may be more well known) is first on the list for very good reason. It gets played everywhere.

From indoor fields on the west coast to the outdoor MILSIM games on the east coast, every player has played a TDM match at some point in their airsoft career. The concept of the game is simple, shoot the other team by slinging as many BB’s as you can, try not to get shot. Last team standing wins.

TDM also finds itself at the heart of every other game type you may see on this list, as at the end of the day, everything ends with shooting the players on the opposing team.

 

#2. Capture The Flag

This stalwart staple of the airsoft field circuit exists at #2 because much like it’s cousin, Team Death Match, it gets played A LOT.

While the flag isn’t always a flag per say, some form of “grab this thing and take it somewhere else” is a popular way to spice up traditional “just shoot the other guy” game play by mixing in a goal that isn’t directly linked to your Kill/Death ratio.

Rules in these modes can vary, but often revolve around some key centerpiece object, the “flag”, and capturing it to return it to another location. Sometimes each team has a flag, sometimes there is only one. The possibilities are close to limitless, and you can change the flag out for anything from a bomb, to a downed pilot, to a vehicle players have to escort from one place to another.

 

#3. Domination / Conquest / Territory Control

Our third most popular game type has a few different monikers you may know it by, but they are all essentially the same. This mode works like capture the flag but in reverse. In stead of grabbing a Flag and taking it to a new location, you have to seize a piece of territory, sometimes just a building, sometimes a whole area or a parked vehicle, and defend it from the enemy.

This style of game rose to prominence due to it’s popularity as the centerpiece game mode of the Battlefield franchise of video games, and it’s ease of set up for the airsoft field. It requires very little set up to engage in, and can provide very dynamic and engaging game play without much input from field staff. It can be scored any number of ways, though the most popular tends to be by measuring who controls the most area by the end of a given time limit. Sometimes scoring is determined in parts during the game as well.  This mode is great when mixed into larger scenarios utilizing some of the strategies of a game type like Capture the Flag as well.

#4. Blob Games

These game types also have many colorful names, but the basis is simple. Start with multiple squads, and have every pick a name for the squad. Once the game starts, the goal is to shoot everyone you can, and “tag” them back in to your own team, assimilating them into a giant blob. The winner is the team that engulfs everyone at the end.

These games are perfect during pre-determined lunch periods or more casual days, as they keep the action going, and tend to remove the nasty “walk to respawn” part of airsoft that we all hate doing. If you get shot, it means someone is pushing on your position and you’re about to gain a whole new slew of targets to engage once you’ve flipped teams.

This mode is perfect for players who love chaos, as it can often be hard to tell who is on which side or what you should be concentrating on when you start picking targets. However, it provides some of the highest quotas for trigger time of any game type we’ve ever played, and that’s what makes it so much fun. It is by nature a very kinetic and dynamic game that forces you to think on your feet and adapt to a constantly changing battle line.

 

#5. Hunger Games / Battle Royale

This game mode gets it’s name from the popular styles of video game, and the movie/book fandom that hit big in the mid 2000’s. Replicating the same style of gameplay is pretty simple, lay out everyone’s guns around your play area, and make everyone scavenge for their gear to do battle. Last player standing is the winner!

This game type works best when you have a lot of trust between players, as you’ll be handling each others gear, and can be the most fun with small groups of players for fast turn around. The thrill you get when playing these types of games is exhilarating and cannot be beat by any other type. It is worth every second of how tricky this style of game can be to get going at your local field.

 

This definitely wasn’t everything

There are far more options for game modes, styles, and types than the five we’ve shown you here today. However, these can be perfect if you are trying to set up your own field and need some inspiration. This may also work as a primer on the basics of airsoft game types for new players, and hopefully you all learned something today. Each of these types of games requires a different set of skills and thinking, and you can improve the odds by picking the right gear for the challenge ahead.

If you would like to kit out for one of these games, click HERE.