For decades laser tag has been something you play at a bowling alley. It’s been for kids, or bored adults. A fun little shoot ’em up, not a lot of strategy, and lots of flashing lights. For 20 minutes you see who can pull the trigger the fastest on an antiquated little plastic blaster with questionable aim.

That was then, but this is 2021, and the next generation of laser tag has arrived. Commonly referred to as Tactical Laser Tag, it’s what the husband-and-wife team of Sam Aly and Alex Avetian have brought to Austin at Battleground Ranch. Gone are the visible lasers, the neon lights, the questionable accuracy, and the seedy arcade. In its place is an intense 5-acre outdoor field closer to paintball than laser tag. The bright lasers that give away your location have been replaced by invisible infrared ones, red dot sights, and telescopic scopes allow for sniper shots good at a range of 700 feet. Radio technology has been implemented to allow for close range melee weapons, explosive and flame damage, and medic and engineer support classes.

Their versatile battle boxes allow for perk, armor, weapon, ammo drops, and upgrades. Speaking of those weapons, instead of the space phasers making silly noises in a bowling alley, BGR has over 350 different real gun digital emulations, each modeled to simulate its real life counterpart in range, fire mode, recoil, and damage (you even can upgrade mid game).

The result is nothing short of spectacular. What once was a slightly silly fun game for kids, has now become a hardcore strategic experience for adults and older kids. Battleground Ranch has tons of game modes to choose from—everything from traditional modes like Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Free for All to complex video game modes like Domination, Rush, and Heist. They even have Battle Royale with a decreasing safety zone and supply crates! Every time you visit is a different experience.

For only $30 an hour, it’s the closest you can get to reliving a first-person shooter video game in real life. Completely COVID safe, it is the perfect choice for corporate team building (can you defend your CEO?), parties, date night, or even just to prove your video game supremacy to your friends.

For those who need some pain, they haven’t forgotten about you. Out front of the office is their Combat Archery field. There you and your friends can unleash your inner Katniss Everdeen by shooting each other with real 28lb recurve bows and foam tip arrows. Dodgeball rules; last alive wins. The pain is real.

So next weekend skip the bowling alley, postpone the bars, and collect your friends. The future has arrived.