Going to the bar can be a fun time, but if you really want to have fun and ensure everyone gets sufficiently tipsy, you’ve got to play a drinking game of some sort! There are a lot of drinking games out there, but not all of them are appropriate to play in a public setting. For example, you couldn’t play beer pong at a bar! So, if you want to have some fun with your friends with some bar drinking games, what games could you play? Well, here are 31—yes, 31—bar drinking games you’ve got to play!
BAR DRINKING GAMES THAT REQUIRE NO SUPPLIES
There are plenty of party games for adults that you can play at a bar, even if you’ve got nothing other than your alcoholic drink of choice.
1. MOST LIKELY
Most Likely is one of the best drinking games to play at a bar without cards. One player asks a question like the following:
- Who is most likely to order shots for the entire bar?
- Who is most likely to text their ex tonight?
- Who is most likely to puke tonight?
- Who is most likely to have a threesome?
On the count of three, everyone points to the person they think the quetion describes.
The twist? Each finger pointed at you means one sip. So, if five people think you’d definitely be the one dancing on tables later, that’s five sips for you!
2. NEVER HAVE I EVER
Never Have I Ever is a classic for a reason, and you absolutely can’t go wrong with playing this one. To play, everyone starts with five (or ten) fingers up. Players then take turns saying something they’ve never done. Here are some example Never Have I Ever prompts:
- Never have I ever been kicked out of a bar.
- Never have I ever used a fake ID.
- Never have I ever hooked up with someone younger than me.
If you have done the thing, you put down a finger and take a sip. If you haven’t, you’re safe… for now, that is. The first person to lose all their fingers is the loser!
3. DRINK WHILE YOU THINK
This is a very simple game to understand. To start, pick a category, such as:
- Cocktails
- Dog breeds
- Netflix shows
Then, go around the circle, and each player has to name something in that category. The catch? You have to drink while you’re thinking, and you can’t stop sipping until you say your answer! If you mess up, repeat something that’s already been said, or take too long, you lose the round! Maybe even take a shot as punishment. Then, move on to another category.
4. 21
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21 is a fun counting game with a drinking game twist. Players count out loud from 1 to 21, with each person saying the next number in order. Whoever says “21” has to drink. But they also get to make a new rule that lasts for the duration of the game. Rules can include:
- Switching numbers with random words
- Skipping numbers
- Physical actions, like clapping instead of saying 15
As the rounds continue, the rules will start stacking up, and the game becomes harder and harder to follow. If you forget a rule, you drink! By the end, no one should be saying any actual numbers when counting one by one to 21.
5. TRUTH OR DRINK
Truth or Drink is pretty self-explanatory and perfect if you’ve got a group of friends who like to push boundaries. One player asks another a question, and the person has to either answer honestly or take a drink if they don’t want to answer.
Here are some example questions:
- Who’s the worst kisser you’ve ever hooked up with?
- Who in this group do you find the most attractive?
- What is your craziest one-night stand story?
- Have you eaten food off the floor?
6. TITANIC
Titanic is originally a Korean drinking game that has found its way around the world. To start, you need some beer. Drink some of the beer and then float an empty shot glass in the cup. Traditionally, this bar drinking game is played with soju, but you can play with any liquor of your choice. The players take turns pouring a tiny bit of their chosen liquor into the shot glass. Whoever causes the shot glass to sink like the Titanic must chug the entire thing!
7. MEDUSA
Medusa is a super quick bar game you can play anywhere. To play, everyone sits around a table and puts their head down. On the count of three, everyone looks up and stares directly at another player.
If two people happen to lock eyes, they both yell “Medusa!” and they both drink. If no one looks at you, you’re safe.
8. FUZZY DUCK
Fuzzy Duck is a hilarious word game that’s way harder than it sounds, especially after a few beers. Sitting in a circle, players go around saying “fuzzy duck.” However, at any point, someone can choose to say “does he?” which switches the direction of the circle and changes the phrase to “ducky fuzz” instead. Confusing, right?
If you mess up, say the wrong phrase, or hesitate too long, you have to drink!
9. A PLUS B
One of our favorite drinking games you can easily play at a bar is A Plus B. In this dare game, everyone sits in a circle, and one player closes their eyes. The person to their right picks “Player A,” and the person to their left picks “Player B.” The player with their eyes shut must then say one of three things:
- What A must do to B
- What B must do to A
- What A and B must do together
When the chosen player opens their eyes, they find out who’s involved in the dare they just created. This can be a pretty spicy drinking game, so be warned!
10. PARANOIA
For something that will get everyone talking, try a bar drinking game like Paranoia. IN this game, the first player whispers a question to the person on their left, such as:
- Who’s the best dressed here?
- Who’s most likely to wake up in a stranger’s bed?
- Who’s the person you’d most like to hook up with tonight?
That person then points to whoever they think fits the question.
The twist? The person who was pointed at has to decide whether or not they want to know what the question was. If they do, they drink to find out. And if not, the mystery remains.
If the person who was pointed at drinks, the person who was asked the question can either reveal the question or take a shot to keep it secret!
11. WOULD YOU RATHER
You’ve probably played Would You Rather at a bar before, and there’s a reason it’s one of the more popular drinking games out there. This is a very simple game in which players take turns asking hilarious “Would you rather” questions. Here are some Would You Rather examples to get your creativity rolling:
- Would you rather never drink again or never eat pizza again?
- Would you rather be buried or cremated after you die?
- Would you rather have 10 arms or 10 legs?
The fun is in making the choices as impossible as possible. At the count of three, everyone must pick either option 1 or 2. Every player who picks the less popular option must drink!
12. CATEGORIES
A bar classic, Categories is a simple game everyone will love. Simplyick a category, such as:
- Types of beer
- U.S. states
- Taylor Swift songs
Then, go around naming items, one at a time. If you repeat something that’s already been said or pause too long, you must drink as punishment!
13. TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
One of the best ice breaker drinking games you can play at a bar is Two Truths and a Lie. In this game, players take turns saying three facts about themselves: two truths and one lie. The group has to guess which one is the lie.
At the count of three, everyone puts up 1, 2, or 3 fingers, indicating which of the phrases they believe to be the lie. Whoever guesses wrong must drink! If everyone guesses correctly, the liar has to take a shot!
14. FINGERS
Fingers is a suspenseful bar game that gets everyone involved and is easy enough to play that you can play later on in the night when everyone is already quite tipsy. To start, place a cup in the middle of the table. Everyone puts one finger on the rim of the cup. One person counts down from three, and on zero, each player decides whether to leave their finger on the cup or pull it away.
At the same time, the counter guesses how many fingers will remain. If they guess correctly, they’re out of the game. If they guess wrong, they drink. The game continues until one person remains, and that person has to finish the drink in the middle!
DRINKING CARD GAMES TO PLAY IN BARS
If you happen to have a deck of cards on you, another world opens up in terms of drinking games you can play in a bar. Try out these drinking card games at your next outing!
15. FUCK THE DEALER
Fuck the Dealer is one of the most infamous drinking card games out there, and it’s perfect for a bar setting. Here’s how it works: the dealer flips over a card, and the player to their left has to guess what it is. If they guess correctly, the dealer drinks. If they guess wrong, the dealer tells them whether the card is higher or lower, and the player gets one more guess. And if they get it wrong again, they drink the difference between their final guess and the actual card.
The dealer keeps going until someone guesses their card exactly three times, at which point the role passes to the next person. By the end of this game, you’ll understand why it’s called “Fuck the Dealer”!
16. KING’S CUP
King’s Cup (also known as Ring of Fire) is a bar classic. And all you need to play is a simple deck of cards and a large empty cup. Plus, some alcoholic drinks of your choice, of course! To play, place a large cup in the middle of the table and spread all the cards face down in a circle around it. Each card corresponds to a rule:
- Ace = Waterfall or Snake Eyes
- 2 = You
- 3 = Me
- 4 = Girls
- 5 = Bust a jive
- 6 = Dicks
- 7 = Heaven
- 8 = Mate
- 9 = Rhyme
- 10 = Categories
- Jack = Never Have I Ever or Thumb Master
- Queen = Question Master
- King = Make a rule and pour some of your drink into the center cup
The unlucky soul who draws the last King has to chug the dreaded King’s Cup, which might be a gross concoction of everybody’s drinks!
17. RIDE THE BUS
Ride the Bus is a multi-round drinking card game that really ramps up as it goes on. You might want to play this game at a bar earlier on in the night, as it can get confusing!
- Round one: The dealer asks each player to guess if their card will be red or black.
- Round two: Higher or lower than your last card.
- Round three: Inside or outside the two cards you’ve already drawn.
- Round four: Guess the suit.
Every time you guess the answer wrong, you have to take a drink.
But the real fun starts now. The dealer lays down a pyramid of cards, and players have to match values with their four cards to clear them. If you can’t, you drink. Whoever is left with the most cards is the loser who must “ride the bus.” When riding the bus, you must go through the four stages again, but every time you guess wrong, you must go back to the first round and start again until you manage to complete all four rounds.
18. HORSE RACE
The Horse Race drinking game is all about luck, betting, and booze, making it a perfect bar game. Line up the four aces at the top of the table. These are your “horses.” Then, deal a row of 8 cards down the side to create a track. Players “bet” (by choosing which ace they think will win) and drink based on how much they risked. The dealer flips cards one by one; whichever suit is flipped lets that ace move forward. The first ace to reach the end wins. Everyone who backed the losers has to drink the amount they wagered!
19. RED OR BLACK
Red or Black is the easiest card drinking game you’ll ever play. And that’s exactly why it works at a bar. The dealer shows one card face down and asks the player to guess if it will be red or black. If you’re right, you hand out drinks. If you’re wrong, you drink. To up the ante, some groups add extra rounds: guess the suit, guess higher or lower, and so on.
