Screens to Strategy: How Many Laser Taggers Do You Really Need?

Tell me if this sounds familiar. Lunchtime on the second day of camp, the counselors looked up to see a couple of dozen kids sitting under a tree, faces glued to their phones. The morning's “craft fest” had been undercut by the siren song of screens.

That lunch break suddenly felt like a last-ditch rescue: “Okay, everyone. Phones off, let’s gear up, head to the battle zone!” Michael announced.

It was one of the few activities that the kiddos would drag themselves away from their devices.

But Michael knew, when he saw the kids' faces lit up with excitement, not the glow of a screen.

When he saw them working as a team, scanning hedges, darting between trees, he knew they were on to a winner. 

But that ephemeral win has a foundation in logistics: how many laser tag sets do you really need to keep those campers moving, not waiting?

If you’re planning to add live‑action gaming to your summer camp, resort, or outdoor adventure facility, nailing your tagger count is critical. Especially if you entertain large groups, if your kit is too small, you’ll end up with long lines, disengaged kids, and wasted potential. Throughput and rotation efficiency matter far more here than in a boutique indoor venue.

In this blog, we'll walk you through the “how many is enough” math (with real numbers), explore best practices, flag pitfalls, and show how you can use laser tag to get kids off screens and into the great outdoors. (Yes. Of course, you can order more taggers later. But getting started right matters.)

Why the “right-sized kit” Avoids Bottlenecks 

 Before diving into formulas, let’s understand where your headwinds are.

Idle time kills engagement. If a child finishes a round and then has to wait 10 or even 20 minutes to rejoin, enthusiasm drops sharply. In a summer camp setting, the margins for attention are thin. 

Field constraints. Outdoors, you may have a few acres of playing terrain, but you also have to consider boundaries, distance to the amenities, and staff supervision.

In short, when you undersize your fleet, wait times don’t just grow linearly; they can cascade.

Rule of Thumb: Add 10% Buffer

 A safe thumb rule is: Take the number of players you want playing at once, then add 10%. Let's face it, in the middle of an event when dozens, or even hundreds of kiddos are present, you cannot spare the time to investigate what caused a sticky trigger or flat battery. That buffer covers any glitches and gives you some wiggle room.

We recommend that for a mobile laser tag business where 12 people play at once, you should order 13 taggers (i.e., 12 + 10%). If you skimp and go with only 12, you'll raise your stress stakes.

 For a fixed small arena or outdoor venue where you want 24 players to play at once, then we recommend ordering 26 taggers (24 + 10%).  To support truly large groups, say, 48 players at once, you’d want at least 50 taggers. These are baseline numbers.

If your camp regularly splits into multiple simultaneous skirmishes, or if you run back-to-back waves, you’ll need more to keep everyone active. Also, note that taggers aren't the only constraint; staffing and field design can also limit throughput.

Battlefield Sports SATR3 scales well. We’ve supported world record events, such as a large game that hosted 436 players at once.

Sample Scenarios for Camps and Adventure Parks

Let’s walk through a few hypotheticals, but realistic, setups to illustrate how many taggers you’d order, and why.

Scenario One: A Micro Camp module: 12 players at a time

Scenario Two: Small group, 24 players at once

Scenario Three: Medium Group, 48 players at once

As well as manufacturing the equipment, our team has been running laser tag at Thunderbird Park since 2002.

Not only has this given us a great place to field test our innovations. It has also given us real-world experience in entertaining and engaging groups of all types.

 We’ve run hundreds of camps, combining outdoor learning, teamwork, and high-energy fun.  Here’s what a typical three-day program looks like. Day one welcomes the cohort with icebreaker games, cabin orientation, and a guided rainforest discovery walk. The students rotate between thunder egg fossicking and archery. Evenings feature campfires and connection.

Day two is packed with adrenaline as students tackle the high ropes course, or low ropes, and team initiatives for younger groups. Rotating through mini-golf or pickleball.  Night two is a fun evening of trivia and team games. On day three, the entire cohort comes together for the camp’s grand finale: a huge outdoor laser tag battle. Across rainforest terrain, all 50 students show up for an epic showdown that leaves everyone buzzing with excitement and unforgettable memories. And better still, all in one place, ready to get on the bus to go home. 

Scenario Four: Multiple Groups, 48 or more players at once

Field 2: 24 + buffer = ~26 

A successful Paintball and Laser Tag field in Denmark, Shoot to Thrill, has eight fields in close proximity. Because the SATR3 system enables you to have eight separate battle groups, games can be played on these “maps” without crossfire. 

Scenario Five: Large Groups, 96 or more players at once

Why “you can always order more later” is a dangerous mindset

Yes, you can scale later, but starting too lean carries risks.

First impressions matter. Kids forced to wait for 10 to 20 minutes or more hurt their satisfaction, momentum, and word-of-mouth.

Operational friction compounds. Running smooth transitions becomes harder when every wave is jammed.

Maintenance and repairs can eat into your working pool. Every tagger that goes offline should ideally be backed up immediately.

Bulk discounts or shipping logistics. Larger orders often result in lower costs per unit or reduced freight hassles.

Psychological perception. When campers see “everyone’s got a tagger in hand,” the activity feels robust. When half the kids are on the sidelines, it looks less.

So, while you can scale later, it's wiser to launch with a buffer built in.

Choosing robust gear & How to Play Flexibly

The Bottom Line