Sometimes, there’s nothing better than playing a fun drinking game with a good group of friends. It can turn a great night into a memorable night. The drinks are flowing, laughs are filling the air, and the vibes are immaculate. But which one should you play next? That’s where StudyFinds comes in. We delved into the best drinking games and have compiled a list of the top five to play at any party.
People like to raise them up when they’re happy or celebrating, and a new study shows merit to that. Researchers find no evidence that people drank more on days when they felt down. However, people tended to drink – and drink heavily – on days when they were in a good mood. No wonder drinking games are so fun.
Drinking games tend to speed up the pace at which you are drinking. Luckily, there is an app for everything! A recent study examined the use of a drinking intervention app for college students. When using the app, students significantly reduced the amount they drank. This could be a helpful tool to not get caught up in the fast-paced drinking that sometimes happens while partying.
Bottoms up! As long as you are drinking responsibly, StudyFinds has put together the top five best drinking games to play with your friends. Did we miss one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!
The List: Best Drinking Games, According to Experts
1. Never Have I Ever
Topping the list for best drinking games is this classic. “Never Have I Ever is a great way to get to know a lot – probably too much – about people in a short space of time. If you’re not familiar with the rules, you basically use ‘Never have I ever’ as a prefix to a sentence for something you’ve never done, and everyone who has done it has to take a sip of drink,” says Cosmopolitan. “Start tame with subjects like food or travel, then move on to the more ‘interesting’ stuff.”
Matador Network lays out the rules of the game. “Each person holds their hand out with five fingers up. Pick a person to start, and that person begins a statement with ‘Never have I ever’ and finishes it with something they haven’t done before. Anyone who has done that thing puts a finger down and takes a drink. Words of caution: This game can get rowdy and dirty, and the more times you play with a group the more rowdy and dirty it gets. Just accept the fact that a stranger will leave with some very personal information about you and appreciate the icebreaker.”
ScoopWhoop says Never Have I Ever is a “great way to learn your friends’ secrets!” Why? “You have to share something that you have never done before and the people who have will take a sip of their drink. For example, when I say, ‘Never have I ever been arrested,’ all those in the group who have been arrested will have a drink. The key here is to make your friends admit their embarrassing stories so watch out for what you say!”
2. Straight Face
Coming in second on the list is the popular drinking game Straight Face. “All players write sentences on small pieces of paper. What kind of sentences? Ones that are ridiculous or inappropriate; ones that anyone would struggle to read (or hear) while keeping a straight face,” explains BuzzFeed. “One at a time, each player will choose a slip of paper and attempt to read whatever is written on it without giggling or cracking a smile. If they fail, they have to drink.”
Refinery29 has the rules of Straight Face if you’re looking to play this at a party. “Straight Face is sweet, simple, and hilarious. This game will put your sense of humor AND your poker face abilities to the test. Gather your party people, drinks, pens, and some paper. The game begins with each player writing down one sentence on a piece of paper, crumpling, and piling it at the center of the group. Turns are then taken around the circle where each player must pick a paper strip from the pile and read it aloud. The catch? The sentences are odd, raunchy, awkward, and hilarious — and the reader MUST keep a straight face while reciting. Any giggles, cracked smiles, or gasps will result in, you guessed it, a drink!”
Cosmopolitan writes, “Ever tried to keep yourself from laughing when you’re a bit tipsy, only to find that makes things 100x funnier? This game taps into that exact feeling. Players write sentences on pieces of paper, with the aim of making others laugh at the contents. Mix up those scraps of paper, chuck them in the middle, and players then take it turns to pick one out and read it aloud, while trying to keep a straight face. If you can’t manage it, you guessed it, it’s time to drink.”
3. Beer Pong
What would a best drinking games list be without the iconic Beer Pong? “Set up a table with six plastic cups at each end, arranged in a triangle shape (a bit like 10-pin bowling),” says Save the Student. “Fill each cup with beer (or whatever your choice beverage is), but not to the brim. There’s a lot of downing involved here. Split into two teams. Each team takes a turn trying to throw the ping pong ball into one of the cups at the opposite end of the table. If the ball lands in the cup, one of the members of the opposing team has to drink it. The first side to get rid of all the cups wins and gets bragging rights for the rest of the night (or maybe the year if it was a particularly spectacular victory).”
“Beer Pong is an all-around crowd-pleaser with a surprising history to it, and it’s it’s easy to follow, but difficult to master. To play this team drinking game, lay out two sets of cups forming a pyramid on both ends of the table, gather a ping pong ball, and fill the cups with your drink of choice. Although this doesn’t have to be beer, beer is recommended as anything stronger will get expensive, not to mention chaotic, and fast,” writes Urbanest. “The teams then take turns to throw the ball into the other team’s cups. If you get the ping pong ball into your opponent’s cup, they have to drink its contents. This is one of the best drinking games for four, as you can play in doubles or quick rounds of single matches.”
If you want to up it a notch, try Strip or Dare Beer Pong. “In Strip or Dare Beer Pong, you play just like regular beer pong except that once you down your drink you must choose to either strip or dare,” says PartyGamesPlus.com. “If you choose strip you must remove an article of clothing..duh!. If you choose dare you can then read the dare at the bottom of your cup.”
4. Flip Cup
Another go-to drinking game is Flip Cup. “The rules are straightforward, simply down your drink as quickly as possible, place your cup on the edge of the table and hit its base as many times as it takes in order to ‘flip’ it and have it land, balancing, face down,” explains WarGamer. “Then move onto the next one – the first to complete a whole row of cups is the winner.”
“Flip Cup is a good starter for a house party. This is the best drinking game at parties or even you can play this game at Christmas so we can also name it as Christmas drinking game,” writes ScoopWhoop. “There are two teams competing against each other. Both teams stand on opposite sides of the table and keep their cups with drinks at the edge. Everyone must finish their drink and flip the cup with there fingers to the upside-down position before the next member begins. First team to complete this wins.”
Want to make the game a bit harder? Try No-Hand Flip Cup. “Similar to OG game’s rules, two teams stand on opposite ends of a table thats exterior is lined with filled cups,” says Refinery29. “Each player must finish their drink and flip the cup upside down before the next team member starts. The messy twist? You must drink and flip the cup without using your hands. *Hot Flip Tip: Clamp down on the cup with your teeth and throw back your head — but be warned, drinks will fly.”
5. King’s Cup
Rounding out the top five of best drinking games is King’s Cup. “The point of King’s Cup is to start a drinking session off with a bang and get you part way hammered right at the start of the evening. Start by laying out the cards face down, in an even circle around a central cup. That’s the King’s Cup, and it’s going to fill up with a nasty mix of everyone’s drinks over the course of the game,” writes WarGamer. “Players take it in turns picking a card from the circle – each card in the deck has a different rule for making people drink.”
“For this quintessential drinking game with cards, you’ll need a deck of cards, a cup and plenty of beer and alcohol,” says Parade. “A separate cup is placed in the middle of a ring of cards facedown and the players sit around it. Players take turns picking a card from the deck, each of which requires a designated action.”
ScoopWhoop notes, “This one is a card-drinking game. Kings Cup is best enjoyed with a large number of people. Every time you pick a card, you have to do what the list below says. The more drunk, the better!”
You might also be interested in:
Sources:
- Cosmopolitan
- Parade
- Matador Network
- ScoopWhoop
- Save the Student
- PartyGamesPlus.com
- BuzzFeed
- Refinery29
- Urbanest
- WarGamer
Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations.