In short
- Airsoft is a team game with replica guns. They fire 6 mm plastic balls, called BBs, in organised games at a site built for it.
- It runs on honesty. A BB leaves no mark, so you call your own hits: shout "hit" and walk out.
- Eye protection never comes off in play. Only in the safe zone, the rest area where no gun is fired.
- It is legal in the UK. You need no licence to play. You must be 18 to buy a gun, and a realistic-looking one is sold only to people who can show that they skirmish.
- Rent first, buy later. Sites hire out a gun, eye protection and BBs. A first day takes a booking and old clothes.
What is airsoft, in one minute?
So, what is airsoft? A game for two teams, played with replica guns that shoot small plastic balls. Each team gets an objective, such as taking a flag or holding a building, and whoever is hit is out for a moment or for the rest of that game.
From a distance it looks like paintball. The differences: the guns look and handle like real ones, the BBs carry no paint, and games lean on teamwork more than on the number of shots.
How a skirmish day works: briefing, chrono, games
British players call a day of airsoft a skirmish, and an open day that anyone can book a walk-on. You need no team: the site splits everyone into two sides.
A skirmish day from gate to car park
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On arrival
Sign in and collect your kit
You pick up a hired gun, eye protection and BBs in the safe zone: the rest area, where guns are unloaded and never fired.
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Before play
The safety briefing
A marshal, one of the site's referees, explains how hits work and where the boundaries are.
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At the chrono
Every gun is measured
A chronograph, chrono for short, measures how fast a BB leaves the barrel. A gun over the site limit stays behind.
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All day
The games
Several games, each with its own objective. In between you reload, eat and drink in the safe zone.
-
Going home
Hand in or pack up
Hired kit goes back to the desk. A gun of your own leaves the site in a bag or case.
The honour system: calling your hits
A BB leaves no paint behind. Only you feel or hear that one landed, so the game depends on you saying so: shout "hit", raise a hand and walk out, to a respawn point where you rejoin, or to the edge until the next game. Not calling a hit is what gets people sent home.
Nobody can see a BB land. The game only works because you say so yourself.
Ready for the briefing?
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1. A BB hits your arm. What do you do?
Correct. Not quite.
You call your own hits, wherever the BB lands.
- ACarry on, an arm does not count
- BShout "hit" and walk out
- CWait for a marshal to call it
Show the answer
B. Shout "hit" and walk out
You call your own hits, wherever the BB lands.
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2. When may your eye protection come off?
Correct. Not quite.
It stays on everywhere outside the safe zone.
- AAs soon as you are hit
- BWhenever the game stops
- COnly inside the safe zone
Show the answer
C. Only inside the safe zone
It stays on everywhere outside the safe zone.
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3. What does the chrono measure?
Correct. Not quite.
Its speed shows whether a gun stays within the site limit.
- AHow fast the BB leaves the barrel
- BHow far your gun shoots
- CHow many BBs a magazine holds
Show the answer
A. How fast the BB leaves the barrel
Its speed shows whether a gun stays within the site limit.
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4. What happens to your gun in the safe zone?
Correct. Not quite.
People take their eye protection off there.
- ANothing, if your goggles stay on
- BIt stays loaded for the next game
- CIt is unloaded and never fired
Show the answer
C. It is unloaded and never fired
People take their eye protection off there.
Eye and face protection in the webshop
Goggles, glasses and masks made for airsoft.
In stock, ships right away
i4 / i5 Lens Thermal Clear (helder doorschijnend) — smk/gold
In stock, ships right away
i5 (Airsoft Masker) — FIRE Blk/Red
In stock, ships right away
i5 (Airsoft Masker) — STORM Blk/Blue
In stock, ships right away
i5 (Airsoft Masker) — SHADOWFIRE Gry/RedAirsoft guns and BBs: the basics
What is an airsoft gun? A replica of a real firearm, built to fire 6 mm plastic BBs with a puff of air. It is not an air rifle: those fire metal pellets at far higher energy, under different rules.
Most beginners start with an electric rifle in M4 or AK style, the type most sites hire out; a pistol comes later as a back-up. Power is given in joules of energy, or as the speed of the BB in feet per second (FPS).
The three kinds of airsoft gun
| Type | What pushes the BB out | Where you meet it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric (AEG) | A battery and motor drive a piston that pushes air | Most rifles, hired guns included | Works in any weather |
| Gas | Gas stored in the magazine, the box that holds the BBs | Most pistols, some rifles | The top of the gun often moves with each shot (blowback). Weaker in the cold |
| Spring | A spring you pull back by hand for every shot | Sniper rifles, shotguns, cheap pistols | Simple, but one shot at a time |
What outsiders think, and what is true
Myth
It is a war game for adults only.
Fact
The law sets 18 for buying a gun, not for playing. Sites set their own minimum age.
Myth
It always hurts.
Fact
A hit stings for a moment, most on bare skin and at short range. Long sleeves and gloves deal with most of it.
Myth
A replica is a toy you can carry down the street.
Fact
In law it is an imitation firearm, and having one in a public place without a reasonable excuse is an offence. It travels in a closed bag.
Myth
An orange tip makes it legal.
Fact
UK law has no orange-tip rule. It looks at the main colour: a "two-tone" gun is mostly a bright colour, and that one stays in its bag in public too.
What the law says in the UK and Europe
Airsoft is legal in the UK. No licence, register or club membership is needed to play, or to own an airsoft gun within the power limits. What the law controls is who may buy a gun, what it looks like and where you have it with you.
