Most popular drinking games are played with a standard deck of playing cards. However, not everyone has a standard deck of playing cards laying around. If that’s the case, then we’ve got you covered with this list of fun drinking games without cards.
Even though you do have a deck of playing cards, there are moments when you just want to sit back, talk, and laugh, or where you want to do something more active.
Most games on this list of drinking games without cards require minimal preparation and can usually be played using only verbal interaction. No need to be physically active or mentally keep track of your card hand.
One big advantage is that most of these games can be played both as a 2-player game and as a large group game.
Drinking Games Without Cards List
1. Fingers
Fingers is a hilarious guessing game where players try to guess the number of fingers at the rim of a bowl.
At the start of each round, everyone lays their index finger on the rim of a large bowl that’s filled with beer.
The player at turn counts down from 3 to 1, after which everyone simultaneously decides if they leave their finger on the bowl or not. At that same moment, the player at turn loudly guesses the number of fingers that remain on the bowl.
At a correct guess, you’re safe and eliminated from the game. The last person standing must drink the bowl empty!
2. Drunk Jenga
Drunk Jenga is a popular drinking game without cards, perfect for larger groups. It’s straightforward: players take turns removing a block from the Jenga tower without collapsing it.
The twist from normal Jenga is that each block has a unique challenge, question, or task written on it that the player must perform.
The outcomes of each challenge or task determine who drinks and who doesn’t. There might be drinking tasks like ‘hand out 3 sips’.
A fun aspect of Drunk Jenga is that you can create it yourself, writing your own challenges and decorating the blocks however you like. Aside from playing the game, creating your own Drunk Jenga set can be a great activity too!
3. Never Have I Ever
Never Have I Ever is a fun social game where players take turns stating things they’ve never done, starting with the words ‘Never have I ever’. Players who have done that thing reveal this by taking a sip. If you haven’t, you don’t drink.
Here are some examples:
- Never have I ever pretended to know what someone was talking about, even though I had no clue.
- Never have I ever stayed up all night.
- Never have I ever eaten something off the floor when no one was looking.
- Never have I ever stolen anything.
- Never have I ever seen a ghost.
4. Truth or Dare
With the Truth or Dare drinking game, players take turns choosing truth or dare. If you choose truth, someone else asks you a question that you must answer truthfully. If you refuse or if others believe you’re lying, you must drink.
Tip: To make the game more organized, write truths and dares on pieces of paper before starting. This way, players can simply pick a paper instead of waiting for someone to think of something.
If you choose dare, others will come up with a task for you to complete. If you refuse, you must drink.
For the best memories, it’s crucial that everyone is honest with their truths and bold with their dares. Here are some examples of truths:
- What’s the most ridiculous fear you have?
- What is a lie you’ve told one of us?
- Have you ever stalked someone’s social media profiles?
- What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done in public?
- Yell out the first thing that comes to mind.
And some dare ideas:
- I dare you to eat X.
- I dare you to lie on the floor and act like a fried piece of noodle.
- I dare you to call someone random and act like that person’s mom.
- I dare you to drink beer mixed with ketchup and mayonnaise.
5. Word Association
The Word Association game is very simple yet entertaining, because it’s never the same. In this game players take turns in thinking of a word that’s somehow connected to a previous word, and that’s basically it!
Although its very easy, the words that people think of are often surprising and hilarious, which makes it a fun game to play.
Here’s how it goes:
- The first player says a random word.
- The next player to their left says a word related to the previous one.
- This continues to the next person, and so on.
- If someone hesitates for too long or repeats a word, that player must take a drink.
6. 20 Questions
This game is very similar to ‘I Spy with My Little Eye,’ but with any random object not in the room, and it’s a drinking game.
In 20 Questions, one player thinks of an object, and all other players take turns asking up to 20 yes-or-no questions. If the answer to your question is no, you must take a drink. A correct guess saves you from drinking.
If the target object is not guessed after 20 questions, all players except the one answering the questions must finish their drink or take a sip.
You can make the game more challenging by reducing the number of questions allowed. Play it however you like!
7. Rhyme Time
The game of Rhyme Time is played similarly to Word Association, but with a focus on rhyming. Players take turns saying words that rhyme with the previous word.
If you hesitate or can’t think of a rhyming word, you must take a sip. The game continues with the same word until no one can come up with a new rhyming word. Then, it’s time to start with a new word!
You can make this game more challenging, for example, by only allowing verbs.
Rhyme Time is all about keeping the rhymes flowing. Players take turns saying words that rhyme with a given word. If you stumble or draw a blank, take a sip, and the rhyming hilarity continues.
