Paintballing is all about unlimited fun with strategy, aiming, shooting, and eliminating. It’s a sport that makes your weekend full of enthusiasm. But have you ever thought, like in other games, that you may become sick and tired of playing paintball? Mark my words; you won’t get bored of best paintball, as paintball is not limited to one or two types. Believe me, there are numerous paintball game variations.
Frankly speaking, cool paintball games are numerous; you can create as many variations as you can. But when it comes to the types of paintball games, we have classified them into two basic types based on the battlefield and the pace of the game. These are Speedball and Woodsball. Other than these, stock class, Scenario games, and Milsim paintball are the sub variations of paintball.
After deep research, we will reveal two major types of paintball with their variations, along with three other types of paintball fight games.
Difference Types of Paintball Games
| Factors | Woodsball | Speedball |
|---|---|---|
| Pace of Game | Slow pace – Strategy-Focused | Fast pace- shoot and pray |
| Type of Field | Big natural outdoor paintball fields with uneven terrain, trees, woods, bunkers | Artificial field with not-so rough terrain, inflatable bunkers. No trees and woods |
| Size of Field | Three to four times bigger than the speedball field | About half of the size of a football ground |
| Team Size | Large | Small (comprises of 3-5 players) |
| Duration of Game | It lasts for hours | It lasts for no longer than 15 minutes |
| Best Type of Gun | Mechanically operated guns | Electro-pneumatic guns |
| Best For | Beginners | Professional and expert players |
1. Woodsball:
This is the oldest type of game. It is a strategy focused game that is slow. In woodsball players compete in the natural outdoor area. The terrain of the battlefield is rough with woods and natural paintball bunkers all around so that you can hide behind them and hit your target. Also, woods and bunkers on the battlefield act as a hindrance so that you can see a limited field. As far as the number of players is concerned, woodsball’s actual fun is playing it with a large number of paintball players.
Variations of Woodsball:
Woodsball has so many variations. In fact, in the field of woodsball, you can play as many variations as you can. Some of the most common variations of woodsball are;
1.1 Elimination:
In elimination paintball game, the basic mission of paintball players is to eliminate the members of the opposite team. You can do so by hitting the players with the paintball. You have to keep yourself protected from elimination. Elimination is the most basic game version of woodsball and it’s the game that is great for beginner-level players.
1.2 Resurrection:
Resurrection is a paintball game just like elimination. Usually, players are eliminated as soon as they get shot. But in the resurrection, instead of being eliminated, you get a second chance after you are shot. It means you will re-enter the game from your starting point after you are shot. Resurrection is often seen in multiple paintball game variations, such as zombies, attack, and defend.
1.3 Capture the flag:
Capture the flag is the second most common variation of woodsball after elimination. Capture the flag has two variations Center flag and two-flag. As the name of game suggests, you have to capture the other team’s flag.
In center flag, both members of the team have to compete over a single flag that is there at the center of the field. The mission of each team is to capture the flag and hang it in their opponent’s flag station.
In contrast to this, the two flag variation is different in terms of number and location of the flag. There are two flags in the field which belong to each team. Each team has to fight with the opponent’s team to make their way to the opponents’ flag station so that they can capture the other team’s flag. Once the team has confiscated the flag they must have to return it to their home base.
1.4 Base Capture:
Base capture is the other version of capture the flag. Both teams have their own flag at their home base. Instead of capturing the opponent team’s flag, here, the players have to rush to touch the opponents’ flag. Once a team has touched the flag, they will be called the winners, as they have successfully captured their opponent’s base.
1.5 Zombies:
Inspired by different zombie based video games, people invented a zombie version of paintball too. Well, this version is quite simple. It comprises two sets of players. One team player is zombies, whereas, the other set of players are normal, healthy individuals. The healthy player has to keep themselves protected from the zombie player. If a zombie player shoots you, then you become part of a zombie set of players, instead of being eliminated. The game will end when all the players are converted to zombies.
1.6 Common foe:
Common Foe paintball game is usually played when either there is a low supply or the players’ stamina is low. Initially, it starts with two teams, let’s say team A and team B. A third team, team C, waits outside. Both teams A and B begin the game with an elimination-style game. When the number of eliminated players of teams A and B equals the strength of Team C, a signal is given and team C enters the field. At this point, the remaining players of Team A and Team B combine together and form a Team D that fights against this common foe called Team C. The game ends when a specific number of rounds is completed.
1.7 Protect the VIP:
This variation of paintball games involves two teams; one team is defending and the other team is attacking. The defending team has to provide security to the VIP or President (who can be any member of their team). Whereas, the attacking team has to eliminate the VIP with a headshot.
1.8 Hostage / Rescue:
Team A is given a mission to move the hostage from the entry point to the extraction point. Whereas, team B has to eliminate Team A to recover the hostage.
1.9 Bomb the base:
In this game, a so-called bomb is placed in the center of the field within a building. The team’s goal is to locate the bomb and, after locating it, place the bomb in the opposing team’s base. A team that successfully places the bomb in the opponent’s base would be a winner. This is a strategy-based game.
1.10 Civil War:
This variation of paintball is just like the simulation of the civil war battle era. Just like a battle, two teams will face off on the opposite sides of the battle. They will visual and audible distance of a minimum of 15 yards between each other. And they begin to fight. The winning team should have the highest number of troops left.
