Just the other day when I entered home, all covered in sweat and paint, I found Ron, my young and smart cousin, sitting in there. I asked him about his days and surprisingly, he told me how much he wishes to play paintball. But his busy routine with medical studies does not allow him to.
It was a statement that surprised me. I could not stop myself from thinking about all those people who have refrained from playing this wonderful game only because of a misconception. Because yes, paintball can be time taking but mostly, it depends on many things, including your personal preferences.
I have already explained it to Ron. Now it is your turn if you share the misconception with him.
Here is the moment of truth: A typical paintball game lasts only ten minutes on average.
Yes, you heard me right!
Going into the fields to play paintball does not necessarily mean that you have to spend the entire day there. A paintball game can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 48 hours to last, depending on what you are playing. Though all the fun and adrenaline can be addictive and you never really want to come back.
Many factors are decisive in making a game long or short. Here is a list of all the things that contribute to deciding on how long it is going to take you in the field.
Factors Involved to Know the Paintballing Time
Paintball is as variable a game as it could be. Many beginners have no idea about the fact that paintball is not a game like soccer or cricket where, despite a few variations, the game revolves around some basic rules.
There are a few popular games with their sets of rules, but mostly it depends on the players who can decide the game rules.
Here are the things you can consider for making a guess on how long a game is going to take.
1. Type of Game
The first thing which is going to decide the length of a game is what you are playing. There is a huge variety you can choose from. Here is a list of some popular games along with the average time they take.
a) Elimination
In this game of paintball, the players are divided into two teams. The members of both teams do not necessarily need to be equal. It is all about personal choices of the group playing.
The teams start shooting the members of the other team with paintballs. Once a paintball has hit a member and left paint on him/ her, the player is eliminated from the game.
The game continues till most, or all the players of one team are eliminated. The team with more players left at the end is considered the winner.
This game takes around 10 to 30 minutes to be over on average.
b) Capture the Flag
There are two games that come under this heading.
In one setting, a flag is set in the middle of the ground and both teams try to capture it without being shot. The team who captures it and takes it back to its base is considered the winner.
There can be variations in the number of flags the teams have placed in fields.
In the other setting, both teams have their flags set in their base. The other team tries to capture the flag of the opposing team while protecting its own.
The team who manages to capture the other team’s flag and brings it safely back to its base is considered the winner.
This game can be over in 15 minutes, or it may take more than an hour for the players to get the job done.
c) Plant the Bomb
This game is quite similar to “capture the flag”. Here, instead of capturing the flag, the teams are supposed to enter the field of the opposite team and plant a bomb there without being shot in the meanwhile.
In the end, the team who plants a bomb in the opposite field, or has the most players left, is considered the winner.
This game too can take anywhere from 10 to 90 minutes to be over.
d) Scenario Games
In these games, you can be as creative as you want to and set a scenario of your choice. You set your own rules and write your own story on how to play the game.
A scenario game can continue for as long as two days with, of course, breaks for sleeping and eating.
Pro Tip: To be more Realistic and for more efficiency & enjoyment, you can keep per day game timing from 9:00 AM to 6 PM, or from 9:00 AM to 12 AM with short breaks in between.
e) Protect the President
One player of a team is nominated as the “president” and it is the job of the rest of the team to protect their president while the other team attacks. If the president is shot, another member comes forward to take his place.
The game continues till all the members of either team are shot. The team with any members left is considered the winner.
This game too can take 15 minutes to an hour.
f) Attack and Defend
In this game, both teams make a decision about who is going to attack and which one is going to defend before the game begins. The defenders try their best to save their field from the attackers.
The attackers can make a victory by entering the other field or the defenders can win by saving their place.
The game takes 15 to 30 minutes to be over.
g) Magfed Games
These games are just like any other game of paintball with the difference made on your paintball gun. Instead of a hopper, you are required to use a magazine filled with paintballs attached to your gun.
This binds the players to use as fewer balls as possible. The game is more strategic and thus the pace is slower.
