Drinking games without cards (or cups, or anything else)
Without cards, play games made of talking: Never Have I Ever, Most Likely To, Would You Rather, Truth or Dare, Two Truths and a Lie and Paranoia are question games; Categories, Buzz and the Name Game are word games; Wink Murder and Thumper need only the people at the table. A party game app like Wrecked replaces the deck with one phone.
Quick picks
| Game | Players | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never Have I Ever | 3+ | Questions | Stories and confessions |
| Most Likely To | 4+ | Votes | Groups who know each other |
| Would You Rather | 2+ | Votes | Arguments, any group size |
| Truth or Dare | 2+ | Questions and dares | Small groups |
| Two Truths and a Lie | 2+ | Guessing | New groups, couples |
| Paranoia | 4+ | Whispers | Curiosity and suspicion |
| Hot Seat | 3+ | Questions | Putting one person on the spot |
| Categories | 3-10 | Words | Quick rounds |
| Buzz | 4+ | Counting | Getting sillier as the night goes on |
| The Name Game | 3+ | Words | Pop culture fans |
| Wink Murder | 6+ | Hidden role | Bigger groups |
| Thumper | 5+ | Reflexes | Groups around a table |
Question games
Never Have I Ever
Someone says something they have never done; everyone who has done it drinks. Start easy and let it get personal. Need statements? Our never have I ever generator deals real cards from the Wrecked deck, one tap at a time.
Most Likely To
“Who is most likely to…” On three, everyone points at someone; the most-voted player drinks. Use the most likely to generator and nobody has to come up with the questions.
Would You Rather
Read a question, everyone picks a side at once, and the smaller side drinks. It works for any group size. Here are our would you rather questions.
Truth or Dare
Pick truth or dare on your turn. Refuse the truth or fail the dare, and you drink. The truth or dare generator deals both, and can pick who is up.
Two Truths and a Lie
Say three things about yourself, one of them made up. Everyone guesses the lie; wrong guesses drink. If nobody catches you, hand out a drink.
Paranoia
Whisper a “who is most likely to” question to the person next to you. They answer out loud with only a name. The named player can drink to find out what the question was, or stay paranoid.
Hot Seat
One player takes the hot seat and answers personal questions from the group. Dodge one, and you drink. Rotate every three questions. Start with these hot seat questions.
Word and counting games
Categories
Name a category (beer brands, breakfast cereals, pizza toppings) and go around the circle; each player names one thing. Hesitate or repeat, and you drink.
Buzz
Count around the circle, but say “buzz” instead of any multiple of seven or any number containing a seven. Say the number by mistake or take too long, and you drink and the count restarts at one.
The Name Game
The first player says a famous name, like Taylor Swift. The next player names someone whose first name starts with the first letter of the previous last name: Taylor Swift, then Selena Gomez, then Gordon Ramsay. Hesitate, or name someone nobody has heard of, and you drink. If a name has matching initials (Marilyn Monroe), the direction reverses.
Games with only the people at the table
Wink Murder
Pick a secret killer with folded slips of paper (or a note passed on a phone). The killer murders players by winking at them; victims die dramatically and drink. Anyone can accuse: a wrong guess drinks, a right guess ends the round and the killer drinks.
Thumper
Everyone picks a simple hand sign and drums on the table. The starter does their own sign and then someone else’s; that player must instantly do theirs and pass it on. A slow or wrong sign means a drink. Full Thumper rules.
The deck you already have: your phone
Card games are fun because the deck makes the decisions: what happens next, who is up, what the new rule is. Without cards, someone has to do that job, and they end up running the game instead of playing it.
That is the job Wrecked takes over. One person holds the phone and reads each card out loud: hot seat questions, votes, never have I ever, timed challenges, alliances with a betrayal twist, King’s Rules that stack for the rest of the game, and a mid-game event every five cards. The app picks who drinks and keeps count, for 2 to 16 players. It is free on Android, with no ads and no subscriptions.
Play safe
No-equipment games are fast: there is no setup between rounds, so the drinks come quicker. Use sips, keep water within reach, and let anyone swap to a soft drink without explaining. More tips on our responsible drinking page.
Want something on the phone without a full app? Spin the drink roulette wheel. Got a printer? Make your own deck with our printable drinking games. Got a deck after all? Our best drinking games list covers King’s Cup and Ride the Bus, and CardRules+ has full rules for the card games.
Questions people ask
What drinking games can you play with nothing?
Never Have I Ever, Most Likely To, Would You Rather, Truth or Dare, Two Truths and a Lie, Paranoia, Categories, Buzz and the Name Game all need nothing but drinks and the people playing.
What is the best no-equipment drinking game for a big group?
Most Likely To, because everyone votes at the same time. Would You Rather and Buzz also scale well. Turn-based games like Categories slow down past ten players.
What can I use instead of a deck of cards?
A phone. Question generators give you a new prompt every tap, and a party game app like Wrecked runs a whole card game on one phone, including who drinks and the rules that stack up.
What is a good no-equipment drinking game for two?
Two Truths and a Lie, Never Have I Ever asked about each other, and Truth or Dare all work with two. See our full list of drinking games for 2.
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.
