Sometimes parking can be a fun experience, especially when it’s part of a game. We have some options for the top parking games of all time:
Board/Card Games
- Park and Shop
- Free Parking
- Parking Lot
Online Games
- Parking Mania
- Car Park Challenge
- Driver’s Ed
Parking can be a challenge for many Australians who fall victim to the daily parking mania during rush hour. From looking for a secure and available parking space, to parking the car (most especially if you are forced to parallel park), it can quickly become a stressful experience. Fortunately, there are a few car parking games that teach you, not only the basics of driving, but also the art of parking. Beyond helping you practice, they are also a heap of fun and are perfect for any moments of boredom.
If you want to take up the challenge of learning how to park the fun way without the risk of leaving a scratch on your precious vehicle, here are some of the best car parking games out there.
Board and Card Car Parking Games
Board and card games have a rich history of subtly teaching children the mysteries of adulthood, which is why there’s really no good reason for adults to stop learning a thing or two from these car parking games.
Park & Shop
If you love vintage, then this classic board game might be the one for you. Its objective is to drive from your home to all the shops on your list and make it home before any other player does. To win the game, your challenge is to drive to strategically placed Park and Shop lots without creating any delays. It’s not that different from how you might actually spend your weekends trying to get all your shopping in order.
The game is based on a real-life story from late 1940s Allentown, Pennsylvania where authorities created the Park and Shop scheme to solve the town’s parking difficulties, specifically near its shopping district.
Free Parking
Inspired by the ‘Free Parking Space’ in the famous Monopoly game, Free Parking is a game meant to be played by two to four players. The objective is to use the parking meters to score points, with the first player reaching 200 points winning the game. To play, each player is given a parking meter and six cards, which they can strategically use to advance in the game.
The cards are categorised into four types:
- Point cards require a player to perform errands, which will deduct time from their parking metre in exchange for points (i.e. go to the bank, meet your cousin);
- Metre cards can add more time to a player’s parking metre, which can range from 20 to 60 minutes;
- Free Parking cards save a player from Traffic Officer Jones until their next turn, without deducting any time from the player’s parking metre; and
- Time Expire cards, which force another player to reduce their parking metre to 0 minutes; thus, placing them “in violation”
It is a fun game to play and can allow you to practice staying vigilant when using a parking metre during the actual parking mania that takes place in many of Australia’s busy streets.
Parking Lot
Parking Lot is a fun and entertaining board game that aims to sharpen your thinking and cognitive abilities. The objective of the game is to get the cars in the right parking position to solve the puzzle. The game offers a total of 60 challenges that range from entry level to advanced levels.
Whilst the game may appear like child’s play at first glance, it will challenge you to find ways to get the car into the right parking position without lifting the vehicle and simply slapping it in any available slot — kind of like what you wish you could do on a busy Friday evening when you’re already starving for dinner, but still haven’t found a parking space yet.
Online/Digital Car Parking Games
If you are more of a techie than old school, then these digital or online car parking games are perfect for you.
Parking Mania
Do you want to take the ultimate driving and parking skills test? Then you might want to download this highly rated and widely popular game. Parking Mania is a multi-objective game with 50 different levels that challenge the player’s parking skills. The goal is simple: get from one parking space to the designated parking area/s to earn coins. Players are given only five lives in every level. Every crash or small bump (i.e. hitting the gutters) will make you lose a life.
The game offers a wide range of parking puzzles that range from the smooth-and-easy to the devilishly tricky. There are even some time-pressured ones to turn up the heat. It is super fun and highly addictive.
Car Park Challenge
If you want something a bit more realistic, then Car Park Challenge is the game for you. Its main objective is for players to find a free parking space for the non-handicapped at the shortest time possible. It might not sound like much of a challenge, but you can’t hit anything, particularly pedestrians, shopping carts, and other vehicles. In short, Car Park Challenge is what usually happens in real life when you go to the grocery store, only to spend a considerable amount of time trying to find a vacant parking spot to fill.
Driver’s Ed
This game is particularly useful for those who are just beginning to learn how to drive (and park). In this highly educational game, the player is tasked to park their car perfectly as fast as they can with the least amount of crashes.
It is a fun way to practice a person’s manoeuvring skills without the risk of getting into an accident or sustaining an injury. You can treat the game as a virtual driving lesson that would introduce the theoretical aspects of driving before letting the player drive an actual vehicle.
Parkhound App
Parking, whether in real life or in games, can be a difficult experience that tests both your skills and patience. Luckily in real life, there’s Parkhound – an interactive mobile app that helps you find the safest, cheapest, and most convenient parking space that suits your needs. With Parkhound, every parking endeavour is smooth and easy. Download the Parkhound app today!