Some drinking games work at every party — whether the group is old friends or near strangers. Those are exactly the ones we've collected here. No fads, just good drinking games that have proven themselves over the years: quick to explain, suited to any group size, and with full instructions so you can bring them to the table right away.
💡 By the way: that's exactly why we built the SwigSki3000® — four people, one ski, one shot in sync. More on that below ↓
What makes a drinking game good? A good drinking game is explained in under a minute, gets everyone in the group involved, and works no matter the mood. It needs little or no equipment, scales with the group size, and has enough replay value to carry a whole evening. The classics below tick every one of those boxes — which is why they've been the standard for years.
The Classics You Can Always Rely On
Almost everyone knows these three, and that's exactly their strength: you don't have to explain anything at length, the round starts right away.
Kings Cup
The most reliable party engine there is. The cards lie face down in a circle around a large cup, the King's Cup. Everyone takes turns drawing a card, and each value triggers an action: an ace means waterfall (everyone drinks, stopping right to left), a 2 means "you choose", a 3 means "I drink", the jack sets a new rule, and whoever draws the fourth king has to drain the full King's Cup in the middle. Because the group makes up its own rules, every round plays out differently.
Beer Pong
The competitive classic for teams. Each side of the table holds 6 or 10 cups arranged in a pyramid, filled a third of the way. Both teams take turns throwing ping-pong balls into the opposing cups — land a ball, and that cup gets drunk and taken away. Whoever sinks all the opponent's cups first wins. Beer Pong is a classic because it bundles skill, trash talk and team spirit into one game, and it scales with the group size.
Flunkyball
The outdoor evergreen for two teams. A bottle stands in the middle, with both teams facing each other a few metres apart. One team throws the ball at the bottle; if it falls, everyone on the throwing team drinks until the other team has fetched the ball, stood the bottle back up and returned to position. Simple, loud, and perfect for the garden or a festival.
At the Outdoor trade show in Riva doing B2B, then afterparty and Aperol … – @apresallstars
Handy side effect: because the SwigSki3000® is made of four individually removable modules, it goes straight into the dishwasher after the round instead of into a corner.
Tried-and-Tested Card Games
A deck of cards is the best investment for a party night. These card games belong to the basic canon.
Ring of Fire
Kings Cup's sister game: the cards lie in a circle around a can, and every suit or value has a fixed rule. Whoever breaks the card circle while drawing has to drink. Ring of Fire is the faster, simpler variant — perfect if you want to get going right away.
Fuck the Dealer
A pure guessing game with a high fun factor. The dealer flips cards, and the group guesses the value of the next one. Guess wrong, and the guesser drinks; guess right too often, and the dealer drinks. A classic because it needs no setup at all and the roles keep changing.
Ride the Bus
The finale of many card nights. After a guessing phase (red or black, higher or lower, inside or outside), the loser has to ride the "bus": a card pyramid where every wrong guess sends you back to the start. If you're unlucky, you're stuck a while — and drink accordingly.
Good Dice Games with Drinking Rules
Two or three dice, one cup, done. Dice games are the canon for small and medium-sized groups.
Liar's Dice (Mäxchen)
The bluffing classic, plain and simple. Roll the dice hidden under the cup, sneak a look, and call out a result — higher than the last one, true or a lie. The ranking climbs from ordinary combinations through doubles up to Mäxchen (a one and a two = 21). The next player either believes it and rolls on, or calls the bluff. Whoever gets caught lying drinks; whoever doubts wrongly drinks instead.
Battleships (Dice Variant)
The drinking adaptation of the childhood classic: everyone spreads their "ships" across a grid and takes turns rolling coordinates. A hit means the player who was hit drinks. A classic because it mixes strategy and chance and runs best in groups of two to four.
Schocken
The pub game, plain and simple — three dice and up to three rolls per turn. The goal is the best combination; the loser of each round collects a "lid", and whoever ends up with all the lids has to drink. Rules vary by region, so it's worth agreeing on the ranking before you start. A real classic for the round at the bar table.
Good Drinking Games With No Equipment at All
The most enduring good drinking games need nothing but the group — which is why they work anywhere, from the living room to the campsite. That very independence from equipment makes them the most reliable part of the canon: even if cards and dice are nowhere to be found, the party's saved.
Never Have I Ever
The classic for getting to know each other. Someone says something they've never done ("Never have I ever sung karaoke"). Anyone who has done it drinks. It surfaces stories that would otherwise never come up, and gets more honest with every sip.
Truth or Dare (Drinking Variant)
The timeless classic with a drinking twist: anyone who dodges the truth or the dare drinks instead of answering. Works in any group and can be dialled anywhere from a harmless evening to a wild one.
SwigSki3000 Shotski by Apres Allstars
The classic among party props: four to six glasses on a real wooden ski, everyone drinks at the same time. The perfect reward round for every game here. From €29.50.
See the Shotski →Which Good Drinking Game Suits Which Group?
The canon is big enough that there's something for every situation:
- Big party: Kings Cup and Beer Pong get lots of people involved at once.
- Small group: Liar's Dice and Never Have I Ever work with as few as two or three people.
- Outdoors: Flunkyball needs space and fits perfectly in the garden.
- Getting to know people: Truth or Dare and Never Have I Ever break any ice.
If you're after something new instead of classics, the cool drinking games cover the current trend games; if laughs are the priority, the funny drinking games bring more challenges. Movie fans will find themed rules in the movie drinking games, and the full overview is in the big drinking games guide.
Responsible Is What Keeps It Good
A good drinking game only stays good as long as everyone's having fun. Offer non-alcoholic alternatives — every classic here works with soft drinks too — make sure there's water and snacks, and never pressure anyone to join in. That way the night stays memorable for everyone, not just half the group.
FAQ
Which good drinking games work best?
Among the most proven are Kings Cup, Beer Pong, Flunkyball, Liar's Dice, Ring of Fire and Never Have I Ever. They're quick to explain, work in almost any group size, and have high replay value.
Which good drinking game needs no equipment?
Never Have I Ever and Truth or Dare need nothing but the group and drinks. A normal deck of cards is enough for card games, and two dice and a cup for dice games.
How many people do you need for good drinking games?
Most work with as few as two people. Kings Cup and Beer Pong come into their own with four to six people, while Liar's Dice and guessing games also run well in small groups.
Can you play good drinking games without alcohol?
Yes, every classic here works with soft drinks, juice or water, or can be run as a pure points game — the fun stays exactly the same.
Which good drinking game is quickest to explain?
Ring of Fire and Never Have I Ever are explained in under a minute. Ideal when there are drinking-game newcomers in the group, or the party's already in full swing.
What's the difference to cool or funny drinking games?
Good drinking games are the proven canon that always works. Cool drinking games run on current trends, while funny drinking games go for maximum laughs and embarrassing challenges.
Related articles:
Cool Drinking Games ·
Funny Drinking Games ·
Card Drinking Games ·
All Drinking Games at a Glance