Liquid Courage and Laughs: 5 Must-Try Drinking Games for Unforgettable Evenings
Written by Adam Eli Bernhardt
If you’re looking to raise the spirit of any social occasion, we’re about to unveil the surest path to achieving immaculate vibes at the next soirée you throw.
Why have a reasonably memorable night when you can make it fantastically forgettable with 2024’s hottest drinking games?
Whether you’re a college student throwing a dorm disco, a young adult hosting a bustling barbeque, or a team of remote colleagues looking to get crunk on your computers, we’ve curated a list that has a boozy solution for you.
With a recent study showing that people are more inclined to drink when they’re happy – not sad – these fun party games will guarantee celebratory success.
But remember: these games are designed to speed up and intensify the rate at which you’re drinking, so always play them responsibly. A good idea to play it safe is drinking water in between rounds.
So, if you’re ready, grab your beers, spirits, or soda waters (for the radically self-reliant) and become the host with the most by busting out these 5 alcohol-infused icebreaker games at your next bash!
Become a Professor of Fun: 5 Awesome Party Games for Adults
1. Never Have I Ever
Rightfully finding its place at the top of this debaucherous list, Never Have I Ever is one of the most classic games, with alcohol at the center of its magic and mayhem.
Besides being wonderfully simple to play, this game will have you and your guests on far more than a first-name basis as you get to know things about one another in what can only be described as… incredibly intimate detail.
Using “Never Have I Ever” as a prefix for a sentence you need to complete with something you’ve never done, everyone in the group who has done whatever you’ve mentioned needs to take a sip (or gulp) of their drink.
It’s one of those drinking games that get people to spill their wildest beans – it’s all about getting the players to admit their deepest secrets. Word to the wise: be prepared for strangers to leave the celebrations knowing your most personal information!
2. Straight Face
Coming in as a hot second on our list of crazy games with alcohol, Straight Face will see who’s got the best sense of humor and the most impenetrable poker face.
It’s another simple yet supercharged listed drinking game: all it requires is for players to write down sentences on small pieces of paper. The catch? The sentences must be as outlandish as possible, making it difficult for anyone to read or hear them while maintaining a straight face.
Going around the circle, one at a time, each person must choose a slip of paper and try to read the sentence on it without chuckling or cracking even the faintest smile. Failure to do so will result in that person having to drink.
This is one of those legendary icebreaker games that will unify your guests as they’re consumed by laughter at the raunchy, quirky, and comical nature of the sentences.
3. Beer Pong
Arguably the most famous (or, perhaps, infamous) of drinking games ever to exist, Beer Pong is even immortalized in an eponymous 2009 movie.
This list of party games for adults simply wouldn’t be complete without this iconic sports-based, blackout-inducing barrel of fun. It works by setting up a table that has 6 plastic cups arranged in a triangle shape on each side (think of 10-pin bowling).
Each cup must be filled with beer or another beverage of your choice, but not right to the top, as there is lots of downing that ensues. Divide yourselves into two teams and alternate turns with each team trying to throw the ping pong balls into one of the cups at the opposite end of the table.
When your ball lands in a cup, one of the opposition team members has to drink it. The first side to make the opposition drink all of their cups gets the victory and probably wakes up with less of a hangover, too.
4. King’s Cup
One of the all-time quintessential drinking games, there’s nothing royal about what follows once the gameplay begins!
Most of us would have already encountered King’s Cup in our early drinking years *shudders at the thought of being the one to lose* and it’s designed to get you sauced before the evening goes into full sway.
Start by laying a deck of cards (not one you treasure) face down in an even circle around a central cup—that’s the cup of kingly shame that’s going to end up as a putrid potion made up of all the players' varying drinks by the end of the game.
Players must then take turns picking a card from the circle, with each card in the deck representing a “rule” for making people drink.
Considered a staple among party games for adults, King’s Cup is best enjoyed with a larger group of people. Have fun and remember: if you lose, you down the revolting mix of booze!
5. Skribble
In the modern age of technology, we would be remiss if we didn’t suggest an online drinking game that you can enjoy too.
Playing Skribble is not only for the sober or creatively gifted – everyone can enjoy it and now it’s one of the top drinking games, too. Here’s how it works: everyone creates their avatar and then the game suggests three ideas for the selected player to draw.
The last person on the team to accurately guess what the drawing is must take a sip of their drink. This goes for those who didn’t guess it correctly, either. At the end of the round, whoever has the lowest score has to down whatever is left of their drink.
This is a fun and creative way to bond with friends or colleagues. The best part is that the more inebriated everyone gets, the more hilarious the drawings and guesses become.
Have a Blast Playing Games with Alcohol Responsibly
There you have it: a curated list of must-try drinking games for forgettably memorable evenings!
There are only two guidelines that we urge you to keep in mind before playing any of these rambunctious party games for adults:
- Play responsibly
- Have maximum fun
Never have we ever finished a blog post by saying – “Bottoms up!”