Related: Paintball vs Airsoft – The Real Differences
1.11 Attack and Defend:
Attack and Defend are just like the reenactment of fort battles. The players are divided into two teams. One team has been given the task of defending a base, fort, or castle. Whereas, the other team has to attack the base while trying to penetrate the base to conquer it. After infiltrating the base, the attacking team will have to raise the flag before a game finishes. This means that the attacking team has conquered the fort and won the game.
1.12 King of the Hill:
You might have played that “King of the Hill” video game as a kid. The paintball version of King of the Hill is pretty different. Here, two players compete with each other and try to eliminate the opponent. The eliminated member has to leave the paintball field, whereas the winner stays on the field. The other player will challenge the winner. Once everyone has had their turn to be the King of the Hill, then he will be declared the winner.
1.13 Assassins:
This is the simplest yet most interesting version of paintball. In this game, every player’s name is placed on a card, which is then kept in the form of a stack. Players have to draw a card from the stack. Now it’s the luck of the players. Whoever is named on their selected card will become the target of players.
Now players have to search for that particular player and assassinate him. Once the player is assassinated, the assassin or killer will then take the card of the assassinated player that he was holding. Now, whoever is named on their assassinated player’s card will become their new target. It’s an interesting and highly competitive game.
1.14 Hide and Seek:
It’s just like the childhood game that we used to play. One person is nominated as “it” who stays at the starting point, whereas other players have to rush into the woods and hide. After finishing the counting, “its” run into the woods and start searching for players to hit. The game will be ended, once “it” finds all the players.
Read More: Paintball for Kids – Parents Guide
2. Speedball:
Speedball is for more professional players. It is a fast-paced game that is full of luck, not strategy. You simply shoot and cross your fingers that it hits the target. Speedball is a game played professionally in an open battlefield with less hindrance. So the view is quite clear.
Unlike woodsball games, the field of speedball has no wood or trees, but yes it has a few inflatable bunkers of varying shapes and sizes for your protection. Speedball is played on a small field that lasts no longer than 15 minutes.
Variations of Speedballs
Like woodsball, speedball has got different variations. These variations are evolved simply by changing one or two simple rules, which in turn changes the entire structure of the game. Some of the well-known variations of speedball are;
2.1 Annihilator:
Annihilator is just like the typical version of a speedball. The only difference between speedball and annihilator is the number of teams. Annihilator utilizes more than two teams. The game starts with four teams of five players. When any player of your team hits or shots the opponent’s team player, your team will get a point. In the end, the winning team will have a maximum number of points.
2.2 Bunny Hunt aka Predator vs Prey:
A simple and easy variation of speedball. You have to hunt a bunny or prey. One person from any team will be chosen as bunny or prey. Now the game is all about hunting that bunny in a limited time. Once the bunny is captured, that’s the end of the game.
2.3 Tag:
Remember the tag game that we used to play in childhood, yes, it is more or less like the same game. But the difference here is the presence of the marker that we can use to hit the player. One person is chosen as “it”, who has to run around and tag the other players by hitting with paintball. Any player who gets hits will be the next “it” and this is how the game continues until everyone has been “it”.
2.4 Trophy hunter:
It’s just like a bunny hunter; instead of finding and capturing bunny we find and collect trophies in the field. These trophies have been hidden in different places throughout the field. After the limited time duration, the collected trophies of both teams are counted and the team with a maximum number of trophies will be declared a winner.
3. Scenario Paintball:
As the name suggests, it comprises certain scenarios, themes, or stories that may include historic battles, movie themes, and many others. Here the players have to pretend as if they are the characters in that particular scenario instead of behaving like paintball players. Every team has been given certain missions or objectives in that particular scenario. The one who earns more points will be the winning team.
4. Military Simulation:
Sometimes paintball games are played like formal military war. Just like a military war where there are two forces, a military simulation paintball game involves two teams. In military simulation paintball games, military styles paintball gadgets are used, which give a real soldier-like feel to the player. In fact, MilSim players use a dedicated MagFed paintball gun instead of a normal loader like a paintball marker. Basically, MagFed is a type of gun that uses a magazine instead of a hopper. MagFed paintball guns adds extra realism to the game.
5. Stock Class:
In the early days of paintball, people used only pump action markers, as they were the only available type. Later on, with the advancement of technology, different types of markers have evolved. People stopped using pump action markers because of their slower rate of firing. Still, some people want to play paintball leagues with pump action markers. Therefore, the Stock Gun Players Association (SGPA) was formed in 1992 to let paintballers play the game in their old vintage style. They created another type of paintball, called a stock class paintball, which has certain rules and regulations about the technology and mechanism of the marker. The rules are;
- Only pump action marker is allowed
- There should not be 10 rounds of paint at a time in
- A single 12-gram cartridge should be set to power the marker
- Paintball should be in a linear feed tube parallel to the barrels
Wrap Up:
Paintball game variations keep things alive. No matter if it’s in sports. Playing the same game following the same rules will reduce the players’ interest and they will soon quit participating in it. So, to keep your paintballer alive, which type of paintball game would you choose to play next time? Let us know in the comment section.
Happy paintballing!