The Best Drinking Games for Students, Adults & Teams

9th January 2019 Joe Graham Accommodation Basics, London Life

The best drinking games for students, adults, & teams

Pre-drinks have started, everyone seems a little too sober, and no one can think of any good drinking games to get the party going. Coming up with something that will please the majority of the room is difficult, especially when put on the spot and where alcohol is involved. There are drinking games for four, team drinking games, and even dirty drinking games for adults, so deciding what’s best can be tough.

To help you get started, here are some of the most popular party drinking games:

11 Best Drinking Games You Can Play With Friends – Quick Overview

Shot Roulette
Fuzzy Duck
International Drinking Rules
Taskmaster
Never Have I Ever…
Paranoia
Ring of Fire
Beer Pong
Flip Cup
Mr & Mrs
Heads Up

Easy Drinking Games

If you’re looking for an easy, drinking game that doesn’t have too many rules, then check out these popular, super simple ones. These are great options if you’re not in the mood for anything serious or if there’s a big group, as late-comers can easily join in at any point. Plus, it makes a fun way to pre-game a bit without going overboard, and you can even include your non-drinking friends before heading out for the night.

1. Shot Roulette

Up there with the best drinking games for adults, Shot Roulette is easy to grasp and doesn’t require anyone to know each other well. This means it’s also a good way to make friends while in London! Simply get a tray of shot glasses, fill half of them with water and half of them with vodka (or any drinks of choice). Those playing have to guess what’s in their glass without sniffing the substance. They then take the shot. If they guessed incorrectly, they have to take another.

2. Fuzzy Duck

A classic British drinking game that doesn’t require cards or any complicated rules. You should sit in a circle and take turns saying “Fuzzy Duck” – This goes on until someone says: “Does He”, at which point the order is reversed, and you have to say “Ducky Fuzz” instead. If you mess up, then you have to drink. Easy. Or it is until you’re a few drinks down!

3. International Drinking Rules

This one requires the least amount of organization to play and relies on everyone enforcing the rules as they go. Simply decide on some “international” drinking rules that apply to everyone in attendance and enjoy! It can be a great way to introduce your own culture as an international student who’s made their way to a whole new country for study (which can be overwhelming – check out our international students guide for some other tips), and a good way to learn the local customs, too.

You’re encouraged to make up your own rules, but here are a few to get you going:
If you swear, take a shot.
Drink whenever someone says your name.
You can only drink with your non-dominant hand (if you are right-handed, drink with your left).

This works great if you have a communal whiteboard where rules can be added, so everyone can join in the fun.

Ice Breaker Drinking Games

4. Task Master

One of the best drinking games for student halls is Task Master. This drinking game can be played with just two people, but we highly recommend you get as many people as you can involved.

Firstly, you must appoint a taskmaster by playing rock-paper-scissors or drawing straws. The taskmaster then assigns tasks and challenges to a member of the group, they must involve strangers/people who aren’t playing the game. For example, they may ask someone to dance for someone on the street for 30 seconds, knock on a random person’s door and talk to them for 40 seconds, or successfully borrow an item from a stranger.

If you successfully complete a task, you become the taskmaster for the next round. However, failure or refusal to complete the task means that you have to drink. Typically, failure is half a drink, while if you flat-out refuse, you have to down your drink.

This can be a lot of fun for early days in student accommodation because you can end up talking to a lot of people! However, make sure not to make the tasks too difficult or embarrassing because that can ruin the mood.

5. Never Have I Ever…

Many people have a love-hate relationship with Never Have I Ever for good reason. Never Have I Ever is considered one of the best drinking games as it allows you to uncover all sorts of secrets from your flatmates. It’s definitely one to break the ice with and get to know everyone quickly! Plus, you can play this anywhere, be it back in the flat or in some of the best bars and pubs in Aldgate, or elsewhere!

Taking it in turns, a person simply states something they have never done, for example, “never have I ever kissed a French person”. The more promiscuous, the better, making this another top spot contender for dirty drinking games for adults. Those who have then done said thing, have to take a drink. As fun as this game may be while tipsy, be prepared to cringe at the hideous things you’ve confessed the next morning.

6. Paranoia Drinking Game

Paranoia again is likely to cause some discomfort, but can also be some good fun. This game involves whispering a question to the person on your right, the answer of which has to be somebody playing the game. For example, “who’s the best looking out of the group?” The recipient then has to point to the person who they think is the answer to that question. If the person pointed to wants to know what the question was, they have to take a drink.

