What Is Airsoft? A Beginner's Guide to the UK Game

Airsoft is a team game where players shoot each other with 6mm plastic BBs fired from replica guns, and call their own hits. In the UK it's played at dedicated sites, indoors and in woodland. You don't need your own kit to start, because most sites hire out a gun and a mask for the day.

This guide explains how the game works, what happens on a typical game day, what it costs, the rules for younger players and how to book your first game. Details on prices, times and ages come from ten UK sites' own websites, checked on 1 October 2026.

How airsoft works

Players split into two teams and play a series of games, each with an objective. Sites name games like attack and defend, escort, search and destroy, or holding a location.

Airsoft runs on an honour system. When a BB hits you, you shout "hit", raise a hand and walk back to your team's respawn point, then rejoin the game. Several sites ask players who are out to stay silent on the way back.

What counts as a hit varies. Some sites count BBs that hit your gun or kit, and several say ricochets don't count. The safety briefing covers your site's version.

Is airsoft a sport?

Most people call it one, and it's run like one: organised games, set rules, marshals and safety checks. Most UK airsoft is skirmishing. You book onto a game day, get put on a team and play games through the day with people you may not have met before.

Where you play: UK airsoft sites

Airsoft is played at sites, not in parks or public places. Carrying a replica gun in public without lawful authority or a reasonable excuse is an offence in Great Britain, which our guide to airsoft law in the UK explains.

Sites come in two broad types:

• Indoor or CQB sites (close-quarters battle): games in buildings, warehouses or built sets, at short range.
• Outdoor sites: usually woodland, and sometimes a built-up area with structures to fight through.

On 28 September 2026, Airsoft Fields listed 303 UK fields. We check every listing against the UKARA and BAC registers each night, and check that each field's website still works. You can browse sites by city.

What happens on a game day

The ten sites we checked run their days in much the same order, though the times differ:

1. Book. Five of the ten sites require booking, and most of the rest sell tickets in advance. Only one says you can just turn up.
2. Arrive early. Gates open between 7:30 and 8:30am. Some sites close the gates at around 9:30am, so late arrivals may not get in.
3. Sign the waiver. You sign it on the day or online beforehand. Most sites need a parent or guardian to sign for under-18s.
4. Get your gun checked. At most sites, staff fire every gun through a chronograph ("chrono") to measure its power before play. The common limit for a standard gun is 350 FPS with a 0.20g BB, about 1.14 joules.
5. Safety briefing. Usually between 9:30 and 9:50am. It covers the rules, the boundaries and the safe zone.
6. Play. The first game starts at around 10am, with games running through the day. Where sites list a lunch break, it's around 12:30 to 1pm. Most sell food, and one includes lunch in the price.
7. Finish. Day games end between 3:30 and 4:30pm. Evening sessions are shorter and finish between 10 and 11pm.

Walk-on days and membership

"Walk-on" is the most common term you'll see, and it doesn't mean the same thing everywhere. At some sites it means turning up without booking. At others it's the day ticket for a player with their own gun, and at one it's the site fee every player pays, with hire on top. Check what your site means before you go.

Membership is optional for a first visit. Of the sites we checked, four publish membership prices, from £15 to £90 a year. Members usually pay less per game day, and some sites use membership as the route to UKARA registration. That's the usual way to show a shop you skirmish when buying a realistic-looking gun. Our UKARA guide explains how that works.

Do you need your own kit?

No. Hire is how most people start. Every hire package we found that lists its contents includes a gun and eye or face protection, and most specify a full-face mask. BBs range from 1,000 to around 3,300, and you usually get one magazine. Some sites add a battery, overalls or a camouflage suit.

What it costs, from the sites that publish prices:

Prices change, so check the site's own price list before you book. Ask the site what to wear too, since some include overalls in the hire.

Buying your own gun comes later. You must be 18 to buy one, and shops sell realistic-looking guns only to buyers with a legal defence, usually UKARA registration. Is airsoft legal in the UK? covers the rules.

Is airsoft suitable for children?

Many sites welcome younger players, but each sets its own rules. The minimum age at the sites we checked ranged from 11 to 14.

Rules for juniors vary more than anything else in airsoft, so check them before you book:

• Supervision: some sites want a parent on site for under-16s, and one wants a parent playing alongside. Others don't require a parent to stay.
• Consent: most sites need a parent or guardian to sign the waiver for under-18s, and one asks for a consent letter.
• Masks: full-face masks are compulsory for under-18s at four of the sites we checked, and for under-16s at two more.

Under-18s can play with hire kit but can't buy an airsoft gun. That's set by law, not by the site.

Is airsoft safe?

Sites run airsoft under strict safety rules, and the briefing goes through them before the first game:

• Eye protection stays on whenever you're outside the safe zone. Several sites send off any player who removes it.
• Guns are power-tested before play at most sites, and several also spot-check during the day.
• Indoor games are semi-automatic only at all four indoor sites we checked, so each trigger pull fires one BB.
• More powerful guns have a minimum distance. Sites set 15 to 30 metres for designated marksman rifles and 25 to 30 metres for sniper rifles. Several have no minimum distance for standard guns.

Many sites also recommend full-face protection for adults, and several ask players to avoid head shots.

How to try airsoft for the first time

1. Find an airsoft site near you by postcode or town.
2. Read that site's own rules: age limits, booking, what "walk-on" means there and what hire includes.
3. Book a game day with hire kit.
4. Arrive before the gates close, sign the waiver and listen to the safety briefing.

Sources

Game-day times, prices, age limits and site rules come from the websites of these ten fields, checked on 1 October 2026: The Killhouse, Tac House Spartan, CQB Arena, Biohazard Airsoft, South Coast CQB, Ironsight Airsoft, The Fort, Revolution Airsoft, Cotswold Airsoft and Skirmish Wycombe Airsoft. Field counts are from the Airsoft Fields directory.