8. Sevens
Sevens is one of the popular minigames from King’s Cup, but with some additional rules it’s also fun as a standalone.
It’s a counting-based drinking game played by a group who collectively count from 1 to 100. Players must avoid saying numbers containing 7 (like 17, 27, etc.) or divisible by 7 (like 14, 21, etc.).
Instead of saying these numbers, a player calls out another player’s name, who then must take a sip. Saying a forbidden number also results in drinking.
No equipment is needed, just drinks. For more details, you can check out the full description and rules.
9. Guess the Movie
This one is particularly enjoyable for movie enthusiasts. Here’s how it goes:
Players take turns re-enacting a movie scene, while the other players try to guess its title.
Each wrong guess results in everyone taking a sip! This encourages both the re-enactor and the guessers to give their best effort.
You could also adapt this game to involve well-known music songs, though that can be quite challenging!
10. Spin the Bottle
This is a classic game that’s widely known and easy to introduce, often associated with childhood or high school games. Instead of the traditional kissing consequence, you can adapt it to involve taking sips. Here’s a brief rundown for those unfamiliar:
Gather everyone in a circle and place an empty (beer) bottle in the middle of the group. Take turns spinning the bottle. The player whom the bottle points to when it stops spinning must take a sip. It’s a simple yet effective game!
11. Dice Drinking Games
If you would ideally play a drinking game with cards, but you simply don’t have them, then you might want to look if you have any dice available. There’s many drinking games with dice that are very easy-to-learn and fun to play.
Like card games, they require minimal physical activity and a bit of mental activity. On top of that, most card and dice games are a combination of luck and strategy.
12. Drinking Games with Cups
Another popular branch of drinking games are those with party cups. These kind of games are often more centered around physical activity, where aiming and throwing ping pong balls at each others cups is main activity.
In case you have cups and ping pong balls available and want to do a more active drinking game, you should definitely have a look at this list.
13. Beer Ball
Beer Ball is a team-based drinking game played on a table, with each player having a beer in front of them. Teams stand at opposite ends of the table.
Players throw ping pong balls at the opposing team’s beers. If a beer is hit, the thrower drinks their beer until the opposing team retrieves the ball and taps it on the table, signaling the drinker to stop. The first team to finish their beers wins.
It’s a fun and competitive game, for which you’ll only need some ping pong balls. In theory, you could also use small stones or similar objects for throwing, meaning that you can play it almost anywhere, anytime!
14. Bite the Bag
Bite the Bag is a physical party game involving a paper bag. The game starts with a paper bag placed upright on the floor. Players take turns trying to pick up the bag using only their mouths, with only one foot allowed to touch the ground.
After each round, a piece of the bag is torn off, making it shorter and more challenging. If a player fails, they must drink.
The game continues until the bag is too small to pick up. For more details, you can check out the full description and rules.
15. Pizza Box Game
Pizza Box is a creative drinking game where players draw and create rules on a pizza box. Each player takes turns flipping a coin onto the box, and the area it lands on determines their action.
If it lands on a blank space, they draw a shape and write a rule or action inside. If it lands on a previously drawn shape, they perform that action.
The game encourages creativity and spontaneity, with the rules and actions becoming more diverse as the game progresses. No game is the same! It’s definitely worth a spot on this list of drinking games without cards.
16. Who Am I?
Who Am I? is a guessing game where players wear a post-it note with the name of a famous person on their forehead. They then ask yes/no questions to guess who they are.
The game continues until everyone correctly guesses their assigned identity.
It’s a social and interactive game that’s always a blast, so definitely worth the try!
17. Shot Roulette
Shot Roulette is a drinking game that combines the randomness of roulette with shots. Players spin a roulette wheel with numbers corresponding to numbered shot glasses.
Each glass is filled with either water or a spirit. When the ball lands on a number, the player drinks the corresponding shot. The game continues until all shots are consumed.
There’s several different ways to play Shot Roulette. If you don’t have a shot roulette wheel, you can always use a bottle or anything else that spins!
Wrap Up
Whether it’s at the beginning of your event, or at the end with the those-that-tend-to-stick-around’s, these drinking games without cards will definitely make your gathering or party even more successful than it already was!
As you’re playing these games, remember to keep the atmosphere lighthearted. Drink responsibly, and don’t push anyone into drinking if they don’t want to. There are no drinks needed for these games; you can perfectly play them without them. Just adjust them to the needs of your party and those who are there to have a great time together. So gather your friends, pick your favorite drinking games without cards, and have fun! Cheers!
