Sometimes, even the best host needs a little help to get the party started. Or maybe you’re just ready to grab a group of friends and kick back after a long week! Either way, if you’re looking to get your drink on, we’ve got a great roundup of games to help you achieve that goal.
These are all quick and easy plays that won’t take a lot of work to grok, which is important when you’re trying to pick up a new game while, um…slightly impaired. Thankfully, there’s no such thing as a GUI (Gaming Under the Influence), so feel free to cut a little loose with these games specifically designed to get everyone drinking together!
Our Favorite Drinking Board Games Ranked
Sometimes, you just want something that will cut to the chase – does exactly what it says on the tin. And in that case, have we got the perfect game for you. These Cards Will Get You Drunk absolutely deliver on their promise.
The game is just a deck of cards, each one with an instruction or command to get the group laughing (and drinking). Go in turns to turn over cards, perform the instructed action, and (of course) drink!
It may not be the most complex or challenging game we’ve ever seen, but we’ve got to give credit where credit is due to a game that has a clear goal and achieves it.
Although it may look like it with the traditional bingo balls in the spinning cage, we can assure you that this is not your grandma’s bingo (unless you have a really cool grandma, in which case, please invite us over to meet your cool drinking, gaming grandma)!
Another beautifully simple game, the bingo balls are color-coded to match a set of custom shot glasses. When the selected ball matches the color of your shot glass, you drink. Done and done. No cards or boards needed, just a bottle of your favorite liquor and a couple of friends. And maybe your cool grandma.
If you’re ready to add some extra spice to your usual game of beer pong, we have got the game for you! In this game, each cup will sit on top of a specially designed circular Fear Pong card. When the ball lands in your opponents cup, they have to flip the card and do whatever it says – or else drink everything in the cup.
Pretty simple, right? That’s the idea here. And to prove they really thought things through, all the cards are waterproof and easily cleanable. If you’re looking to add a little twist to the beer pong you played back in college, this is definitely the game for you!
How well do you know your friends? And what exactly do they think of you? With this quick and fun-to-play game, you’re about to find out!
Each card offers a “most likely to” statement, and it’s your job to determine which one of the players is the best match for each card. That best match, of course, has to drink. With a handful of equally great expansion packs available, get ready to call out your friends (and be called out in return).
Yep, we’ve all probably played some version of this before. But we all know that one guy in the group who can never seem to come up with good questions. And, of course, it only gets harder and harder the more you drink (like so many things in life). So why not make things easy with this excellent deck of ready-to-use prompts? Finally, an opportunity for all those bad decisions to pay off.
Have you ever been playing Battleship and thought “Wow, this game would be so much better if I was absolutely wrecked?” Well, turns out, you’re not alone. The creators of Shipwreck set you up with a mini-Battleship board, but instead of all those tiny pegs and plastic ships, each square is large and deep enough to fit a (ship themed) shotglass. All the fun of the childhood game you remember, but with a decidedly adult twist.
Sure sure, you say, this is all well and good but I’m beyond the beer and bottom-shelf vodka days of my youth. Can’t you give me a drinking game with a little bit of class? Indeed we can, my friends, indeed we can.
The Mixology Dice are a great way to challenge your friends to up their bartending game – and enjoy some fancy cocktails along the way. The dice create a custom cocktail combination each time, teaching you new drinks and expanding your palate. They do have a few less-common ingredients included, so make sure to stock up the home bar before you break these out!
Got a friend who’s a real wino? Get ready to put them to the test with this wine-based trivia game. Answer questions about the growing process, selecting, storing, tasting, and notable folks in the industry to see who’s truly the most knowledgeable wine aficionado in the group. And, of course, get ready to drink when you miss a question! Make sure you break out the good vintage to pair with this excellent trivia drinking game.
Yet another brilliantly simple game that more or less sums up the rules in the title, Do or Drink is a drinking card game that offers your group a series of challenges. Do what it says on the card, or drink – it couldn’t be any easier. Or, at least, it seemed pretty easy when you were all sober but now it’s pretty challenging, huh?
With several themed expansion packs (Pride, Stoners, Social Media, etc.) you’ll have plenty of unique dares to do (or not do). Maybe we should have started with a lower ABV beer…
I’m willing to admit that as a huge Dungeons and Dragons fan, I might be biased by placing The Red Dragon Inn at the top of the list. However, it’s one of the most unique and enjoyable drinking games I’ve ever played – with the distinct advantage of not having to drink if you don’t want to.
In what is decidedly the most meta game on the list, each player plays an adventurer in a party that has just gotten back from their last dungeon delve and are all playing a drinking game together at the local tavern. The last player to be sober and not completely broke wins.
Of course, we recommend matching your character drink for drink in order to have the most authentic role-playing experience possible, but we’ll leave that up to you – after all, you might not be able to match the drinking power of Fiona the Volatile.
Who's ready for another round?
If you’re ready to step up your drunken game nights from Kings and Beer Pong, this list should provide you with more than enough options! Gather all your favorite buddies, and make sure the fridge is well-stocked; you’re gonna need plenty of booze to get through all these great games.
And hey – remember to have a couple glasses of water and leave your keys at the door when you play these, okay? Nothing ruins a night of good drunken fun like a reckless decision, and as board game lovers we know the dice don’t always roll in our favor. Don’t take any chances, and make sure you and all your friends have a safe way home after getting a little wastey with these excellent drinking board games.
