How do you play Never Have I Ever?

Players take turns saying 'Never have I ever...' followed by something they have not done. Anyone who has done it drinks, or puts down one of ten fingers in the non-drinking version. The fun is in the follow-up: whoever drinks can be asked for the story.

What is a good first never have I ever question?

Start with something most people have done but will still laugh about, like pretending to be sick to skip work or school, or eating food off the floor. Easy wins early get everyone drinking and talking before the questions get personal.

Can you play Never Have I Ever without drinking?

Yes. Everyone holds up ten fingers and puts one down each time they have done the thing. The first person with no fingers left loses, or you simply play for the stories.

How many players do you need?

Three or more is best, but it works with two. With a big group, keep a quick pace and let one person read the prompts so nobody has to think of questions on the spot.

Never Have I Ever Questions: 70 Real Party Prompts

How to play Never Have I Ever

Everyone gets a drink. In the no-alcohol version, everyone holds up ten fingers.
One person says a statement that starts with “Never have I ever”, followed by something they have not done.
Anyone who has done it drinks (or puts a finger down). If the reader has done it, they have to pick a different one.
The group is allowed one follow-up question to whoever drank. That is where the good stories come from.
Move to the next person and repeat.

The weak spot of the game is always the same: people run out of ideas after five rounds and start targeting the same person. That is why the list below exists, and why Wrecked hands out a new prompt every time instead.

Warm-up questions everyone can play

These are the ones that get the whole table drinking early. They are from the Standard deck in Wrecked, where each card also tells you who drinks.

Never have I ever thrown up in a car.
Never have I ever been on TV or in a viral video.
Never have I ever had a dream about someone at this table.
Never have I ever accidentally hit 'reply all' on an email.
Never have I ever ugly-cried in front of a stranger.
Never have I ever pretended to text to avoid talking to someone.
Never have I ever had a crush on a friend's parent.
Never have I ever returned clothes after wearing them once with the tags still on.
Never have I ever been pulled over by the police.
Never have I ever used someone else's toothbrush, knowingly.
Never have I ever ordered food for delivery to somewhere less than a 5-minute walk away.
Never have I ever clogged someone else's toilet.
Never have I ever been caught checking someone out.
Never have I ever stayed up all night for no good reason.
Never have I ever pretended to understand something to avoid looking stupid.
Never have I ever forgotten someone's name immediately after being introduced.
Never have I ever been kicked out of a bar or a club.
Never have I ever peed in a pool.
Never have I ever told someone I loved them without meaning it.
Never have I ever gone commando because all my underwear was dirty.
Never have I ever snooped through someone's phone.
Never have I ever pretended to be sick to skip work or school.
Never have I ever said 'you too' when a waiter said 'enjoy your meal.' Awkward souls, drink.
Never have I ever stalked an ex on social media at 3 AM.
Never have I ever eaten an entire cake, pizza, or tub of ice cream alone in one sitting.

Questions that start stories

Same deck, a little more personal. Use them once the room is loose.

Never have I ever sent a text to the wrong person that caused serious drama.
Never have I ever broken something at someone else's house and not told them.
Never have I ever accidentally called a teacher 'mom' or 'dad.' Childhood trauma survivors, drink.
Never have I ever eaten food off the floor.
Never have I ever faked a phone call to get out of a conversation.
Never have I ever cried at a movie in the theater.
Never have I ever gotten lost in my own city.
Never have I ever lied about my age to get into somewhere.
Never have I ever walked into a glass door or wall.
Never have I ever ghosted someone I was actually dating.
Never have I ever gone skinny dipping.
Never have I ever re-gifted a present.
Never have I ever been caught talking to myself in public.
Never have I ever laughed so hard I peed a little.
Never have I ever said 'I'll be there in 5 minutes' when I hadn't even left yet.
Never have I ever lied on my resume.
Never have I ever accidentally liked a photo from years ago while deep-scrolling.
Never have I ever had a full conversation with a pet as if they were human.
Never have I ever sung karaoke completely sober.
Never have I ever had a wardrobe malfunction in public.
Never have I ever blamed a fart on someone else.
Never have I ever waved back at someone who wasn't waving at me.
Never have I ever slept through an alarm and missed something important.
Never have I ever finished an entire Netflix series in one day.
Never have I ever tripped in public and pretended nothing happened.

Deeper, relaxed questions

From Wrecked’s Relaxed mode, for nights that are more about conversation than chaos. The drinks are optional; the answers are the point.

Never have I ever taken a bath with candles and music on.
Never have I ever adopted a plant and accidentally killed it within a month.
Never have I ever fallen asleep during a movie at the cinema.
Never have I ever taken a mental health day just to stay in bed.
Never have I ever read a self-help book and actually followed the advice.
Never have I ever cancelled plans because my couch was too comfortable.
Never have I ever journaled my feelings.
Never have I ever cried happy tears at a wedding or graduation.
Never have I ever gone on a solo trip just to clear my head.
Never have I ever spent an entire weekend without talking to another human.

Debate-flavored questions

From Debate mode. Expect arguments about whether it counts.

Never have I ever said 'let's agree to disagree' when I actually meant 'you're wrong.' Diplomatic liars, drink.
Never have I ever lied about having seen a movie or read a book to sound smarter.
Never have I ever played devil's advocate just to stir things up.
Never have I ever gotten into a heated debate about food (pineapple on pizza, ketchup on eggs, etc.).
Never have I ever changed my opinion on something just to win an argument.
Never have I ever Googled something mid-argument to prove I was right.
Never have I ever argued with a stranger on the internet for more than an hour.
Never have I ever kept arguing even after I realized I was wrong.
Never have I ever lost a friend over a disagreement about something trivial.
Never have I ever unfollowed someone over a political opinion.

How the cards read in the actual game

In Wrecked, a Never Have I Ever card comes with its own punchline, so nobody has to argue about who drinks:

🙅 Never Have I Ever

Never have I ever eaten food off the floor. Five-second-rulers, drink.

🍺 Standard

Ways to make it better

Take turns reading, not inventing. Most rounds die because someone freezes trying to think of a question. Read from a list (or let the app do it).
Allow one follow-up per drink. It turns a sip into a story.
Mix easy and personal. Two warm-ups, then one that makes people hesitate. Hesitation is the best part of this game.
Watch the target. If the same person drinks on every question, move on. Wrecked does this automatically: players who have drunk less than the table average get picked more often.
Know your group. A work party and a group of old friends want very different lists. That is what modes are for: Relaxed for deeper nights, Standard for most parties, and the spicier modes in the full game for groups that asked for it.

Never Have I Ever for two people

It works with two, but the rhythm changes: alternate statements, and make each one a question about the other person rather than about yourself (“Never have I ever lied to you about where I was”). For more two-player ideas, see our drinking games for 2 and drinking games for couples.

Play it as part of a bigger game

Never Have I Ever is one of eight card types in Wrecked. In between, you get hot seat questions, votes like most likely to, timed challenges, King’s Rules that stick for the rest of the game, and a mid-game event every five cards. It is all on one phone, with one person reading, for 2 to 16 players.

Never have I ever questions that actually get people talking