50 side quests with friends

"I'm bored" plus "so am I" should never end in everyone just staring at their phones in the same room. This list is built for that exact moment — send it to the group chat, pick one, and actually go do it. Some are five minutes away, some need a whole afternoon, all of them beat another rewatch.

Need to get everyone from “maybe” to moving? Start with the Squad Side Quests guide →

1. 01Escape Room
   one hour, one room, way too much arguing over the first clue.
2. 02Bowling Night
   nobody's actually good. that's the whole appeal.
3. 03Mini Golf Tournament
   loser buys the milkshakes. no exceptions.
4. 04Arcade Challenge
   whoever gets the most tickets picks the prize.
5. 05Trivia Nighttest the team →
   someone always knows one weirdly specific category.
6. 06Karaoke Nighttake the mic →
   everyone sings badly together or nobody sings at all.
7. 07Movie Marathon
   one theme, zero interruptions, snacks non-negotiable.
8. 08Board Game Nightstart the game →
   one game, no phones, may the pettiest player win.
9. 09Card Game Tournamentbuild the bracket →
   bracket style. losers get roasted.
10. 10Bonfire Evening
    someone brings marshmallows. someone always forgets the sticks.
11. 11Beach Day
    towels, no plan, stay till the sunburn's worth it.
12. 12Picnic in the Park
    snacks, a blanket, zero plan beyond that.
13. 13Hiking Adventure
    pick a trail nobody's done before.
14. 14Camping Trip
    one night, no wifi, surprisingly hard to survive.
15. 15Road Trip Roulettespin the route →
    pick a direction, drive an hour, figure it out from there. someone controls the music the whole time and everyone else just has to live with it.
16. 16Mystery Destination Drivekeep the secret →
    one person drives, nobody else knows where.
17. 17Photo Scavenger Huntstart the hunt →
    make the list first, then split up and go.
18. 18Thrift Store Outfit Challengefind the look →
    $10 each, worst outfit wins, everyone judges everyone. bonus points if you actually wear it out afterward.
19. 19Cook Dinner Togetherrun the kitchen →
    too many cooks, one kitchen, chaos guaranteed.
20. 20Bake-Off Challengestart the bake-off →
    same recipe, different results, judge honestly.
21. 21Ice Cream Crawl
    three shops, one scoop each, rank them at the end.
22. 22Coffee Shop Hop
    order the weirdest thing on each menu.
23. 23Restaurant Roulette
    spin a wheel, eat wherever it lands.
24. 24Food Truck Tour
    one bite from everywhere, share everything.
25. 25Farmers Market Challengeshop the season →
    everyone picks one thing, cook it together later.
26. 26Flea Market Treasure Hunt
    best find under $5 wins bragging rights.
27. 27Museum Day
    pick favorites, argue about which exhibit was better.
28. 28Art Gallery Hop
    rate everything out of 10, no explaining why.
29. 29Bike Ride Adventure
    pick a destination nobody's biked to before.
30. 30Paddleboarding Trip
    someone's falling in. it's just a question of when.
31. 31Kayaking Day
    race to the halfway point, loser paddles back alone.
32. 32Go-Kart Racing
    trash talk mandatory, sportsmanship optional.
33. 33Laser Tag Battle
    team up, betray each other by round two.
34. 34Paintball Match
    bruises are basically souvenirs at this point.
35. 35Capture the Flagclaim the flag →
    the classic, but everyone takes it way too seriously. best played somewhere with actual hiding spots — a park at dusk hits different than a backyard.
36. 36Volleyball at the Park
    no net required, just draw a line and argue about it.
37. 37Basketball Shootout
    loser sits out, winner keeps playing.
38. 38Soccer Match
    jackets for goalposts, rules negotiated on the spot.
39. 39Pickleball Tournament
    weirdly competitive for a sport nobody can explain.
40. 40Frisbee Golf Round
    free courses exist basically everywhere. find one.
41. 41Stargazing Picnicpack for the stars →
    blanket, snacks, phones down, actual conversation.
42. 42Sunrise Hikebeat the sunrise →
    worth the early alarm. everyone will complain the whole way up and then go quiet at the top.
43. 43Sunset Watchcatch the last light →
    find the spot, get there early, don't look at your phone.
44. 44Local Festival Visit
    whatever's happening this weekend, just show up.
45. 45Live Music Nighthear someone new →
    a band nobody's heard of, cheap tickets, worth it.
46. 46Open Mic Nightshow up brave →
    go to watch, or go brave and actually sign up.
47. 47DIY Craft Nightmake something strange →
    everyone's version turns out completely different.
48. 48Puzzle Race
    split into teams, same puzzle, see who finishes first.
49. 49Random Acts of Kindness Challengemake it useful →
    everyone does one small thing for a stranger, no explaining, no taking credit. compare notes after — some of these end up being the best part of the whole day.
50. 50Friendship Bucket List Planningput it on the calendar →
    make the list together. then actually start checking things off instead of letting it sit in a group chat forever.