Top 10 best drinking games for a fun night

01Beerio Kart

What you need

• Mario Kart
• A console or TV
• Controllers
• Drinks for everyone

How does it work?

You play a round of Mario Kart with a drink next to you. The goal is to finish your drink before you cross the finish line.

There is only one important rule: you can only drink when you are standing still.

So when you crash into a wall in the middle of the race, get hit by a shell or get completely stuck, that is your moment to drink.

Penalty

The loser downs a drink.

Extra version

Only drink while standing up! That makes it even more chaotic.

Why this game works so well

Because everyone wants to win and finish their drink as fast as possible at the same time. That never really goes well.

See the full rules of Beerio Kart.

02Trek je Bak Mania

What you need

• Trackmania
• A console, PC or setup with hotseat mode
• Controllers or a keyboard
• Drinks for everyone

How does it work?

This is the Dutch Trackmania drinking game. You play Trackmania in hotseat mode. Everyone takes turns driving until the fuel runs out. Then it is the next player's turn.

Penalty

The slowest player downs a drink.

Extra version

You can also play that the winner gets to hand out a drink to down.

Why this game is fun

The rules are simple, everyone gets it fast and you have instant competition. Always good.

See the full rules of Trek je Bak Mania.

0330 Seconds

What you need

• The game 30 Seconds
• At least 4 players
• Drinks

How does it work?

You play 30 Seconds as normal: within 30 seconds you and your team try to guess as many words on the card as possible.

Penalty

The team that loses the round downs a drink.

Variation

You decide whether everyone in the losing team downs their own drink, or whether the team has to finish one drink together. And you decide what the winner of the whole game gets.

Why this game always works

Because everyone thinks they are good at it. Until the timer runs and nobody can think straight anymore.

See the full rules of 30 Seconds.

04Kingsen

What you need

• Playing cards
• A shot glass
• Beer, wine or another drink
• A table

How does it work?

Kingsen is the Dutch version of Kings Cup. You lay the cards in a circle around a shot glass. Everyone takes turns drawing a card. Every card stands for a task or a rule.

The goal is simple: keep playing without breaking the circle.

When someone breaks the circle while drawing a card, the game is over and that person has to take the shot. In many versions the same goes for the fourth king: whoever puts it on the glass takes the shot.

Instructions

• Fill a shot glass with a drink.
• Take the jokers out of the deck.
• Lay the cards in a circle around the shot glass.
• Everyone takes turns drawing a card.
• Do the task that goes with the card.
• Try not to break the circle.
• Is the circle broken or is the fourth king on the table? Then that person has to take the shot.

Tasks per card

• 2: Hand out sips. Pick one person who has to take a sip.
• 3: Drink yourself. Take a sip yourself.
• 4: Pick a category. Pick a category. It can be anything. Beer brands, car brands and so on. Whoever can't think of anything or names something that was already said, drinks.
• 5: Thumbs. Put your thumb on the table (you decide when). Everyone follows. The last one to put their thumb down drinks.
• 6: Drinking buddy. Pick one player who drinks with you every time you have to drink.
• 7: Times table of 7. Take turns counting up from 1. You can't say multiples of 7 (7, 14, 21) or numbers with a 7 in them (7, 17, 27). Made a mistake? You drink.
• 8: Make a rule. Make up a rule for the whole game. Whoever breaks the rule drinks. For example: always drink with your left hand.
• 9: Drop a rule. Cancel a rule that was made with card 8.
• 10: Quizmaster. You are the quizmaster. Nobody can answer your questions. Whoever does it anyway, drinks. Only one quizmaster at a time.
• Jack: Point. Everyone raises their hand. Count down from 5 and everyone points at the person who has to drink. The one with the most votes drinks.
• Queen: Rise of the queen. At any moment you can raise your hand and shout "Rise of the queen". Everyone follows. The last one to do it drinks.
• King: Put it down. Put your king on top of the shot glass. Whoever puts down the fourth king loses and drinks the shot.
• Ace: Reverse. The game turns around. Everyone now goes the other way.

Variation

When someone puts a king on the glass, that person can also add something extra to the glass. That way the loser ends up with a lovely little mix.

Why Kingsen is a classic

Because it is the perfect mix of chaos, rules and bad luck. You need almost nothing and everyone can join in.

See the full rules of Kingsen.

05Rage Cage

What you need

• At least 4 players
• Plastic cups (several, at least 4)
• 2 ping pong balls
• A big table
• Beer or another drink

Setting up

Rage Cage is also called Stack Cup. In the Netherlands it goes by Stress Pong. Put a bunch of filled cups in the middle of the table. Make sure you have enough room to move. All players sit around the table.

Two players start at the same time with a ping pong ball. They are the first shooters.

How does it work?

The basics: The goal is simple. You try to bounce your ping pong ball into your own cup. The faster, the better.

Made it in one go? Then you can put your cup down in front of any other player. That player takes over your spot and tries to bounce from there.

Took more than one try? Then slide your cup one spot to the left. The next player gets your spot.

The snowball effect: The longer the game lasts, the more cups are in play. Everyone who gets caught with a cup drinks it and keeps going.

The end: The last player with a cup drinks the final one, the so called kings cup.

Strategy and tips

• Keep the table clean. A dry table gives better bounces. A wet table makes it a lot harder.
• Focus is everything. The pressure rises as the game gets faster. Confidence helps.
• The pace decides everything. The faster the game, the more chaos.
• Aim well. A successful first try gives you an advantage.