These games can take you anywhere from an hour to a day.
h) Stock Class Games
These are old school paintball games, played essentially with the equipment available in the 1980s. A little background to these games is that some players were not happy with all the advancements taking place with the introduction of electronic guns and speedballs.
So they decided to relive the old paintball by making it compulsory to be played only with the pump guns. These games were named “stock class” because of the equipment used in them.
Now you can imagine a game played with pump guns cannot possibly be fast paced.
Thus these games can continue from half an hour to as long as you want them to.
2. Game Mode
Typically, you can divide paintball games into two modes. And answer to the question “how long can a paintball game last?” depends greatly on what mode you are using to play paintball.
- Woodsball
- Speedball
Both modes can be used to play different paintball games but they are different on many levels.
a) Woodsball
As the name implies, Woodsball is played in open, natural fields. The fields can be wide, and full of natural hurdles like trees and boulders.
Here, the players have a lot more opportunities to hide and be strategic about their games. This is the reason woodball is also called tactical paintball.
And, for the same reasons, Woodsball games can be a lot more time taking and can continue for hours at length.
b) Speedball
On the other hand, speedball is played in compact, flat, man-made, grass fields. Many inflatable bunkers are set throughout the field in a measured format for an equally challenging fight.
These action packed games require speed more than strategy because the fields are smaller and the chances of hiding from the “enemy” are next to zero.
The speedball games are over in a few minutes or they can take 30 minutes as their longest.
You may also like: Guide on Cost to Play Paintball
3. Number of Players
Another factor that is decisive in the length of a paintball game is the number of players on the field. As we know, there is no specific number of players in a paintball game, it can always vary depending on the availability of players.
It is pretty common sense that the bigger the number of players will be, the more complex and time taking it will become.
On the other hand, the fewer the number of players, the shorter it will take to end.
4. Strategy
The strategy that players are following in a game of paintball can contribute to deciding its time.
If the players in the fields are more strategic in their moves, the game is more likely to take long hours to end.
Also, if the players are mature, they are not going to be knocked out of the game quickly and this is surely going to prolong the time span of a game.
But, if the players are more interested in shooting without taking aim, the game is more likely to be over in a few minutes.
And, again here if the players are not experienced, they will not be playing for a long time without being shot, making the game shorter.
5. Size of the Field
If the game is being played in a wide field, it can take longer for it to finish. The players have more chances to escape shooting and hiding.
Especially if it is a Woodsball game, there are a lot more chances to ambush and play strategically, resulting in a long game.
But if you are playing in a small field, the game is most probably going to end in a few minutes. This is the reason speedball does not take long to end.
There are not many places to hide, so the players prefer to focus on speed firing than playing strategically.
Paintball Games Average Time – Table
Here is a table to compare different game types and how time taking they are.
| Game Type | Average Time it Takes |
|---|---|
| Elimination | 10 to 30 Minutes |
| Capture the Flag | 15 to 30 Minutes |
| Plant the Bomb | 10 to 90 Minutes |
| Scenario Games | 2 to 48 Hours |
| Protect the President | 15 to 60 Minutes |
| Attack and Defend | 15 to 30 Minutes |
| Magfed Games | 30 Minutes to 4 Hours |
| Stock Class Games | 30 Minutes to 4 Hours |
| Speedball | 15 to 30 Minutes |
Final Words
Paintball can be time taking, yes. But it won’t take more than you are willing to give. Can you disagree? Certainly not!
Most of the Paintball games end in 15 minutes of average time especially if you are playing in a closed arena. And that is going to be the most probable setting for you too. But if you are on holiday and spending some good time with your friends in the woods, your games can be longer because of all the foliage in the wilderness providing you with the best kind of ambush. And, time does not matter in that case.
So, in case you are not going for paintballing because you think it is going to take your entire day, you are mistaken. You can simply play a game or two and get back home.
But, we must end it with a disclaimer here: your first time may not be the last in a month; paintballing has been proven to be pretty addictive if you try it once!
