It is a truth universally acknowledged that if you combine alcohol and games, you’re in for a good time. And much as mankind has been drawing pictures and telling stories since time immemorial, we’ve also been wise to the joys of this particular pairing since at least the days of the ancient Greeks, according to the magazine History Today. A go-to pastime was kottabos, which involved throwing shallow wine-filled cups called kylix at a metal disc in the center of a room. The rules of the game? Knock the disc down and win a prize—and if that sounds messy, that’s because it was. “From personal experience I can say [kottabos] is not at all easy,” shares wine writer Hugh Johnson in Hugh Johnson on Wine, “and it makes a terrible mess on the floor.”
Things have changed since the days of the ancient Greeks, not least that most of us aren’t keen to mop a perfectly serviceable bottle of Grüner off the hardwoods on game night. Thankfully, the technological advancements of our modern age have brought us drinking card games, a wonderful—and much cleaner—alternative. The best drinking games with cards have easy-to-follow rules, are customizable based on the crowd and are guaranteed to deliver a raucously fun night. Many of the ones listed here tick all those boxes and more.
Ahead, find a rundown of the best drinking card games to make your next gathering a hit. It may not be kottabos, but we like to think the Greeks would approve.
The Best No-Brainer Drinking Card Game
Do or Drink
The rules of the smash-hit Do or Drink card game are simple: Players take turns choosing from two decks of cards that prompt players to tackle various tasks, such as attempting the worm or eating a spoonful of coffee grounds. Some of the card game’s challenges are more extreme (think giving your Amex card a snip or calling an ex). Either do as the card commands or drink accordingly.
$30 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Baring Your Soul
Truth or Drink
Get ready to spill your guts—or to drink that starts to sound better than taking another sip. Take turns drawing a card and choosing whether to disclose your truth or take a drink. Over 400 questions are included in the set, with four different decks that vary by level of intimacy, plus blank cards for devising your own spicy inquiries. By the time the game runs its course and the bottle runs out, you’ll get to know your friends and family on a deeper level—plus gather a little dirt for future gatherings.
$30 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game That Isn’t Just for Drinking
Cards Against Humanity
Often called a grown-up version of Apples to Apples, Cards Against Humanity has become a modern classic. The game is notorious for encouraging awkward conversations and twisted humor—and naturally, many who play immediately wonder how to make it a drinking game. On that front, the internet has delivered.
There are several ways to incorporate booze into gameplay. One popular option is to have the dealer choose both a best and worst card—whoever puts down the latter must drink. If you’re feeling especially daring, allow players to throw a second card in for submission—so long as they pour a shot to have on deck. If one of their cards wins the hand, they’re safe, but if neither is selected, it’s time to toss back that shot.
$29 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Getting the Tea
Never Have I Ever Card Game
Also known as “The Game of Poor Life Decisions,” this deck is designed to help you relive your most entertaining (and embarrassing) memories. A changing set of rules prompts players to plead guilty to questionable life experiences. You’d be surprised at what ends up in your friends’ “Hall of Shame.”
Though drinking is not incorporated in the official rules, Never Have I Ever is a popular party pick that warrants a little booze. To turn this into a drinking card game, take a sip for every action you have done—a true toast to the crazy life you live.
$20 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Nostalgic Types
UNO
Your childhood summer camp staple got a grown-up makeover. Drunken UNO got its start with creators on Etsy making custom versions of the classic card game, but you can try a DIY version with just a standard UNO deck. The boozy gameplay assigns new meaning to each action card. Draw 2? Take a drink. Draw 4? Take two drinks. Got skipped or reversed? Take a sip. False UNO? A big swig is in order. Whoever runs out of cards first not only gets the glory of winning, but also gets to choose a player to drink up.
$5 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Couples
Dizzy Date Deeper Questions Pack
Think you know everything about your partner? Here’s your chance to put that to the test. This drinking card game for two has gained major traction on TikTok for its power to spice up date night. Made for couples, each card prompts a steamy dare or intimate confession with a drinking penalty. Recite your partner’s go-to coffee order—or take a drink. Share the moment you knew it was love—whoever knew first takes a drink. Keep it to the two of you or bring the heat with friends.
$20 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Oenophiles
SOMM Blinders
So, who’s got the most potential for somm success? It’s BYOB for this one, but don’t forget to hide the label. The goal of this game is to blind taste wines as a group and correctly match the wines to their descriptors. Each card may contain a flavor description—green apple, cotton candy, cat pee—as well as specific regions or varietals. A drinking game in the non-traditional sense, this is a perfect card deck for anyone looking to fine-tune their tasting skills in a laid-back setting.