Why this game goes so hard

Rage Cage is fast, intense and chaotic. Nobody stays calm. It gets loud, fanatic and full of adrenaline. Within ten minutes everyone is sweating and shouting over each other.

Video: what Rage Cage looks like in action

See the full rules of Rage Cage.

06Fuck the Dealer

What you need

• A deck of cards
• At least 3 players
• Drinks

How do you pick the dealer?

You can pick the dealer at random. You can also roll dice. Or everyone draws a card and whoever has the highest becomes the dealer.

How does it work?

In Fuck the Dealer the dealer plays against everyone. The other players try to guess the cards the dealer turns over.

The dealer takes the top card of the deck. Only the dealer can see this card.

The player to the left of the dealer now guesses the value of the card. It can be anything from 2 to Ace.

Instructions per round

• First guess right? Then the dealer drinks 2 sips. Move on to the next player.
• First guess wrong? Then the dealer says whether the card is higher or lower than the guess. The player gets one more guess.
• Second guess right? Then the dealer drinks 1 sip. Move on to the next player.
• Second guess wrong too? Then the player drinks 1 sip.

Beat three players in a row?

Has the dealer beaten three players in a row? Nice. Then they can pass the deck to the player on their right.

The new dealer now has to beat three players in a row too. Done? Then the deck goes to the next player on the right.

This goes on until all cards have been played.

Variation

The dealer who finishes the deck at the end has to down a drink or gets another penalty.

During the game

Put the played cards face up on the table. In the right order. That way all players can see which cards have already been played. That helps a lot with your guesses.

Why this game is fun

It is simple, fast and all the pressure is on the dealer. The other players feel smart when they guess right. The dealer feels dumb when everyone gets it right. And after two rounds everyone suddenly thinks they can read cards.

See the full rules of Fuck the Dealer.

07Mexico

What you need

• 2 dice
• At least 2 players
• Drinks (beer, shots or wine)

How does it work?

Mexico, called Mexen in the Netherlands, is really simple. Everyone takes turns rolling two dice. Whoever has the lowest roll of the round drinks.

Roll a 1 and a 2 (a Mexico)? Then the number of sips doubles.

The basic rules

• The first player sets the pace. Whoever starts can roll up to 3 times. Everyone after that can roll the same number of times.
• Lowest loses. The lowest roll of the round has to drink.
• Mexico doubles. Roll a 1 and a 2 in the round? Then the number of sips doubles.
• You can "take it". Not happy with your roll and nobody has rolled a Mexico yet? Then you can take the round. That way you don't lose and have to drink even more.
• Rolling off the table costs extra. Roll a die off the table? Then you drink extra.
• A tie? Do two players have the lowest roll? Then you play against each other. The lowest roll counts.

Why Mexico works so well

You need almost nothing. It is explained in no time. And still there is always an argument about the exact rules. That is actually just part of it. It makes the game even better.

See the full rules of Mexico.

08Bakplaten

What you need

• A deck of playing cards
• Drinks

How does it work?

Bakplaten is a Dutch card game and the idea is super simple. Everyone takes turns drawing a card from the deck. Then you turn the card over.

Is it a face card? Then you drink a beer. Watch out: an ace counts as a face card too.

Why this game works

It doesn't get much simpler than this. And it is definitely entertaining.

See the full rules of Bakplaten.

09Horse Race (Camel Race)

What you need

• 1 deck of playing cards
• Lots of drinks, beer or wine

How does it work?

As the name gives away, this drinking game looks like a real horse race. Every player picks one of the four aces. The aces are the horses. The game is also called Camel Race. Then the aces are camels.

Then everyone places a bet on their ace. You pay that bet in sips, and you drink it before the race. Everyone decides how many sips that is. So if you really believe in your horse, you can go big.

Instructions

• Take the jokers out of the deck and shuffle the cards.
• Lay 6 cards face down in a vertical row.
• Put the 4 aces face up next to each other below them.
• Then draw cards from the deck one by one.
• Does the card you draw match your ace? Then your ace moves one step forward.
• Once all aces have passed the first vertical card, turn that card over.
• Does that card match your ace? Then you move one step back.
• The first one across the finish line wins.

Penalty

The other players drink the bet of the winner plus their own bet.

Why this game is fun

Because it looks super simple, but in the meantime everyone gets crazy fanatic about an ace that literally comes out of a deck of cards.

See the full rules of Horse Race.

10Bonus: Anytimers

What you need

• A group of friends
• Challenges, bets or tasks
• Drinks
• The AnyTimer app, if you like

How does it work?

With anytimers you agree with each other that lost challenges, bets, tasks or dumb moves earn an anytimer.

That can be anything:

• Downing a drink
• Downing a shot
• Getting breakfast
• Singing a song
• Arranging the taxi
• Cleaning the kitchen
• Or posting something embarrassing

Why you can add anytimers to any game

Because you can play it with anything. You can turn basically every drinking game, every challenge or every bet into an anytimer.

Playing Beerio Kart, Kingsen, Mexico or Horse Race tonight? Then just agree beforehand that the loser doesn't get a penalty right away, but builds up an anytimer instead. That way you save up credits you can use later.

Want to know more about how anytimers work? Read our article What is an anytimer?

Anytimer AppFree to download

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