Drinking games for large groups that keep everyone playing
For a large group, pick games where everyone plays at the same time or in teams, so nobody waits ten minutes for a turn: Flip Cup and a Beer Pong tournament for teams, Most Likely To and Would You Rather for everyone at once, and Wink Murder or Buzz for no equipment at all. A party game app like Wrecked handles up to 16 players.
What makes a game work for a big group
The enemy of a big group is waiting. A game that goes around a circle of fifteen people, one turn at a time, loses half the room by the second round. The games below avoid that in one of three ways: everyone answers at once (votes), teams play in parallel (relays and tournaments), or anyone can be hit at any moment (hidden roles and counting games).
Quick picks
| Game | Players | You need | Why it scales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flip Cup | 6-20 | Table, cups | Two teams race at once |
| Beer Pong tournament | 8-16 | Table, cups, balls | Winners stay on, everyone gets games |
| Most Likely To | 6+ | Nothing | Everyone votes at the same time |
| Would You Rather | 6+ | Nothing | Everyone picks a side at once |
| Wink Murder | 8+ | Slips of paper | Better with more suspects |
| Buzz | 6+ | Nothing | Fast, one mistake and you drink |
| Categories | 6-10 | Nothing | Quick turns, no setup |
| Thumper | 6-12 | A table | Everyone drums the whole time |
| King’s Cup | 6-10 | Deck of cards, a cup | Rules hit everyone, not just the drawer |
| Wrecked (app) | 2-16 | One phone | Votes, events and Chaos cards hit the whole table |
Team games
Flip Cup
Two teams line up on either side of a table, each player with a small amount of drink in a cup. The first players drink, then flip their empty cup from the table edge until it lands upside down; then the next teammate goes. The first team through wins. It is probably the best pure team game for a big party, and the losing team can drink an extra sip. Flip Cup rules and variations.
Beer Pong tournament
Beer Pong alone only involves four people. Run it as a tournament instead: teams of two, short games (six cups instead of ten), and the winners stay on the table. Everyone else is watching, cheering or queueing, which keeps the room in it. Beer Pong rules.
Everyone-at-once games
Most Likely To
Read “Who is most likely to…”, count to three, and everyone points at the same time. The most-voted player drinks. It gets better the bigger the group, because a vote among fifteen people is a real verdict. Use the most likely to generator so nobody has to think of questions.
Would You Rather
Read a question; on three, everyone points left or right for their answer. The smaller side drinks, and a tie means everyone drinks. Rounds take seconds, even with twenty people. Start with our would you rather questions.
No-equipment games
Wink Murder
Hand out folded slips of paper; one says “killer”. The killer murders people by winking at them, and the victims die dramatically after a few seconds (and drink). Anyone can accuse the killer: a wrong guess drinks, a right one ends the round and the killer drinks. More players means more suspects, so it only gets better with size.
Buzz
Count around the circle, but replace every multiple of seven, and every number with a seven in it, with “buzz”. Anyone who says the number instead of “buzz”, or hesitates too long, drinks and restarts the count at one. Easy to explain, and it falls apart faster the later it gets.
Categories
Name a category and go around the circle naming one thing each; the first to hesitate or repeat drinks. Past ten players, split into two circles so the turns stay quick.
Thumper
Everyone sits around a table and picks a simple hand sign (a salute, a peace sign, a thumbs up). Everyone drums on the table. The starter does their own sign and then someone else’s; that player must immediately do their own sign and pass to another. Hesitate or get it wrong, and you drink. It keeps the whole table busy, since everyone drums the whole time. How to play Thumper.
Card and app games
King’s Cup
The classic: cards spread around a cup, every card has a rule, and many rules hit the whole table at once (waterfall, categories, never have I ever). It works best with six to ten players; beyond that, split into two tables. Full card-by-card rules, and an online deck, are on our King’s Cup page.
Wrecked
Wrecked runs on one phone for up to 16 players. One person reads each card out loud, and many cards hit the whole table at once: votes, Never Have I Ever, Chaos cards, and a mid-game event every five cards, like Russian Roulette or Double Trouble. The app picks who drinks and keeps count, so the host can actually play too.
Running a big group well
- Have a host. One person reads, keeps time and moves the game on. In Wrecked, that is whoever holds the phone.
- Use sips. In big groups the drinks add up fast; small sips keep the game going longer.
- Split when it drags. If turns take more than a minute to come back, make two circles.
- Water on every table, and nobody gets pushed to drink. More on our responsible drinking page.
Throwing a themed party? Try these Halloween drinking games. For a game that runs in the background of a big party, hand out drinking bingo cards, and work out how much to buy with the party drink calculator. Nothing but drinks in the house? See drinking games without cards.
Questions people ask
What is the best drinking game for a large group?
Flip Cup is the best team game for a big party, and Most Likely To is the best game with no equipment, because everyone votes at the same time. Both keep 10 to 20 people involved at once.
What drinking games for big groups need no equipment?
Most Likely To, Would You Rather, Wink Murder, Buzz and Categories all need nothing but drinks. Wink Murder needs a way to pick a secret killer, like folded slips of paper.
How do you keep a big drinking game from getting boring?
Keep turns short and let everyone answer at once. Games that go around the circle one by one get slow past eight people, so split into smaller circles or switch to a team or voting game.
How many people can play Wrecked?
Wrecked supports 2 to 16 players on one phone. One person reads the cards out loud, and many cards involve the whole table at once, like votes and Chaos cards.
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.
