Social drinking encourages heartful conversations. It naturally tends to break the ice between people. Even though you’re socializing at parties over drinks, you might hit that awkward silence at one point where no one has anything to say! Imagine not being able to move forward at that point. That’s where drinking games for adults can help. However, I’m not just talking about alcohol drinking. You can have excellent social drinking with soft and healthy beverages also.
Drinking party games for adults are designed to uphold the flow of your mood without a pause. They require attention, competition, cheer, laughter, and whatnot! When you’re so involved, there’s no way you feel clueless. I bring here 21 such games in this article. Throughout the course, I will sprinkle personal memories into our conversation.
A word of caution before beginning: drink responsibly, respect boundaries, and play safely.
21 Best Drinking Games for Adults
| S.No | Game Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bite the Bag | Pick up a bag with your mouth as it gets shorter. |
| 2 | Best Sucker Contest | Drink from baby bottles; fastest wins, slowest loses. |
| 3 | Beer Pong | Throw balls into cups; hit cups are removed. |
| 4 | Kings | Draw cards; last King drinks the mixed concoction. |
| 5 | Quarters | Bounce a quarter into a glass; losers drink. |
| 6 | Quarter Baseball | Bounce quarters to score runs; losers drink. |
| 7 | No Hand Flip Cup | Flip and drink cups using only your mouth. |
| 8 | Medusa | Shout on eye contact and race to drink. |
| 9 | Straight Face | Read silly sentences without laughing. |
| 10 | I Drink and I Know Things | Answer trivia; correct answers assign penalties. |
| 11 | Russian Roulette | Roll dice to drink from mystery glasses. |
| 12 | Celebrity Game | Name celebrities; mistakes lead to penalties. |
| 13 | Thumper | Act like animals; forgetting actions has penalties. |
| 14 | Drink While You Think | Name items in a category while drinking. |
| 15 | Top Card | Match card values; fewer cards give penalties. |
| 16 | Never Have I Ever | Share experiences; those who’ve done it take penalties. |
| 17 | Fingers | Guess finger counts; wrong guesses drink. |
| 18 | Taboo | Catch others saying forbidden words or actions. |
| 19 | Most Likely | Vote on scenarios; most-voted takes penalties. |
| 20 | I’m Going on a Picnic | Repeat and add items; mistakes remove players. |
| 21 | Go Fish | Match cards; last player to match drinks. |
Bite the Bag
Supplies: Brown paper bag
Number of Players: 3 or more
Duration: 10-20 minutes
The first on our list of drinking party games for adults is Bite the Bag. You put a brown paper bag on the floor. Your job is to pick it up using only your mouth.
Sounds easy, right? Well, here’s the tricky part—only your feet can touch the ground, and you can’t use your hands to grab the bag. If you can’t do it, you lose that turn and pretend to take a sip of a drink (or just skip your turn).
I once tried this at a friend’s party. Someone ended up doing a full split just to reach the bag! Gotta say that you need to be a bit athletic for this game. If you’re not, you better stay away from this game.
After everyone has tried, you cut a little bit off the top of the bag to make it shorter. This makes it harder to grab. The game continues until the bag is super short, and everyone has lots of fun trying to reach it!
Best Sucker Contest
Supplies: Baby bottles, drinks
Number of Players: 3 or more
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Have you ever wondered how fast you could drink from a baby bottle? That’s the idea behind this super silly game called the “Best Sucker Contest”!
Gameplay: Each player gets a baby bottle filled with a drink (you can use juice, soda, or water instead of anything else). When someone says “Go!”, everyone starts sucking the drink out of their bottle as fast as they can. The first person to finish is crowned the “Best Sucker” and gets to decide fun challenges or tasks for three other players. But watch out—the last person to finish has to do three funny or silly tasks themselves!
Make sure the bottle tops (the “nipples”) are all the same size in this party drinking game for adults. It ensures fairness. The game is all about laughing, being silly, and seeing who’s the fastest!
Beer Pong
Supplies: Ping pong balls, cups, table, drinks
Number of Players: 4 or more
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Ask anyone about the best drinking party games for adults and they’ll include Beer Pong.
What is it? Imagine you’re playing basketball, but instead of a big hoop, you’re aiming for a small cup, and instead of a basketball, you’re using a ping-pong ball. That’s what Beer Pong is like!
You and your team line up cups on one side of a table, and the other team lines up their cups on the other side. The cups are set up in a triangle shape, like bowling pins. You take turns throwing the ping pong ball, trying to land it in one of the other team’s cups.
If you make the ball into a cup, the other team has to take that cup away. The first team to make all of the other team’s cups disappear wins the game! It’s like a fun mix of skill, aiming, and teamwork.