Three ways to get a gun in your hands
Hire one at the site
The law sets no minimum age for using an airsoft gun; the site sets its own.
Buy a two-tone
Mostly a bright colour, so not a realistic imitation firearm. Any adult can buy one.
Airsoft guns in the webshopBuy a RIF with UKARA
UKARA is the retailers' database of players. After three games at one registered site over at least two months the site can register you, free, if you are over 18 and live in the UK.
Elsewhere in Europe the rules change at every border: the Netherlands asks for a club membership, Germany for a mark on the gun. Our overview of airsoft law per country lists them.
What it costs to get started
How much is airsoft? The first day is the cheap part: you pay the site for a rental package, which usually covers entry, a hired gun, eye protection and BBs.
Kit of your own costs more, and the gun is only part of it: add eye protection, BBs, a battery with a charger and spare magazines. Buying on a marketplace for second-hand airsoft brings the total down.
What a first set of your own costs today
Prices are read from our webshop as you open this page.
| Item | From | Usually around |
|---|---|---|
| Eye protection never save on this | €7 | €28 |
| A first rifle | €147 | €515 |
| BBs | €4 | €19 |
| Spare magazines | €1 | €40 |
| A basic set of your own | €159 | €602 |
Where to play: sites, CQB arenas and woodland
British players talk about sites, not fields. To find one, search for airsoft sites in your county and look for a walk-on day with rental kit. UKARA publishes a list of its approved sites, useful if you later want to register as a player.
Three kinds of site
Woodland
Outdoors among trees, with room to move and longer shots. Most ask for biodegradable BBs. A good first day: there is space to hang back and watch.
CQB arena
CQB means close quarters battle: indoor play in rooms and corridors at short range, usually with lower power limits. A fine first day if you like it fast.
Milsim weekend
Milsim is short for military simulation: long games with a storyline and rules on kit, often a whole weekend. Something to grow into, not a first day.
What to bring to a first rental day
0 of 5 ticked
Your next step: rental day, first kit, buying used
Where do you want to start?
What do you want to do first?
Try it once
Book a rental day
Pick a site with rental kit and turn up in old clothes. If you want to own one thing straight away, make it eye protection.
Goggles and glassesKnow what it costs
Look at real prices, new and used
For kit of your own, compare webshop prices with what players ask for used gear.
See what used kit goes forFind out if my child can play
Ask the site
The minimum age for playing is a site rule, not a law. Ask about age, parental consent and face protection before you book.
Airsoft law per countryBuy my own kit
A rifle, eye protection and BBs
Play a few rental days first. In the UK your first rifle is a two-tone until you have a UKARA registration.
Rifles in the webshopUsed kit is a normal part of the hobby: players upgrade or stop, and their gear moves on. On Airsoft Bazaar you find used electric rifles, second-hand gear and clothing and the listings in the UK.
Most listings come from the Netherlands and Belgium. A replica sent from the EU crosses a customs border, and the rule on selling a RIF binds private sellers too, so expect to be asked for your UKARA number.
Airsoft guns for sale right now, used and new
Live figures from our own marketplace and webshop.
- listings in Airsoft guns on the marketplace
- more than 1,700
- middle asking price: half ask less, half ask more
- €300
- eight out of ten asking prices fall in this range
- €110 – €800
- products in stock in Airsoft Guns in the webshop
- more than 150
- lowest price of what is in stock in Airsoft Guns
- €8
- brands in stock in Airsoft Guns
- 9
Airsoft Bazaar data Measured on 13 November 2026
Used airsoft guns on the marketplace
Listings from other players, most of them in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Frequently asked questions
What is airsoft and how does a game work?
Airsoft is a team game played with replica guns that fire 6 mm plastic BBs. Two teams play for an objective, such as a flag or a building. When a BB hits you, you call "hit" and walk out.
What do airsoft guns shoot?
Plastic balls of 6 mm, called BBs; outdoor sites usually ask for biodegradable ones. Airsoft guns do not fire metal pellets or steel BBs: those belong to air weapons, a different thing in law.
Is airsoft a sport or just a hobby?
Both fit. Most people play it as a hobby: open skirmish days with friends, without a league or a ranking. It is physical all the same, and you do not have to join a club to take part.
Is airsoft legal in the UK?
Yes. In Great Britain an airsoft gun within the legal power limits is not a firearm, and you need no licence to own one or to play. In Northern Ireland the line is 1 joule. You must be 18 to buy one.
How much does it cost to start airsoft?
A first day costs what your site charges for a rental package. Kit of your own costs more: the budget block in this guide shows today's webshop prices, and used kit costs less.
Where can I play airsoft near me?
At a skirmish site, in woodland or indoors. Search for airsoft sites in your county and look for a walk-on day with rental kit. UKARA lists its approved sites on its website.
Sources
- Firearms Act 1968, section 57A (airsoft guns); also sections 19 and 24A legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, section 36, and the Realistic Imitation Firearms Regulations 2007 legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004, Schedule 1 legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Criminal Justice Act 2006, section 26 (firearm definition) Irish Statute Book, 12 November 2026
3 more sources
- Player registration and approved sites UKARA, 12 November 2026
- Company history (1965) and representative products (FA-MAS, 1991) Tokyo Marui, 12 November 2026
- Airsoft law per country Airsoft Bazaar help centre
