Pregame drinking games for the hour before you go out
The best pregame games start in seconds and stop the moment it is time to leave: Most Likely To and Never Have I Ever need nothing, a few rounds of Flip Cup wake everyone up, and a short power half hour with sips fits around getting ready. Skip long card games like a full King's Cup, which do not have a natural stopping point.
What makes a good pregame game
A pregame is not the party; it is the warm-up. The games that work:
- Start in seconds. Nobody wants to explain thirteen card rules while half the group is still doing their hair.
- Stop at any round. When the taxi arrives, you leave. Games with no natural end point (a full King’s Cup) get abandoned halfway.
- Get people talking. The point is to arrive together and in a good mood, not to be done for the night before you leave.
8 pregame games
1. Most Likely To
“Who is most likely to…” On three, everyone points; the most-voted player drinks. No setup, everyone plays at once, and a round takes thirty seconds. For tonight, try a few that fit the plan: who is most likely to lose their jacket, to get lost on the way home, to start talking to strangers in the queue. The most likely to generator has plenty more.
2. Never Have I Ever
Works while people come and go: whoever is in the room plays the round. Start easy and save the personal ones for later. Need prompts? Use the never have I ever generator.
3. Flip Cup, best of three
If you have a table, Flip Cup is the fastest way to wake a room up. Two teams, a small amount in each cup, drink then flip the cup until it lands upside down, next teammate goes. Play best of three, not a tournament: it is a warm-up.
4. Power half hour
A power hour is sixty one-minute songs with a sip at each change. For a pregame, halve it: thirty songs, small sips, and it doubles as the playlist while people get ready. Anyone still in the bathroom can catch up at the next song, or not.
5. Categories
Name a category, go around the room, first to hesitate or repeat drinks. Pick categories for the night ahead: bars in town, songs you want the DJ to play, worst places to lose your phone.
6. Would You Rather
Read a question, everyone picks a side at once, the smaller side drinks. Rounds take seconds and it scales to any group. Here are our would you rather questions.
7. Two Truths and a Lie
Good when the group includes people who do not know each other yet: everyone learns three things about everyone. Wrong guesses drink; a lie nobody catches lets the teller hand out a drink.
8. A short game of Wrecked
One phone, one person reading, and the app decides who drinks: hot seat questions, votes, never have I ever, timed challenges and King’s Rules that stack, with a mid-game event every five cards. The game ends whenever you end it, which suits a pregame. With the one-time unlock, the Speed Round vibe makes challenge cards more common and halves every timer, for a faster warm-up.
What to skip
- A full King’s Cup. Fun, but long, and the cup in the middle is a lot right before going out.
- Beer Pong. Only four people play at a time, and the rest wait.
- Anything built around finishing drinks. You still have a whole night ahead.
A pregame checklist
- Eat something before or during. Snacks on the table count.
- Water between rounds, and one more glass before you leave.
- Agree on how everyone gets home before you go, not at 3am.
- Phones charged, IDs in pockets, and a plan if the group splits up.
More practical tips are on our responsible drinking page. Big group tonight? See drinking games for large groups, and print night out bingo cards to take with you. Dressing up? Here are some Halloween drinking games.
Questions people ask
What is a good pregame drinking game?
Most Likely To is the easiest: no setup, everyone plays at once, and you can stop after any round. Flip Cup is the best pick if you have a table and want energy before heading out.
How long should a pregame last?
Most pregames run 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Pick games that fit inside that window and that you can stop at any round, so you are not halfway through a game when the ride arrives.
What pregame games work while people are still getting ready?
A power half hour (a playlist with a sip at every song change) and Never Have I Ever both work while people come and go, because nobody has to be at the table for the game to continue.
Can you use Wrecked for a pregame?
Yes. A game of Wrecked can be ended at any card, which suits a pregame. The Speed Round vibe, part of the one-time unlock, makes challenge cards more common and halves every timer.
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.
