Some drinking games are tense, some just get everyone drunk — and some make the whole group fall off their chairs laughing. This is about the third kind. These funny drinking games don't live off the drinking itself, but off embarrassing dares, ridiculous faces and moments you'll still be talking about weeks later. Full instructions included, so you can start right away.
💡 By the way: this is exactly why we built the SwigSki3000® — four people, one ski, one shot in sync. More on that below ↓
What are funny drinking games? Funny drinking games put the laugh factor front and centre: instead of pure competition, it's all about dares, mime, dress-up or verbal traps that get the players into ridiculous situations. Drinking is the consequence — the actual fun comes from what happens beforehand.
Drinking games with dares that guarantee laughs
Spin the Bottle with dares (mini-ski roulette)
The classic from school days, glammed up for adults: instead of a bottle, you spin a small wooden ski in the middle. Whoever the tip points to draws a dare from a stack of prepared slips of paper — anything from a silly animal noise to declaring your love to a houseplant to re-enacting an embarrassing childhood memory. Whoever refuses drinks. All the humour comes from the dares you come up with beforehand.
Jenga with funny dares
Write a funny dare on every block of a wobbly tower beforehand. Taking turns, each player pulls a block and does whatever it says: "Speak only in rhyme for five minutes", "Imitate the person to your left", "Tell everyone about your most embarrassing flirt attempt". Whoever topples the tower finishes their drink. The sillier the dares, the better the night.
Hellish dares (dare roulette)
Two stacks: one with dares, one sorted from "harmless" to "brutal". Taking turns, each player draws and decides: do the dare or drink. Everything's fair game, from "Read your texts out loud" to "Let the group pick your new phone wallpaper". Works best when the group knows each other well — or is trying to get to know each other fast.
Intergastra recap reel with booth drinking action – @apresallstars
Practical side effect: because the SwigSki3000® comes apart into four separate modules, it goes straight into the dishwasher after the round instead of gathering dust in a corner.
Funny drinking games with acting and guessing
Beer Charades
The tipsy activity variant: a word is drawn and has to be acted out without speaking, while the group guesses. If the term isn't guessed within a minute, the actor drinks — if it is guessed, the group drinks as a reward. Drunk mime is reliably the funniest thing a living room has to offer.
Who Am I?
Everyone writes down a famous person on a sticky note and secretly sticks it on the forehead of the person next to them. Taking turns, everyone asks yes/no questions to figure out who they are. The humour lies in the combinations: once someone is seriously wondering whether they're a reality TV star or a head of government, there's no holding the room back. Whoever guesses wrong drinks.
Straight-Face Duel
The simplest laughing game there is: two people sit facing each other and try to make each other laugh by pulling faces. Whoever laughs or looks away first drinks and takes on the next challenger. No equipment, no rules to remember, ready to go the moment the mood needs a boost.
Drunk Chinese Whispers
The kids'-party classic escalates all by itself as the night goes on: one person whispers as convoluted a sentence as possible into the next person's ear, and it gets passed around the group. What arrives at the end usually has nothing to do with the original — and the later the hour, the more absurd the result. Whoever completely mangles the sentence drinks. Needs zero preparation and works in any group.
Word games with traps
Forbidden Word
At the start, the group agrees on a word that's off-limits for the entire evening — for example "cheers", "I" or "beer". Whoever says it anyway and gets caught has to drink. The nasty part: the longer the night goes on, the harder it is to avoid, and the traps everyone sets for each other keep the laughter going non-stop.
Cheers to the Governor
A counting and ritual game that thrives on mistakes. Taking turns, the group counts from 1 to 21, but certain numbers are replaced with actions (clap on 7, shout "Cheers to the Governor" on 21). Whoever slips up drinks — and gets to invent a new rule for a number. After a few rounds the rulebook is so absurd that nobody can get through it anymore, and that collective failure is exactly the joke. A game that gets funnier every round because the error rate keeps climbing.
I'm Packing My Suitcase (drinking edition)
The memory game with an alcohol handicap: taking turns, everyone repeats the growing list ("I'm packing my suitcase and I'm taking… sunglasses, three beers, a unicorn…") and adds their own item, the sillier the better. Whoever forgets an item or gets the order wrong drinks. With every sip, remembering gets harder — and the items get more absurd. A game that runs itself and needs zero equipment.
Miniski set from Apres Allstars
For Spin the Bottle with dares: the small wooden ski spins better than any bottle and doubles as table decor before the game even starts. Set of 4 from €24.50.
View Miniski →How to make funny drinking games actually funny
The fun stands or falls with a few small things:
- Collect dares in advance: a stack of good slips of paper is worth more than any expensive game. Have everyone contribute three dares before you start.
- Don't put anyone on the spot: it's only funny if everyone can laugh along — never at one person's expense.
- Keep up the pace: short games like the Straight-Face Duel in between keep the energy up.
If you prefer the classic route, you'll find the tried-and-tested canon in our good drinking games; if you're after the current trend games, check out our cool drinking games. For pure question-and-guessing games, see our drinking games with questions, and the full overview is in our big drinking games guide.
Even while laughing: stay responsible
The funniest round is the one everyone still remembers the next day. Offer non-alcoholic alternatives — every game here works just as well with soft drinks, because the fun comes from the dares, not the alcohol — make sure there's water on hand, and never push anyone into a dare they're uncomfortable with.
FAQ
What are the funniest drinking games?
Dare and acting games bring the most laughs, like Spin the Bottle with dares, Beer Charades, "Who Am I?" and the Straight-Face Duel. They thrive on embarrassing situations rather than pure competition.
Which funny drinking game needs no equipment?
The Straight-Face Duel, "Forbidden Word" and "Cheers to the Governor" only need the group and drinks — no material, no prep.
How do I make a drinking game especially funny?
Collect good dares together beforehand, keep the pace up with short games, and make sure nobody gets put on the spot. The humour comes from the dares you come up with.
How many people do you need?
Most funny drinking games work with three to four people or more. Beer Charades and "Who Am I?" really come into their own in bigger groups, while the Straight-Face Duel works with just two.
Can you play funny drinking games without alcohol?
Yes, and they lose nothing in the process. Because the fun comes from the dares and the acting, every game works just as well with soft drinks.
What's the difference to good or cool drinking games?
Funny drinking games put the laugh factor first. Good drinking games are the tried-and-tested canon that always works, and cool drinking games focus on current trends and show factor.
Related articles:
Good drinking games ·
Cool drinking games ·
Drinking games with questions ·
All drinking games at a glance