20. UP AND DOWN THE RIVER
Up and Down the River is one of our favorite drinking games ever, and one you can easily play at any random bar. It’s a surefire way to get everyone drinking quickly. To play, deal each player four cards face up. Then, flip over one card from the deck. Anyone who has a matching card (as in, same rank) must drink. Then, flip over a second card. Whoever has the same value card must take two drinks. The third card flipped over equals three drinks, and so on.
After flipping over four cards, it’s time to go “down” the river. Starting with four drinks, all the way down the one.
Finally, shuffle all the cards and flip them over one by one, counting from 1 to 13. If one of the cards matches the number the dealer says, everyone must drink!
21. ESCALATION
Escalation is a fun game you can play with as many people as you want. To play, the dealer deals out the entire deck face down. One by one, each player flips over a card in front of them. If the card doesn’t match the previous one, nothing happens, and play continues. But when a card does match the one before it, both players must drink the number of sips equal to the card’s value:
- Ace = 1
- 2–10 = Face value
- Jack = 11
- Queen = 12
- King = 13
It starts slow, but once the matches begin piling up, drinks escalate quickly!
22. SLAPJACK
Slapjack is a simple game that becomes hilarious once the drinks are flowing. While originally a kid’s card game, you can easily turn this into a drinking game. To play this bar drinking game, deal out all the cards evenly between players. One at a time, everyone flips their top card face up into a pile in the center. The second a Jack is flipped, everyone races to slap it. The fastest hand wins the pile of cards, while anyone who slaps by mistake has to drink and toss one of their own cards into the middle. Keep playing until one person has all the cards.
23. POKER
You already know poker, but you can easily turn this into a drinking game by betting drinks instead of money! There are various poker games you can play, but two of the most popular are Texas Hold’Em and 5 Card Draw.
OTHER BAR DRINKING GAMES
These are some other bar drinking games you can easily play at a bar. While they may require a few more supplies, they use supplies you should be able to find in a bar, such as coins, napkins, and coasters.
24. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
This one’s fast-paced and hilarious drinking game that is popular with bachelor parties. Drop a coin (usually a quarter) into someone’s drink while yelling, “Save the Queen!” That person has to chug their entire drink before the coin hits the bottom. Miss your chance and the Queen is lost! Yep, this game is as simple as that!
25. QUARTERS
Quarters is a staple drinking game often played in bars. In this game, players take turns bouncing a quarter off the table into a cup. If you make it, you pick someone to drink. If you miss, you drink. Some variations let you keep going until you miss, which can get wild if someone’s got good aim!
26. PICOLO
Picolo isn’t a physical game but an app-based one that’s perfect for the bar. Download the app, pass the phone around, and follow the prompts. Easy as that! Tasks range from “You drink if you’ve ever ghosted someone” to “Speak in accents until your next turn or drink.” It’s unpredictable, fast, and keeps the drinks flowing. A great way to play some drinking games if you’re not feeling too creative.
27. DRUNK JENGA
Okay, so for Drunk Jenga, as you might be able to guess, you will need a Jenga set. But many bars typically have one. To play, write challenges on each block, such as “Take two shots,” “Dance for 10 seconds,” or “Truth or Dare.” If you’re not using your own Jenga blocks, you can write down the challenges on your phone instead.
Then, stack the tower and play normally, but whenever you pull a block, you have to do the challenge before placing it. When the tower falls? The player who caused it to fall must finish their drink!
28. NAPKIN TOSS
Napkin Toss is the easiest low-prep bar game ever. Grab a few clean cocktail napkins, ball them up, and place an empty pint glass a short toss away (use the table’s edge as the shooting line). Players then take turns tossing one napkin each. If you sink the napkin, you get to give out 1 drink. And if you miss, you have to drink. You can add additional rules, such as if you successfully make a trick shot, you can give out 3 drinks.
29. COASTER FLICK
Turn those bar coasters into ammo for this drinking game! Everyone takes turns trying to flick a coaster onto a cup or a specific spot on the table. If you land it, you choose someone to drink. If you miss, you drink. Always ask your bartender before attempting a game like this one though!
30. PHONE ROULETTE
Phone Roulette is not for the faint of heart. Everyone puts their phone in the middle of the table, and one person spins a bottle to see whose phone gets chosen. Another player scrolls through their contact list and picks a name. At that point, the phone’s owner has two options: send a text or make a call to that person (usually with the group suggesting what to say), or refuse and take a drink or shot. It’s risky, chaotic, and always hilarious!
31. GUESS THE TAB
Guess the Tab is the perfect way to close out a night at the bar. Once the server brings the bill, everyone takes a guess at what the total is going to be. Whoever’s guess is the farthest off has to take a final shot. On the flip side, if someone nails the total exactly, they win bragging rights.
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