Drinking games for 3 people that don't feel too small

Why three is a tricky number

With three people, votes turn into two against one, teams are uneven, and the same person tends to end up on the receiving end. The games that work are the ones where everyone plays every round, or where the spotlight rotates on its own.

10 drinking games for 3 people

1. Never Have I Ever

Take turns saying something you have never done; anyone who has done it drinks. With three, every statement lands on someone you know well, which is exactly why it works. Out of ideas? Use the never have I ever generator.

2. Truth or Dare

Rotate around the three of you. Answer the truth or do the dare, or drink. It is a natural fit for a small group, since everyone gets a turn every third round. The truth or dare generator can even pick who is up.

3. Two Truths and a Lie

Say three things about yourself; the other two each guess the lie. Every wrong guess drinks. If both guess wrong, you get to hand out an extra drink.

4. Hot Seat

One player sits in the hot seat and answers a personal question from the other two. Those two decide together whether the answer was honest enough; if not, the hot seat drinks. Rotate after three questions. There are 60 hot seat questions to start with.

5. Paranoia

Whisper a “who is most likely to” question to the player next to you. They answer out loud with just a name, without saying the question. The named player can drink to hear what the question was; otherwise they never find out. With three, someone is always named, which makes the curiosity worse.

6. Categories

Name a category (pizza toppings, Marvel films, things in a fridge) and go around naming one each. The first to hesitate or repeat drinks. With three players the turns come back fast, so keep the pace high.

7. Ride the Bus

A card game in four guessing rounds: red or black, higher or lower than your first card, inside or outside your first two, then the suit. Wrong guesses drink. A pyramid round follows, and the player with the most cards left rides the bus. Three is a good number for it: enough cards in play, not too much waiting.

8. Higher or Lower

Flip a card from the deck. The next player guesses whether the following card is higher or lower; a wrong guess drinks, a run of three right guesses passes the deck on. Simple, quick and good with any small group.

9. King’s Cup, shortened

King’s Cup works with three, but your turn comes up every third card and the rules stack fast. Take out one or two card values, or end the game at the third King instead of the fourth. Full card-by-card rules, and a deck you can play on one phone, are on our King’s Cup page.

10. Wrecked

One person holds the phone and reads each card out loud: hot seat questions, votes, never have I ever, timed challenges, King’s Rules that stack, and a mid-game event every five cards. The app decides who drinks and keeps count. With three, it also fixes the target problem: players who have drunk less than the table average get picked more often, so nobody gets singled out all night.

Three games to avoid with three

• Flip Cup and Beer Pong: they need even teams, and one player ends up playing alone.
• Most Likely To: it works, but votes are often 2 against 1. Let ties drink, or play Hot Seat instead.
• Wink Murder and other hidden-role games: with three, there is nobody left to accuse.

Keep it fun

A small group drinks faster than a big one, because your turn comes back every few minutes. Play with sips instead of full drinks, keep water on the table, and let anyone skip a round. Our responsible drinking page has a few more practical tips.

Down to two? See drinking games for 2. A fourth person turned up? See drinking games for 4 people. Nothing in the house but drinks? See drinking games without cards.