5 Best Swing Sets for Small Backyards: Wooden, Metal, With Slide (2024)

You bought the house of your dreams. It may be small, but it’s yours, and perfect for your growing family. The only thing that’s missing? Buying one of the best swing sets for small backyards. No, you don’t need a space the size of a city park to fit the swing set of your kids’ dreams.

And with any of the options from our ranking, your kids will be occupied for hours.

To make your swing set dreams come true, for your own children, or maybe just the grandkids when they visit, we cover the best swing sets for small backyards. Included in this article are sets made from wood and metal, with a slide, and even a playset with all kinds of play options.

We even pay a little extra attention to companies using sustainable wood.

And although some of the swing sets in the article are only meant for kids, some are even strong enough for you to play along. So keep reading because the fun of a swing set is waiting, no matter how small your yard happens to be.

Our Top Picks

A Closer Look: Best Swing Sets for Small Backyards

Stay and play awhile. Here’s a closer look at each swingset in our ranking.

Packing a whole lot of fun into one compact package, this wooden swing set from Gorilla Playsets offers more than just swings. Shipped ready to assemble with all the necessary hardware, this swing set has a wave slide, a rock climbing wall with rope, and a built-in sandbox, among other features. 

For swinging specifically, there’s two belt swings, two trapeze swings, and a trapeze bar, to name just a few of the play options offered. 

Families who’ve tried the playset comment on all the great features available in a small space and at a great price, adding that the set is sturdy, well built, and reasonably easy to put together. Even though it seems large, it fits surprisingly well in small yards, according to reports. But when it comes to assembly, many say that power tools are required, even though that’s not indicated in the product description.

Ain’t nothing like the look and quality construction of a wooden swing set. Only using sustainable wood in their construction, and planting four saplings for every tree used in one of their products, Backyard Discovery makes the best wooden swing set for small yards on the market.

There are not not a lot of bells ‘n’ whistles with the Durango: just sturdy swings and heavy-duty construction. But for added safety, the legs are reinforced with steel, and four auger anchors are included for extra stability. Instead of chains, the belt swings hang from pinch-free ropes.

Those who’ve tried the Durango call it a great swing set at a great price. It’s also easy to assemble using basic hand tools.

For the safety and security of a metal swing set, we like the metal A-frame option from Little Brutus. Made from powder-coated steel, the Little Brutus A-Frame comes with two belt swings and a web disc swing. It’s free-standing with molded feet, coated steel chains to minimize the risk of pinching, and wide-lane swing positions.

Overall, the set is sturdy, and fairly easy to assemble. And once it’s up, it could feasibly be moved to another location, according to reports. Whether or not the set needs to be anchored received mixed reviews, and generally speaking it should be used on grass for safety. The recommended age range for the set, at 3 to 10, is also somewhat limited.

For both a quality swing set and a slide, we like the Monkey Bar Adventure Swing Set with Wavy Slide made by Lifetime. Constructed from alloy steel, this Lifetime swing is stable and free standing with no cement required. In addition to a slide and three belt swings, there’s a trapeze bar, gym rings, and a fireman’s pole.

Once assembled, the set can even be picked up by a few able-bodied people and relocated. It’s a great choice for children as young as seven, but also strong enough for adults to play along with them. And best of all, it’s perfect for small yards, according to reports, although some do add it’s important to put it on ground that’s as level as it can possibly be.

Assuming your backyard is too small for a playset with all the features? Think again. The Sunshine Castle Loaded Spacesaver from Rainbow Play Systems is made to fit in small spaces.

Although packed with fun, the Spacesaver is, in fact, surprisingly compact, offering in addition to swings, a slide, rope ladder, trapeze combo, and scoop slide, among many other features.

Best of all, the playset is made from sustainable wood, and similarly to Backyard Discovery, Rainbow Play Systems plants saplings for every tree used in the construction of their products.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all of Sunshine Castle’s sustainability initiatives.

You do have to contact Sunshine Castle for a price quote, however, but the packages are highly customizable, and it’s a design that’s particularly well-suited for uneven yards. We recommend package III to keep the footprint small while stacking on the fun.

Our Process

For this guide on the best swing sets for small backyards, our team spent 5 hours researching the most popular options from over 25 brands and manufacturers. We then read about 25 user reviews (both positive and negative) to discover what shoppers thought about each swing set. After comparing this data, we narrowed our list down to the top 5 swing sets on the market. You can count on this research to guide you to a mindful purchasing decision.

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