The best drinking games, and how to play every one
The best drinking game depends on your group and your gear. With a deck of cards, play King's Cup or Ride the Bus. With cups and a table, Beer Pong or Flip Cup. With nothing at all, Never Have I Ever, Most Likely To or Would You Rather. With just a phone, an app like Wrecked runs the whole night for 2 to 16 players.
Quick picks
| Game | Players | You need | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| King’s Cup | 4-10 | Deck of cards, a cup | Classic house party |
| Ride the Bus | 3-8 | Deck of cards | Card-game fans |
| Beer Pong | 2-4 | Table, cups, ping pong balls | Competitive groups |
| Flip Cup | 6-16 | Table, cups | Big groups, team energy |
| Never Have I Ever | 3+ | Nothing | Getting to know people |
| Most Likely To | 4+ | Nothing | Friend groups |
| Would You Rather | 2+ | Nothing | Arguments, big or small groups |
| Two Truths and a Lie | 2+ | Nothing | Couples, new groups |
| Categories | 3+ | Nothing | Quick rounds, no setup |
| Drunk Jenga | 2-8 | Jenga set, marker | Slow build-up nights |
| Power Hour | 2+ | A playlist | Pre-games |
| Wrecked (app) | 2-16 | One phone | Any group, zero prep |
Card drinking games
King’s Cup
Spread a deck face-down around a cup. Players take turns drawing; every card has a rule (2 is “you”, 3 is “me”, 4 is floor, Jacks are “never have I ever”, Kings pour into the center cup, and so on). Whoever draws the fourth King drinks the cup. It is the classic for a reason, but it needs someone who remembers all thirteen rules. Full card-by-card rules are on CardRules+, our card game rules app.
Ride the Bus
Players guess their way through four rounds: red or black, higher or lower, inside or outside, then the suit. Wrong guesses mean drinks. After a pyramid round, the player with the most cards left “rides the bus”. A great game if your group likes cards and a bit of luck.
Table drinking games
Beer Pong
Two teams, ten cups in a triangle at each end of a table. Sink a ball in the other team’s cup and they drink it. Competitive, loud, and it needs a proper table.
Flip Cup
Two teams line up on either side of a table. One by one, each player drinks, then flips their empty cup from the table edge until it lands upside down. First team through wins. Probably the best pure team game for a big party.
Drunk Jenga
Write a rule on each Jenga block (“drink twice”, “make a rule”, “person to your left drinks”). Pull a block, do what it says. Whoever knocks the tower over finishes their drink.
No-equipment drinking games
Never Have I Ever
One person says something they have never done; everyone who has done it drinks. Easy to start, and the follow-up stories are the point. We keep a list of 70 never have I ever questions from the Wrecked deck.
Most Likely To
Someone reads “who is most likely to…”, everyone points on three, and the most-voted player drinks. Perfect for groups who know each other well. Here are 60 most likely to questions with drinking rules.
Would You Rather
Read a question, everyone picks a side at once, and the smaller side drinks. It scales to any group size. See our would you rather questions.
Two Truths and a Lie
Each player says three statements about themselves; the group guesses the lie. Wrong guessers drink. If nobody catches it, the storyteller hands out drinks.
Categories
Name a category (beer brands, Disney movies, things in a bathroom). Go around the circle naming one each. The first person who repeats one or blanks drinks.
Music drinking games
Power Hour
Sixty songs, one minute each, a small sip at every change. It is more endurance than game, so use small sips and keep water nearby.
App drinking games: when nobody wants to run the game
Every game above has the same weak spot: someone has to remember the rules, think of the next question, and keep track of who drank. That is the job Wrecked takes over.
One person holds the phone and reads each card out loud. The deck has 1,800+ cards across eight types (Hot Seat, Vote & Roast, Never Have I Ever, challenges with a timer, alliances with a betrayal twist, King’s Rules that stack for the rest of the game, Chaos and Wild cards). The host taps who drinks, the app keeps count, and every five cards a mid-game event like Russian Roulette hits the table. At the end, every player gets a personal verdict. It is free on Android, with no ads and no subscriptions.
How to pick the right game
- Nobody has anything? Never Have I Ever, Most Likely To or Would You Rather.
- Big group, lots of energy? Flip Cup, or Most Likely To.
- Just two of you? See drinking games for 2, or drinking games for couples for date night.
- Group can’t agree? Use an app and let the cards decide.
Play safe
Drinking games move fast. Use sips instead of full drinks, keep water on the table, and let anyone swap in a soft drink without explaining themselves. Our responsible drinking page has a few more practical tips.
Questions people ask
What is the best drinking game for a big group?
Games where everyone plays at once work best for big groups: Most Likely To, Would You Rather and Flip Cup all keep 10+ people involved. King's Cup also works, but turns get long past 8 players.
What drinking games need no equipment?
Never Have I Ever, Most Likely To, Would You Rather, Two Truths and a Lie, and Categories all need nothing but drinks. A phone app like Wrecked also needs no cards or cups.
What is a good drinking game for two people?
Two Truths and a Lie, Never Have I Ever (asked about each other) and question-based games work best. See our full list of drinking games for 2.
How do you keep drinking games safe?
Use small sips instead of full drinks, alternate with water, let anyone swap their drink for something non-alcoholic, and never pressure someone who wants to sit a round out.
Who's gettingwrecked tonight?
Wrecked turns all of this into one game on one phone: 1,800+ cards, rules that stack, chaos every 5 cards and a personal roast for everyone at the end.
Free to play · Android only for now · 18+