The Covid-19 pandemic necessitated the implementation of a curfew which meant that people could not go out, this led to a pivot towards house parties. The re-opening of bars this week has seen peeps troop back there just to remind themselves of how things were before the pandemic wreaked havoc, but in my opinion, house parties still rock.
Also, the rise of Airbnbs and affordable rental properties in the country has made it more convenient to host house parties. Additionally, you’re almost guaranteed of a good time at house parties thanks to the wide variety of games you can play to liven things up. Drinking games are a great ice-breaker at house parties and have guests ready to mingle.
If you’re hosting a party, here are some great drinking games you can play.
1. Cards Against Humanity
There are no wrong answers with this game, only funny ones. It’s almost like the classic cards game except, you use words. Each player gets 10 white cards then a black card is drawn with a phrase that is missing one word. The person who drew the black card reads the phrase then each player uses their cards to fill in the blank. The funniest answer wins the game.
2. Beer Relay
Athletes pass batons and drinkers pass beer cups. In this game, you’ll split the group into two teams of 6 people just like in a real relay. Place 6 cups filled with beer on each side of the table and have one player from each team start. When they’re done with their cup, they tag in the next player until each cup is finished. The team that finishes first wins the game.
3. Beer Pong
With party cups, a long table and beer, you can enjoy this classic drinking game. Place six cups in a triangle shape on opposite sides of the table. Split the attendees in two teams and each player takes turns throwing a small ball in the opposite team’s cups. When the ball lands in the cup, the opposite team player has to drink the beer. The team that lands the ball in all the cups wins the game. However, you can make it interesting by giving the players the option of drinking the beer or doing a dare.
4. Spin The Bottle
This is another classic but fun drinking game that livens up the party. It’s more fun to play this game when people are a bit drunk so that they can do more dares. You spin the bottle and whoever and you get to ask whoever it points to answer a question or do a dare. If they forfeit, they should take a shot. Another twist about the game is that whoever laughs at the question or dare also drinks.
5. Drunk Jenga
If you’ve played Jenga, you know that it’s hard doing it sober. So, when drunk, it only gets worse. Jenga is derived from the Swahili word meaning build. It starts by stacking 54 blocks to form a tower. After that, players take turns removing each block and stacking it at the top. The goal is to stack the tower as high as possible without tumbling. It’s important to note that the blocks have random variations to create imperfections.
6. Flip, Sip Or Strip
Long gone are the days of strip poker. Nowadays, there’s a new stripping game and it’s pretty straightforward. Participants are carefully explained the rules of the games. Then, one player flips a coin while the other guesses whether it’s heads or tails before it lands. If they guess correctly, the coin is passed to the right, if they guess incorrectly, the coin is passed to the left and they have to choose whether to sip or strip.
7. Charades
This fun and interactive game is ideal to break the ice at house parties. Split the group into teams of 5 people then place the charades cards facing downwards. One member of each team draws a card and describes the word on the card using gestures only until their team members guess the correct word. Each correct answer scores the team a point. The team with the highest pints at the end of the game wins.
8. Medusa
As the name suggests, this game involves staring at each other. Get every participant to sit in a circle then place a shot of alcohol in front of them. Everybody should have their head down facing the ground then at the count of three, they look up and stare at someone. If they stare at someone who’s also staring at them, they both shout medusa and take a shot.
9. Two Truths And A Lie
This one mainly works among a group of people who know each other such as couples, friends or family. It’s great to learn something new about the other person. Two people team up and sit facing each other. The first teammate says three things about them where one is a lie and the other teammate has to guess the lie based on their knowledge of the person and their facial expressions. If they get it wrong, they have to take a shot.
10. Buffalo
This is a pretty easy-going game that gives people an excuse to talk and mingle with each other. When your guests arrive, let them all know that they’re only allowed to hold their drink with their non-dominant hand. So, if they’re right-handed, they should hold their drink with their left hand. If anyone is caught doing otherwise, they’re called out by saying “Buffalo” and they should finish their drink immediately and get another one.
11. Most Likely
The rules of this game are pretty simple. One person asks a most likely question. For instance, “who is most likely to get arrested?”. The whole group then points at who they think is most likely to do so and the person with the most votes drinks.
12. Up Chickens
If you’re looking for a silly game that will have people rolling on the floor, this is the one. First, it has a silly name you actually have to call out during the game. Split the group into two small teams then pass a coin to one group. The group with the coin takes the coin and puts their hands under the table as they pass the coin to each other. Once the other group shouts, “up chickens” the team with the coin all raise their hands up in a fist. The other team then guesses who has the coin. As we all know by now, the losing team drinks.
13. Drink Every Time
This is a great way to get people drunk really fast. You can do this with a movie, song or a video that has a repetitive word or action. Every time the person mentions the word, people have to drink. You can play this game in intervals when the mood appears to be going down.
14. Scavenger Hunt
If you’re having an intimate gathering and you want to turn up the fun a bit higher, this is a great idea. However, this game needs more preparation than most. Get a number of random items, list them, assign different rewards or dares for them then place them in random spots around the house. Have your guests look for the items and once it’s over, let them know what they have won and what dares they need to do.
15. Across The Bridge
This drinking card game is super simple and loads of fun. Place 10 cards from a shuffled deck face down in a row. The player flips over each card and it’s a number card, they continue down the row. If it’s a face card, they take a shot.