$35 Blinders GameThe Best Drinking Card Game for Television Junkies
Booze Clues
The roster of excellent drinking games is filled with great TV-centric examples—drink every time someone on The Bachelor is “not here to make friends,” drink every time a critter on Planet Earth gets eaten, drink every time Jim mugs to the camera in The Office. This drinking card game marries the best elements of all these and similar pop-culture classics to turn your TV habit into a boozy competition. The set comes with a deck of cards and four shot glasses, though we encourage you to grab any drink of your choice. To play, deal the cards, sit back and take a sip as the plot unfolds and the television tropes start racking up.
$18 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Big Groups
Buzzed Card Game
Probably one of the simplest drinking card games out there, this single deck is perfect for larger groups. To play, take turns drawing a card and following the directive. Either you or other members in the group will drink accordingly. Prepare to vote, compete and confess according to prompts that will have you spilling the tea (but hopefully not your drink) in no time.
$20 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Starting Drama
Stir the Pot
Disclaimer: This one might ruffle some feathers—all in good fun, of course. In this game, players take turns pointing fingers in a good old fashioned roast. Some truths are kept secret, while others are read aloud. Fate is determined by a coin-flip. The original gameplay doesn’t call for booze, but here are some house rules to help get your sip on: Are you pointed at? Take a sip. Who is the most likely to win? Whoever finishes their drink first. Consider it compensation for being picked on.
$20 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Ultra-competitive Crews
First & Last
From the team behind What Do You Meme?, this hyper-competitive drinking card game is tailor-made for recovering high school athletes and board-game-night tyrants. That said, with no topic too off-the-rails, it makes a great icebreaker. The speed-challenge game entails a rotating judge posing one of the 250 challenges to the group. In each round, the first or last member of the group to complete the task takes a drink. The good news: They don’t all require physical speed, so if you can quickly name a dog breed or touch your nose with your tongue, you’ve got a fair shot.
$15 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Playing with Sober Friends
Tipsy Chicken
Kick off Tipsy Chicken with the right setup: For this drinking card game, you need not only your drink of choice, but a full shot glass at the ready. Playing through this 200-card deck entails choosing a dare and either completing it to win a “GOAT” reward card or taking a “chicken” card—and a drink—as punishment. The deck also comes with alternate gameplay options so designated drivers and sober pals don’t get left out. Dares may involve gross-out challenges, handing over your phone or social media to another player or eyes-closed trust exercises, but opting out is always a possibility—that’s what the shot is for.
$22 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for On-the-Go
These Cards Will Get You Drunk
This drinking card game lives up to the promise of its name, with 100 cards that include voting, competition and attack cards to keep things lively. Players might vote on the most indecisive member of the group to take a drink, imitate another player and have the correct guesser choose someone to drink, or strategically deploy a card to get out of drinking. The box is the size of a standard deck of cards, so you can toss it in your bag or slide it in your back pocket to zhuzh up a night out when the energy starts to wane.
$16 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Racy Laughs
You Laugh You Drink
Here’s the chance to practice your poker face: Across 150 challenge cards, players must take on ludicrous improvisational challenges and try to make one player laugh—perhaps by doing parkour around them or earnestly getting on one knee and proposing. If they so much as snicker, it’s time to drink. Fair warning: These get R-rated, so save it for a bachelorette party instead of a family reunion.
$16 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Family Hangs
Sotally Tober
Sotally Tober is a crowd-pleasing drinking card game that’ll work for just about any audience—the cards are fun and goofy, but not the slightest bit risque, so you can crack this deck with any group and rest assured things won’t get awkward. Challenges may include breath-holding, silent movie scene reenactments, trivia and thumb wrestling, along with plenty of straight-up silliness. It’s even got a sober-friendly gameplay option, so non-drinkers won’t be left out of the fun.
$20 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Bachelor Parties
Party Starter
This 150-card deck marries the best of several classic drinking games, with five categories of cards to play through. With elements of Truth or Dare, Never Have I Ever and Superlatives, among others, it’s a perfect icebreaker for spicing up a party or group get-to-know-you situation. Some of the cards are slightly scandalous, so this one’s good fare for a bachelorette party or college reunion—not so much a corporate retreat.
$19 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Breaking the Ice
Under the Influence Drinking Game
This multifaceted drinking card game includes a variety of play options in each deck, including get-to-know-you Brain Benders, bold Shot or Dare cards, Who’s Who most-likely-to icebreakers and Under the Influence challenges where failure brings—you guessed it—another drink. Cards are categorized into three degrees of raciness, so you can easily adjust the vibe based on the crowd at hand. Though if you’re up for answering R-rated questions in front of Great Aunt Myrtle, who are we to judge?
$25 AmazonThe Best Drinking Card Game for Quick-Thinking Crowds
Shot Clock
This fast-paced challenge from husband-and-wife-founded card game company Black Owned follows a Family Feud-style structure. Participants are tasked with think-fast prompts—naming rum drinks, hangover cures or Michael Jackson songs, say—and taking a shot if they can’t complete the challenge within a three-second window.
$30 AmazonLast Updated: November 1, 2023