Beer Pong is a relatable game. Want to know my favorite moment? I once accidentally bounced the ball into two cups at once. It felt like I’d a hidden, magical skill! Who knows how many more do I have? That apart, Beer pong is the most chosen game in drinking parties. Because the supplies are right there, enthusiasm is all in abundance.
Kings
Supplies: Deck of cards, drinks
Number of Players: 3 or more
Duration: 20-40 minutes
Kings is one of the best drinking card games for adults.
You all sit in a circle and take turns picking a card from a deck, one at a time, going in order around the circle. The excitement begins when someone picks the first King card. That person gets to choose a drink—like orange juice, soda, or something creative. The game keeps going, and if someone picks the second King, they get to choose something to mix into the drink. It could be tasty, like lemonade, or something funny, like pickle juice!
I’ll never forget the time my friend added soy sauce to a juice drink—it was the worst and funniest decision ever!
Now the fun continues, and when someone picks the third King, they’re the one who has to go and make the drink with the two ingredients chosen by the first two people. Finally, whoever picks the fourth King is the one who has to drink it!
Quarters
Supplies: Quarter, small glass
Number of Players: 2 or more
Duration: 15-30 minutes
Quarters is a simple and fun game to play with friends! Here’s how it goes among the drinking party games for adults:
You need a small glass (like a shot glass) and a quarter. The goal is to bounce the quarter off the table and make it land inside the glass. You and a friend take turns trying to get the quarter into the glass.
There was one time when my cousin, who claimed to have “zero aim,” got the quarter in on their first try! It became a running joke for the rest of the night. The game experience was also awesome to say the least.
If you make it in first, you win that round, and your friend has to drink. The next person in line gets a turn. Everyone keeps playing to see who’s the best at bouncing the quarter into the glass.
Caution: It might be a fun drinking game. But don’t try this in bars! Usually, bartenders and owners are not huge fans of this game.
Quarter Baseball
Supplies: Quarter, glasses
Number of Players: 6
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Quarter Baseball is like playing baseball. But instead of hitting a ball with a bat, you bounce a quarter into glasses! Here’s how you play:
- Teams: Divide into two teams, with three people on each team.
- Setup: Line up four glasses in a straight row on the table. The glass closest to the other team is a “single,” the next is a “double,” and so on.
- At Bat: The player “at bat” on the first team tries to bounce a quarter into one of the glasses. They get three tries (just like strikes in baseball).
- Scoring: If they make it into a glass, they “score” runs. The farther the glass, the more points and the more sips they take. For example, if the quarter lands in the first glass, they take three sips. If it lands in the farthest glass, they take just one sip.
- Runs and Outs: When a team scores a run, the other team pretends to drink. Each team gets three outs per inning, and the game keeps going for however many innings you decide to play.
No Hand Flip Cup
Supplies: Plastic cups, drinks
Number of Players: 4 or more
Duration: 10-20 minutes
No Hand Flip Cup is a super funny drinking game for adults! Here’s how it works:
Each person gets a plastic cup and fills it with a drink (it could be juice or water). First, you have to drink from the cup using only your mouth—no hands allowed! Once the cup is empty, the tricky part begins. You have to flip the cup upside down by using just your mouth to move and tip it over. Everyone takes turns doing this, and the first person to successfully flip their cup wins the round.
Medusa
Supplies: Jello shots or small drinks
Number of Players: 6 or more
Duration: 15-30 minutes
Imagine a table with yummy colorful drinks in the middle, like jello cups or juice. Everyone sits in a circle around the table, heads down, ready to play. On the count of three, everyone quickly looks up at someone else.
Here’s the twist: if you and another person make eye contact, you both shout “Medusa!” as fast as you can and race to drink one of the cups from the table. Whoever drinks it the slowest has to drink two cups instead!
Multiple pairs can shout “Medusa” at the same time with the same rules. Keep going until all the drinks are gone, and then start over for even more laughs!
Here are some of the best relaxing drinking board games ideas for spending a good time with your friends.
Straight Face
Supplies: Paper, pens
Number of Players: 4 or more
Duration: 10-20 minutes
Let’s talk about this fun drinking game. First, everyone writes a silly or awkward sentence on a small piece of paper—something they think will make others laugh. Then, all the papers are mixed into a pile.
One by one, you pick a random paper and read the sentence out loud for the first time. The goal is to keep a totally straight face while reading, no laughing or smiling allowed! If you laugh or smile, you “lose” and take a drink (or do something silly, like clap your hands). If you don’t laugh, the person who wrote the sentence has to admit they wrote it and take the drink instead.
I Drink and I Know Things
Supplies: Trivia questions, drinks
Number of Players: 3 or more
Duration: 20-40 minutes
“I Drink and I Know Things” is a trivia game with a twist! You and your friends take turns asking each other random knowledge questions. If someone answers correctly, they can make another player drink (or do a fun action). If they answer incorrectly, they take the drink themselves.