Prepare for some brutal honesty with this one!

7. Ring of Fire (aka King’s Cup Drinking Game)

Ring of Fire doesn’t involve awkward questions, athletic abilities, or even hand-eye coordination – simply a pack of cards. It’s commonly up there as one of the best card-drinking games because it involves several rules and is best played with a big group of people (but it can be played with just 2 people).

Put a jug or a tall glass in the middle of the table and surround it with a circle of cards facing down. Going around the table, each person has to take one card at a time. However, each card has an assigned action. While there are several variants of this game, this is a general guide to follow:

Ace – Waterfall. Going around the circle clockwise, each player starts drinking their drink consecutively and has to continue drinking until the player before them stops.

Two – You. Point to someone to take a drink.

Three – Me. You have to drink.

Four – Girls. All the girls have to take a drink.

Five – Thumb master. The person who drew the card discreetly places their thumb down on the table to which everyone has to copy. The last person with their thumb on the table has to drink.

Six – Boys. All the boys have to take a drink.

Seven – Heaven. Similar to the thumb master, the person who drew the card puts a hand in the air (pointing to heaven). The last person, with their hand up, drinks.

Eight – Mate. Choose a person to be your “mate”; they have to drink whenever you drink throughout the rest of the game.

Nine – Rhyme. Choose a word, and the rest of the players have to go around the circle stating words that rhyme with that. This goes on until someone goes blank, after which they have to drink.

Ten – Categories. You come up with a category, for example, “football teams”. Going around the circle, everyone has to name something that falls into that category. The person who struggles, drinks.

Jack – Make a rule. This is the ultimate power card. Come up with any kind of rule or forfeit that has to be obeyed throughout the game.

Queen – Question master. You have to ask players questions to which they must answer with another question. Players who answer a question without another question must drink.

King – Fill up the jug. Pour some of your drink of choice into the centre jug or glass. The unlucky person who draws the 4^th king has to then down its entire contents.

Team Drinking Games

8. Beer Pong

Beer Pong is an all-around crowd-pleaser with a surprising history to it, and it’s it’s easy to follow, but difficult to master. To play this team drinking game, lay out two sets of cups forming a pyramid on both ends of the table, gather a ping pong ball, and fill the cups with your drink of choice. Although this doesn’t have to be beer, beer is recommended as anything stronger will get expensive, not to mention chaotic, and fast.

The teams then take turns to throw the ball into the other team’s cups. If you get the ping pong ball into your opponent’s cup, they have to drink its contents.

This is one of the best drinking games for four, as you can play in doubles or quick rounds of single matches.

9. The Flip Cup Drinking Game

Again a game that involves splitting into two teams, Flip Cup is fairly ferocious. Have two plastic cups ready at the same end of the table, and each team form an orderly line. The first two members of each team kick it off by placing their plastic cup face down over the edge of the table and attempting to flip it so it lands in an upright position. After achieving this, the cup then goes down the line to the next person. The team to finish first wins, and the losing team then has to down their drinks. This is one of the most fun team-drinking games and will have you laughing all night long.

10. Mr and Mrs Drinking Game

This drinking game is only recommended when you know the group reasonably well, as it could lead to some tension. It’s a good drinking game for four, especially two couples or a group of long-time friends.

Two members of the party stand back to back so they cannot see one another (it doesn’t have to be a male and a female). The group then proceeds to ask the pair fairly awkward questions, to which one of them will be the answer. For example, “Who is the most fun?” “Who is most likely to…?” If the person thinks the question applies to them, they drink.

This great drinking game for adults only works if one of the pair drinks at a time, so they have to be critically honest. If both of them drink simultaneously, they have to drink again. However, if neither of them goes to drink, they have to have a forfeit drink.

11. Heads Up

For a team drinking game that just requires a phone – Heads Up is one of the best. Simply download the app for free and get playing!

You’ll need two teams with a minimum of four players. Each player takes it in turn to stand in front of their team with the phone on their forehead, so they can’t see the screen. Their team will then give them clues as to what the word or phrase on the screen is (usually famous people, movie or book titles, common sayings, etc.). When you guess, flip the phone up to check it off, or down to skip. Whichever team gets the most correct in the time, wins.

That’s it – 11 of the best drinking games for your student living in London and elsewhere. Which of the above would you say is your go-to? Let us know in the comments!

For advice and support – Drinkware.co.uk