DIY Drinking Games: Build Your Own Party Gear

A game you built yourself has a charm no bought one can match — and most of the time all you need is stuff that's already lying around. These are DIY drinking games to make with simple materials: gear for the most popular party games, from the beer pong table to the dare tower to drinking roulette. All with step-by-step instructions.

💡 By the way: that's exactly why we built the SwigSki3000® — four people, one ski, one shot in sync. More on that below ↓

What is a DIY drinking game? A DIY drinking game is one whose gear you make yourself — instead of buying a rack, wobble tower, spinner or cards, you build them from stuff you already have at home. It saves money, it's fun, and you end up with a game that fits your group exactly. This guide is about the building; if you'd rather invent your own rules, check out build your own drinking game rules.

DIY Beer Pong: Build Your Own Table and Rack

For beer pong you don't need an expensive purpose-built table — a normal table and a bit of prep is all it takes.

• The table: Any long, sturdy table works. For the classic look, tape off a midfield line and throw lines with masking tape.
• The rack: To stop the ten cups sliding around, cut a triangular template with ten circles out of a piece of cardboard, or just mark the cup positions with tape.
• Personalising it: Decorate the table with a wipeable marker or dress it up with a theme — and your kitchen table becomes your regular playing field.

A quick build, a few cups, a ball — and you've got the cheapest beer pong setup there is.

Handy side effect: because the SwigSki3000® is made of four separately removable modules, it goes straight into the dishwasher after the round instead of into a corner.

DIY Wobble Tower With Dares

The dare tower is the most rewarding DIY project going: huge payoff, barely any effort.

• Base: A standard wooden stacking tower (or a set of same-sized wooden blocks you cut yourself).
• Labelling: Use a waterproof marker to write a dare or drinking rule on every block — "2 sips", "give out 3", "invent a rule", "do 5 squats or drink 3".
• Mixing it up: Use different colours for harmless and wild dares, so the group can pick their own level.

Everyone takes turns pulling a block and doing what it says; whoever knocks the tower over finishes their drink. Build it once and it lasts for countless nights.

DIY Drinking Roulette: Build Your Own Wheel

Roulette brings chance into the game — and it's easy to recreate with simple materials.

• The wheel: Cut a circle out of sturdy cardboard, divide it into segments and label each one with a drinking rule or dare. Stick a spinning pointer in the middle (a pen with a drawing pin works fine).
• The cup version: Numbered shot glasses arranged in a circle, with a spun object in the middle pointing at one — whoever it lands on drinks it.
• Filling them: Make some glasses milder, some stronger (or alcohol-free) — that keeps it a game, not a dare.

DIY Shot Board for the Whole Group

A shared shot board creates that moment where everyone clinks glasses at once — and it can be roughly recreated at home.

• Base: A straight wooden board or a sturdy plank, long enough for four to six glasses side by side.
• Holders: Small rings or carved-out recesses keep the shot glasses in place so nothing slides when everyone lifts together.
• Finish: Sand it down and seal it so the wood can handle drinks — otherwise it swells up the first time something spills.

The catch with building your own: without tools and experience, a neatly fitted, waterproof board quickly turns into a test of patience. If you want the look without the hassle, the ready-made version is the way to go.

DIY Drinking Game Board: Design Your Own

A board game of your own is the most ambitious DIY project here, but also one of the most rewarding — build it once, and it carries a whole night.

• The board: Draw a course of squares on a big sheet of cardboard, similar to Snakes and Ladders or Ludo. Start at the bottom, finish at the top.
• The squares: Label individual squares with actions — "2 sips", "skip a turn", "everyone drinks", "move forward 3", "tell a story or drink".
• Playing it: Move around the board with a die and pieces (bottle caps work fine). Whoever reaches the finish hands out one last big round as a reward.

The trick: you can tailor the squares exactly to your group, with inside jokes and personal dares — so the board gets a little more legendary every time you play.

DIY Cards and Beer Mat Dares

Sometimes paper is all you need: a plain deck of cards or a few beer mats turns into your own game in no time.

• Your own card deck: Write dares and drinking rules on blank cards (or cover an old deck with stickers) — your personal Kings deck, tailored to the group.
• Beer mat dares: Write a dare on every beer mat. Take turns drawing one — anyone who doesn't want to do it flips the mat over and drinks instead. Just toss them after the party.
• Photo dare box: Slips of paper with funny photo dares go in a box — everyone draws one and does it, or drinks instead.

DIY Drinking Games to Build for Outdoors

Outdoor games work just as well in the garden or at a festival, and you can build the gear with barely any effort.

• DIY Flunkyball: An empty PET bottle as the target, a soft ball to throw, two lines marked on the grass — that's the outdoor classic sorted without buying a thing.
• DIY cornhole: A slanted wooden board with a hole cut out and a few homemade bean bags (rice-filled works fine) turns into a throwing game for a whole afternoon.
• DIY can pyramid: Stack empty cans, knock them down with a ball from a few metres away — whoever misses drinks. Costs nothing and takes seconds to set up.

For games that need more room to spread out, check the outdoor drinking games.

DIY Drinking Games: Tips for Building Your Own

• Work waterproof: Drinks end up on the material fast — laminate it or use waterproof markers.
• Build it to last: A sturdily built wobble tower or a laminated deck survives many nights.
• Build it together: Prepping is already part of the fun — let everyone contribute a dare.

If you'd rather come up with your own rules instead of building gear, you'll find the guide in build your own drinking game rules. For ready-made, offbeat game ideas, check the creative drinking games, and for the full picture there's the big drinking games guide.

Built Yourself, Played Safely

With DIY games, you control the dosage — use that: small sips as the default, plan in alcohol-free options (every homemade game works with soft drinks too), and no dares that put anyone on the spot. And while you're building: put sharp tools away before the first drink.

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Related articles:
Build your own drinking game rules · Creative drinking games · Card drinking games · Full drinking games guide