To make it more exciting, there are special rule cards that can influence the whole game. When this card is played, everyone has to quickly touch their nose. The last person to do it has to face a fun consequence, like clapping their hands or spinning around. Keep playing and enjoy the laughs. It belongs to the list of lighthearted drinking party games for adults.
Russian Roulette
Supplies: Shot glasses, die, playing cards
Number of Players: 4 or more
Duration: 15-30 minutes
Russian Roulette uses shot glasses, a die, and playing cards. You’ll need six shot glasses, with one or two filled with juice or water and the others left empty. Place six playing cards numbered 1 through 6 in a row. Put one shot glass on each card.
Mix the glasses so no one knows which one has water or juice. Players take turns rolling the die. The number rolled decides which glass they drink from. If the number is already used, roll again. The goal is to pick a glass without knowing what’s inside! Play until all the glasses are gone.
Celebrity Game
Supplies: None
Number of Players: 3 or more
Duration: 20-30 minutes
Ever wondered about drinking games for adults that test your quick thinking? In the Celebrity Game, players take turns naming celebrities. The first player starts with a celebrity’s name, like “Taylor Swift.” Everyone says “HUNT!” Then, the next player must name a celebrity whose name starts with the last letter of “Swift,” like “Tom Cruise.” The group says “HUNT!” again, and the next name must start with “E,” like “Emma Watson.”
If a player takes too long (more than 10 seconds), repeats a name, or makes a mistake, they take a penalty drink. The fun drinking game continues until everyone’s laughing or out of ideas!
Thumper
Supplies: None
Number of Players: 4 or more
Duration: 15-25 minutes
Thumper is a funny drinking game where everyone picks an animal to act like. You choose an animal, make its sound, and mimic its movements. The next person copies your animal and adds their own. The third person repeats the first two animals and adds their own, and so on.
If someone pauses or forgets an animal, they lose that round. Players might face a penalty, like taking a drink or shot depending on the feasibility. The game continues as everyone gets louder and sillier with their animal impressions! A must-have among your favorite drinking games for adults.
Drink While You Think
Supplies: Drinks
Number of Players: 3 or more
Duration: 20-40 minutes
The group picks a category, such as celebrities, movies, or band names. The first person starts by saying a name, like “Tom Hanks.” The next person must say a name where the first letter of the first name matches the first letter of the last name from the previous answer. For example, “Harry Styles.”
The catch is that you must keep drinking until you think of a name. If someone says a name where the first and last names start with the same letter, like “Marilyn Monroe,” the direction of play reverses. Players who pause too long or repeat a name must take an extra drink. A fun drinking game, no?
Top Card
Supplies: Deck(s) of cards, drinks
Number of Players: 3 or more
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Each player gets 8 cards, and you use as many decks as you need. Place the remaining cards in a pile in the center, and flip the first card face up.
The first player must match the value of the flipped card using their cards. For example, if the flipped card is 8, they can play a single 8, or combine smaller cards like a 5 and 3. They stack the cards they use on top of the deck, creating a new top card for the next player.
If someone can’t match the card, they must take a drink and draw two cards from the deck. The next player then tries to match the new top card. If they use fewer cards than the previous player, they can make one person drink and another person draw two cards.
The goal is to get rid of all your cards first. The winner can choose three drinks to assign to others (all to one person or split among multiple players). Kings are wild and can act as any number, while Jacks, Queens, and Aces are worth 11, 12, and 1, respectively. Numerical cards are worth their face value.
That said, it is my favorite among drinking card games for adults.
Never Have I Ever
Supplies: Drinks
Number of Players: 4 or more
Duration: 10-30 minutes
Have you ever heard of drinking games for adults where people share fun facts about themselves? Here’s how this one works: Everyone starts with five fingers up. Pick someone to begin, and they say, “Never have I ever…” followed by something they haven’t done, like “Never have I ever been to the beach.”
If anyone in the group has done that thing, they put one finger down and take a sip of their drink. The game continues with the next person making a new statement. It’s a fun drinking game to learn about each other and share laughs!
Fingers
Supplies: Glass, drinks
Number of Players: 4-8
Duration: 20-40 minutes
Gameplay: Place a glass in the middle of the group. Everyone puts one finger on the rim of the glass. One person is the guesser for that round. They count down, “Three, two, one,” and guess how many fingers will stay on the glass.
During the countdown, each player decides to either leave their finger on or take it off the glass. If the guesser is correct, they’re out of the game. If they’re wrong, they take a sip and stay in. The game continues until only one person is left, and they finish the drink.
