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Some of us like to go to a party and have casual conversations about our jobs, our wives, our future plans, and our hopes and dreams. But, some of us like to jump around, yell at each other, and probably drink enough to make us not feel so bright and sparkly the next day.
If you’re of the latter ilk and you want to throw an absolutely epic party with every drinking game under the sun to get you and your nice and sauced up, I’ve thrown together this master list of the best drinking games ever.
I’m currently working at a party hostel that caters to international backpackers. Obviously, drinking games are an institution here. People bring their drinking games from all around the world and teach them to the other guests of the hostel, making this place sort of like a drunken compendium of the world’s drinking games.
As a side note, I have found through my studies that the Danish are particularly apt at creating drinking games (especially ones of the savage variety). If there are any Danes reading this: keep up the good work.
Anyway, keep this master list handy in case you ever find yourself at a party staring at a wall or perhaps listening to someone go on and on about their political opinions. All you have to do is pick one of these games and shout the name of it repeatedly until everyone in the room has to decide between playing the game or listening to you scream all day. Then, boom! All boring political and economic conversations have ceased and you’re having the night of your life.
Opus
Speaking of the Danes, “Opus” is a game that was taught to me by a Dane that was nearly seven feet tall. She was great. Anyway, this game centers around the song “Opus” by Eric Prydz.
Everyone stands in a circle around a table. If you’re playing with four people or less, use one die. If you have more than four people, then use two dice. If you’re a complete savage, use more than two dice. You’ll see why.
Start the song on full volume. It’s a slapper. Whoever has the dice should roll them repeatedly until they roll a 1, 3, or 6. Got a 1? Pass it to anyone in the circle. Got a 6? Pass it to the person on your right. Got a 3? Take a sip of that drink that you should be holding.
If you have one of the dice in front of you when the song drops, finish that drink. I’ve also played a version of the game where rolling a 2 means you have to take off an item of clothing, a 5 five means you have to spin around five times, and a 4 means you have to kiss the person to your right (although that might not be the best idea with the whole pandemic thing).
Tits
Bored of beer pong? Try “Tits” for a change! Who doesn’t love “Tits”? Big or small, you’ll love “Tits.” Alright, that’s enough of that. To play the game, you’re going to need exactly 13 cups and two ping-pong balls. Make clusters of three cups on each corner of the table and put one cup smack in the middle. All of the cups in the corners should be filled with beer (how much beer depends on how willing and able you are to get smashed).
The object of the game is to bounce the ball off your partner’s chest and into the cups. Your partner should be standing on the opposite corner of the table and you must bounce the ball off the table, then off their chest, and into the cup.
Once you get the ball into the cup, pass the cup full of beer to the opposing player next to you. The opposing player must stop throwing the ball, drink the beer, and then perform a successful flip-cup maneuver before resuming the game.
Once you and your partner have made all six cups, you have to make a double-bounce shot into the cup in the center of the table (which should also be filled with beer). Whenever someone double-bounces the ball into the center cup, the game is over and the other team has to drink the beer in the center.
One in the Chamber
“One in the Chamber” is less of a drinking game and more of an excuse to act in an extremely chaotic manner. Calling it a “game” carries the assumption that “One in the Chamber” has rules, which it kind of does not.
Basically, you need to put a full cup of beer on either end of the table. Next, put on the most chaotic album you can think of. My go-to album for “One in the Chamber” is Freak Out! By Teenage Bottlerocket. Whatever you choose to go with, make sure it’s some music that gets your blood pumping.
Everyone stands in a circle around the table. The person in front of one of the cups takes a beer pong shot. Then, everyone in the circle rotates one place to their right (or their left if you’re playing with some Germans who insist on everything being clockwise).
The faster you’re shooting and rotating, the more fun you’re going to have. If the ball goes in the cup when you’re standing in front of it, you’ve got to guzzle that whole thing down and refill it.
At any point during the game, anyone can yell “musical chairs!” and everyone in the circle changes places. The game ends when the album is over, when you’re out of beer, or when you’re too drunk to stand.
Prince of Wales
This is a game that one of my best friends’ dad taught me. To play, you don’t need anything but a sharp mind. The game begins when someone says, “Prince of Wales lost his tales, calls number [insert number you want to call].”
The person to your left is your number one, the person to their left is your number two, and so on. So, if you call “number two,” for instance, the person two places to your left must reply: “Nah!” After that, you ask, “Who?” Then, the person that you called must say the number of someone in the circle, who then says “Nah!” You keep saying “Nah!” then “Who?” then a number until someone in the circle messes up. That person must drink.
To play properly, you need to remember that your number is different depending on who in the circle is speaking. It’s also important to never point at people. Pointing with an extended finger is illegal and is punishable by drinking. If you want to jab a closed fist in someone’s direction or flap your elbow like a bird’s wing to indicate that they have to drink, that’s perfectly alright.
Ciggy Flip
For this game, all you need is a ledge and a pack of cigarettes. If you don’t have cigarettes on you, good for you. If you do, you should quit smoking, but you’re also ready to play. Refer to the diagram below to understand how to play.
All you have to do is stand the pack upright (on side 2) on the ledge. Using your finger, flip the pack at least two rotations. If it lands on side 1, the one who hath flipped must drink. If it lands on side 2, then everyone else who’s playing must drink. If the pack lands on side 3, then everyone else (except he or she who hath flipped) must finish their drink. Simple. Effective. Intoxication.
