Whether you’re playing with your significant other, your closest friends, or you’re hosting a party full of new faces, the best drinking card games are a total blast. But what makes one drinking card game better than another? Well, that really depends on you and your audience. For obvious reasons, the majority of drinking card games aren't going to be very complex, and they all have the same end goal: get players drunk fast. Still, there are a few key factors to consider when you're shopping for the best options.
First off, you'll want to think about who you're going to be playing with. Since all drinking games revolve around drinking, playing with people 21 years and older is a given — but are you looking for games that are intentionally boundary-pushing and NSFW? Or are you looking for a drinking card game that’s "appropriate" enough to double as an ice-breaker? Or do you need a game that's a blast to play while drinking, but can be enjoyed by your sober loved ones as well?
Next, you'll want to make sure you're choosing games with lots of cards to keep game-play fresh for years to come. Games with 100-card decks or more are a solid place to start, but games with expansion packs are also great for keeping things fun and engaging over the years.
Take a look at the best drinking games below. Several of them are specifically designed for drinking-oriented game-play, but a few of them are just fun to play while you happen to be drinking. Best of all, each one is under $30 and highly-rated on Amazon.
1The Best Two-Player Drinking Card Game
If you're looking for a fun and easy card game that can be played with just two people, These Cards Will Get You Drunk is a solid pick. Players simply take turns drawing from the game's 100-card deck before following each card's instructions to see who will have to drink next. Most of the cards are fairly tame, with challenges like: "Pick someone and guess the color of their underwear. If you guess correctly they drink, otherwise, you drink."
Amazon shoppers give the game an impressive 4.4-star rating, and there's an These Cards Will Get You Drunk Too expansion pack available to keep game play fresh for years. Also, it's worth noting that this drinking game can accommodate anywhere from two to eight players, and with just you and one other player, the game-play will be slightly different — but hey, you're also more likely to get super intoxicated!
What fans are saying: “I love the concept of the game — super easy and fun to play — no complicated rules and really just an excuse, a great excuse, to drink (and force everyone else to drink as well). We were cracking up throughout the game and it only got funnier as we continued to drink. I highly recommend this.”
2The Best Drinking Card Game For Parties
Never Have I Ever is another super simple card game that's great to play while drinking — but as long as you've got some non-alcoholic beverages on hand, it can also be enjoyed by sober players. The game is won when a player has collected and displayed 10 "play cards" on their "wall of shame." Some cards are as innocent as “never have I ever been pushed in the pool while fully dressed,” but the confessional and NSFW aspect is kind of the point of the game.
This game is designed for at least four players, but it can be played with over a dozen, and the 550-card deck keeps game-play from growing stale. What's more, this game boasts more than 1,000 customer reviews on Amazon.
What fans are saying: “This is a fun game to play with friends and have a couple of drinks. There are some really funny cards in here."
3The Best Drinking Card Game For Small Groups
As its name implies, Under The Influence is definitely designed to get people drunk. Players simply take turns drawing cards from one of the game's four decks, which are loaded with questions, challenges, and dares to complete. When players lose a challenge, they take a sip; when they don't complete a dare, they take a shot. Challenges range from, "Call a friend on speaker and ask where you can get Plan B from, and if it works after one week," to "Pick someone to play rock, paper, scissors, shoot two out of three; loser drinks."
The highly-active nature of this game means game play is fast-paced and fun-filled with just a handful of players. Amazon shoppers love this game, giving it a solid 4.4-star rating.
What fans are saying: “Fun drinking game! Definitely does the trick! Better for groups of four or more and was perfect for a girls night!”
4An Easy Drinking Card Game That’s Perfect For Large Groups
Since Buzzed can accommodate up to 20 players, this fun and simple party game is ideal if you have a crowded house. Game-play is easy: players take turns drawing from the 180-card deck before reading the card out loud, and depending on the prompt, either the player or the group will drink. Even better? With cards like, “If you like cottage cheese, take a drink,” this game shouldn't be too embarrassing to play with relatives or brand new friends.
What fans are saying: “Honestly the best thing ever invented. So great to play at parties, make new friends, learn some new things about people, and by far the fastest and funnest way to get drunk — but I recommend once hitting your limit, drink water instead.”
5A Drinking Card Game That's Also Fun To Play Sober
As the name implies, Drunk Stoned Or Stupid is intentionally NSFW — so it's probably best to play this game with small groups of close friends. In fact, this game is all about calling your friends out. Players simply draw from the game's 250-card deck, and depending on the prompt, decide who in the group is "most likely" to do (or have done) something. The hilarious prompts range from things like, "Wakes up with half a burrito in bed," to "Is going straight to hell."
This game is pretty much tailor-made to be played while drinking — but since it doesn't actually require players to drink, it's a great game to play with drinkers and sober friends alike. Plus, it has a 4.4-star rating on Amazon and over 2,700 reviews.
What fans are saying: “This game is hilarious and a lot of fun! I suggest playing with friends you know kind of well, the better you know one another the funnier it can be! We play this game every time we have friends over! Love it!”
6 The Best Drinking Card Game For College Kids
Sotally Tober isn't intentionally inappropriate, which makes it a great pick for playing with buddies as well as near-strangers. The game features 125 unique cards made up of five card categories, like activity, skill, and curse. Activity cards push players to perform certain actions, like "Pick a player and start a staring contest with them. Loser takes one drink," whereas skill cards give players special abilities, like "You can charge anyone at the table who leaves with a drink."
Players simply draw cards and follow the prompts, and whoever takes the least amount of drinks (or earns the least points) is the winner. Best of all, this game is a low-pressure way to get to know your new roommates, the other students on your floor, or even your crush from English class.
What fans are saying: “I played this with my friends this past weekend and loved it. None of us could stop laughing and while we had initially intended for it to be a pregame activity before the bar, nobody wanted to stop playing, and the next thing we knew, it was too late to actually go to the bar anyways, so I'd say I even saved money on this game (and got just as drunk)."
Bustle may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently from Bustle's editorial and sales departments.