Taboo
Supplies: Index cards, pens
Number of Players: 4 or more
Duration: Entire party
“Wow, this game is going to keep you on your toes!” In Taboo, everyone at the party gets a secret word, phrase, or action written on a card, like “smile,” “say hello,” or “scratch their head.” If you’re looking forward to teasing your friends or roasting them, Taboo words is the only choice in drinking parties.
The goal is to listen carefully and watch others. If someone says your word or does your action, you shout “Taboo!” That person then has to follow the agreed rule, like taking a small sip of a drink or doing a silly challenge.
For example, if your word is “water” and someone says it, call out “Taboo!” The game runs all party long and is one of the most popular drinking party games for adults.
Most Likely
Supplies: None
Number of Players: 4 or more
Duration: 15-30 minutes
In the game “Most Likely,” everyone sits in a circle, and one person asks a fun question about who is “most likely” to do something. For example, someone might ask, “Who’s most likely to forget their homework?” or “Who’s most likely to trip over nothing?”
After the question, everyone counts to three and points to the person they think fits the description. If you’re the one being pointed at, you take as many sips as there are fingers directed at you.
I remember once being asked, “Who’s most likely to sing in public?” Everyone pointed at me because I’m always humming! It’s a hilarious way to learn what your friends think about you.
Also Read: Drinking Games Without Cards For Your Next Gathering!
I’m Going on a Picnic
Supplies: None
Number of Players: 3 or more
Duration: 10-20 minutes
In “I’m Going on a Picnic,” everyone takes turns adding to a list of items for a picnic. The first person starts by saying, “I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing a sandwich.” The next person repeats that sentence and adds their own item, like “I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing a sandwich and lemonade.”
This keeps going around the group, with each person repeating the entire list and adding one new thing. If someone forgets an item or says something that doesn’t make sense for a picnic, they’re out for the round. It is one of those drink games for adults that tests memory and creativity!
Go Fish
Supplies: Deck of cards
Number of Players: 3 or more
Duration: 20-40 minutes
Get ready for a fun twist on “Go Fish”, if you’re looking for drinking card games for adults.
Everyone starts with 5 cards, and the rest are spread out in the middle of the table like a “fish pond.” The first player draws ak card from the pond and flips it over.
Everyone must quickly lay down a card from their hand that is equal to or higher than the flipped card. If you don’t have one, you pick a card from the pond. If you can play that card, you must; if not, you take a drink. The last person to either play a card or drink must take two drinks.
All the played cards go back into the pond. Whoever lays down the highest card starts the next round. If someone plays a KING, everyone must pass their entire hand to the right before the next round starts!
The first player to run out of cards wins and gets to assign four drinks to other players however they like!
Wrapping UP
Drinking games can be customized to fit any group’s preferences. Adjust rules to make games shorter, more competitive, or suitable for non-drinkers. Consider adding penalties beyond drinking, like fun dares or trivia questions. Always ensure games remain inclusive, safe, and enjoyable for everyone.
Hydration and snack breaks help balance the experience, preventing excessive drinking. Rotate game types to keep energy levels up throughout the party. Lastly, set a precise end time to transition smoothly into casual conversations or other activities.
FAQs
What is the most fun drinking game?
Kings (Kings Cup) is the most fun drinking game for adults. Players draw cards, each with a specific rule, leading to drinking challenges. It’s simple, interactive, and keeps everyone engaged at parties.
What is an easy drinking game?
An easy drinking game would require minimal setup. Some of the easiest drinking games for adults are Never Have I Ever, Flip Cup, Drunk Jenga, Kings (Kings Cup), and Higher or Lower; these have simple rules and are quick to start.
What are some fun drinking games for large groups?
Kings, Most Likely, and Medusa work well for large groups. Beer Pong and Flip Cup involve team competition and keep everyone engaged.
What is a drinking game without cards or props?
Never Have I Ever, Most Likely, Straight Face, Thumper, and Drink While You Think are some drink games for adults that need no props or cards.
How can I make drinking games safer and more responsible?
To make drinking party games for adults safer, set drink limits and allow non-alcoholic options. Instruct on hydration and use smaller sips. Ensure no one feels pressured to drink. Also, arrange safe transportation.
Can these drinking games be played without alcohol?
Yes. Drink games for adults can be played without alcohol. The focus of these games is to encourage interaction and break the ice. Drinking serves as an incentive. If there are teetotallers, they’re more likely to play with their favorite drinks than with alcohol.
What type of games should I select for drinking parties?
There are many card and board games to pick from. But if you want to keep it simple, choose games that require almost nothing except players. The above list of games gives you those options as well.
How to play 21 drinking games?
21 is a counting-based drinking game where players take turns counting from 1 to 21—the player who says “21” drinks and creates a new rule. Mistakes restart the count. The game continues until all numbers have rules. There are card-based, betting, and dice versions of 21 drinking games.
