In today’s economy, many people are searching for cheaper hobbies that can be enjoyed within a budget. Paintball is one such activity that’s not too expensive and great for team building and fun. Initially, it may seem paintball is an expensive hobby, but it is certainly not beyond an average person’s budget. With everything set up, including all the equipment and accessories, single paintball gameplay costs about $30 on average.
As this game is just a hobby for you, you don’t need to buy any expensive paintball instruments. But if you want to play very often, you can buy the basic things that will cost you less than $200.
So whether you’re a beginner just starting out or a seasoned pro looking for new challenges, read on to learn more about “is paintball an expensive hobby or not” and how you can get involved in this game without spending a fortune.
Is Playing Paintball Expensive?
Yes, playing paintball is expensive, but not always. If you’re going to play with family and friends, you can play this game at a minimum expense with basic equipment and indoor space. But with a professional team every weekend, there’s a lot of expense that you need to bear. You’ll require a league, a lot of instruments and armor, a large space, and so on.
Plus, if you want to join a more competitive event, you’ll need a few hundred dollars worth of additional gear.
Let’s know about the approximate cost of playing paintball in the sections below.
Basic Equipment
You just need basic paintball instruments during the startup time. Because that time, you will play only this game as a pastime, only for fun with family or friends, not as a professional paintballer. In that case, paintball, a real sport, is only a fun activity for you. So the basic instruments like a marker, a hopper, a mask, and a 12-gram C02 canister is enough for entry-level gameplay. You have to spend around $150 to get grab them.
Pro Level Paintball Equipment
Once you’ve mastered the skills of professional paintball players, you’ll need to spend much money to add a few pieces of pro-level paintball equipment also to enhance your kit. There are a lot of additional tools that can help you have a better experience in the game, including headwraps, safety goggles, extra o-rings, armored gloves, a pod to carry an extra ball, barrel cleaning swabs, padding or body armor to avoid injury. To afford all these gears, you will need a minimum of 300 dollars to up to $2000. It’s really that expensive, which not many of us can afford.
Paintball Field
Whether you are playing with basic instruments or all ready to attack with all the needed instruments, one thing is common that is the gameplay space. If you are a team, indoor space is not enough for you to play such gameplay. You will need to rent a space. Typically you will get a good space for under $30; if you select a costly area, it will cost you at least $50 to up to $2000. The price also varies depending on what day it is; weekends tend to be more expensive.
Rental Package
If you are a newbie and can’t afford high-end accessories to play this game, renting is a decent alternative. The rental package combines a paintball gun, a dependable tank, a mask, paintballs, and a hopper. This will cost you around $30.
How Much Do Paintballs Cost?
The cost of paintballs varies depending on the brand and type of paintballs you purchase. Typically, a box of 2000 will cost anywhere from $30 to $75. You can also purchase bulk quantities of paintballs, which will make the paintballs cheaper per unit.
It usually takes 200 paintballs to play one round or one hour of this game.
How Much Does a Paintball Gun Cost on Average?
It depends on what kind of paintball gun you want. The minimum spending you need to be able to afford is $100. Because this is the cheaper option available in the market. But on average, a paintball gun can cost from 300 to 2,000 dollar depending on the brand’s quality and features. These aspects will influence the price to increase and decrease.
When you have the money, you would even think of buying an expensive gun, but you should not. You will get many different cheaper pump gun options, and during starting time, you should spend on them, not on any high ranges paintball instruments.
How Much Should I Spend on a Paintball Gun?
Investing in a quality paintball gun is a good idea, but not by going over your budget. The first thing before you choose a paintball gun is to consider your budget. It’s known that quality costs money, so obviously, you will get a quality gun if you spend a good amount. But the hard thing is to find a good gun that fits your needs and meets your expectations within the endurance budget. You should never spend more than what you have, especially on hobbies.
However, if you’re just starting out or are new to the game, then spending around $100-$300 may be appropriate. If you’re an experienced player who wants to upgrade the gear regularly, then spending upwards of $400 may be ideal. And for those who want the best overall experience possible, investing in high-end paintball guns can reach up to thousands of dollars.
How Many Types of Paintball Games are There?
You’ll be surprised to learn that there are 17 different sorts of paintball games. Well, some of the most played games worldwide are —
- Tournament Play
Though each match is held between two teams, more teams participate in this tournament. One team must win and remain the last surviving team.
- Capture the Flag
Here, just two teams compete. One of them must seize the opponent’s flag and bring it to their own stronghold.
- Blackjack
This one resembles capturing the flag in certain ways. The only difference here is that each participant will only be given 21 balls total to contest and be victorious. Players must thus take their shots carefully.
- Kick the Bucket
Now it’s really fairly easy. Two teams play, much like in the capture the flag game however, there is no need to steal the flag. One of them must get to the opposing team’s base and destroy them.
- Charge of the Light Brigade
With the goal of raising their flag in the other team’s base, two teams compete. The flag is held by one player, who has the option to drop it or hang it on anything if shot.
- Kill the Captain
Two teams battle to eliminate the leader of the opposing group. Though it appears to be simple, it’s extremely difficult. Each team must safeguard its captain while attempting to eliminate the enemy’s captain.
- Annihilator
This game is played by two or even more teams, each of which has five players. To win, one team must make it to the finish.
If you’re interested to learn about the others, check out the 17 Types of Paintball Games.
FAQs
What type of clothing should I wear to paintball?
It’d be best to wear old clothes as the paint most likely leave stains. Additionally, avoid wearing light-colored clothing because it will make you more apparent. Wear camouflage or darker hues to avoid being seen by your opponents.
Do paintballs hurt on bare skin?
Yes, paintball hurts on bare skin. That’s why you must wear paintball masks, head wraps, protective gloves, scarves, as well as long-sleeved tops. The best option is to put on body armor to stay safe. Plus, you can follow ways to stay safe while playing this thrilling game.
Conclusion
Paintball a sport, or you can say an incredibly fun outdoor activity, that is gaining popularity more than before. If you’re simply planning one entry, you can select rental gear that will cost you around 300 dollars. But if you want to take a paintball game as a hobby, it’s better to invest in the basic instruments first, and after you have been skilled enough, buy the full gear set needed for paintballing.
In the end. Paintball is not as expensive as golfing or scuba diving, but it definitely costs more than collecting stamps or being a butterfly catcher.
