The Best Drinking Games You Can Play Without Cards: 27 Creative Ideas

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The ultimate card-free drinking games to get your entire group tipsy

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IN THIS ARTICLE

1Most Likely To

2I’m Going on a Picnic

3Two Truths and a Lie

421 Dares

5Cheers to the Governor

6I Drink and I Know Things

7Suffocation

8Would You Rather

9Never Have I Ever

10What’s My Problem?

11Text or Shot

12Medusa

13Thumper

14The Name Game

15Paranoia

16Straight Face

17Drunk Photography

18Fingers

19The Cardboard Game

20Drunken Artists

21Flip Cup

22Shot Roulette

23Quarters

24Beer Hockey

25Beer Pong

26Drunk Jenga

27If You Know What I Mean

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Are you stuck without a deck of cards and looking for a simple, card-free drinking game to entertain you and your drinking buddies? Whether you have other supplies on hand (like balls for Beer Pong) or you’d prefer a drinking game that requires absolutely no additional materials other than your sense of humor (like “Cheers to the Governor” or “Would You Rather”), we’ve got a ton of options for you. Read on for a comprehensive list of drinking games you can play without cards, complete with rules and the recommended number of players for each!

Steps

1

Most Likely To

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1. 
   Have one player start the game by asking the rest of the group who they think is most likely to do something. On the count of 3, everybody in the group must simultaneously point to the person they think is most likely to do whatever thing was said—and anybody who gets pointed at must take the same number of drinks as there are fingers pointed at them.

   • Number of players: 4 or more
   • For example, if somebody says, “Who would be most likely to go viral?” and 3 people point at you, you’d have to drink from your glass 3 times.
   • Example questions include:
     • Who is most likely to check an ex’s Instagram?
     • Who is most likely to have over 50 browser tabs open?
     • Who is most likely to borrow something and not return it?
     • Who is most likely to fake their own death?
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2

I’m Going on a Picnic

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1. Pick a player to begin and say, “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…,” naming whatever item they’d choose to bring at the end of the statement. Then, the next player must say, “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…,” repeating the previous statement and adding their own item as well. Continue going around the group until someone messes up—and they have to take a drink.

   • Number of players: 3 or more
   • Bonus rule: If the group all agrees that an item named by one player isn’t appropriate for a picnic, they can also force that player to take a drink.
   • If “picnic” isn’t up your alley, you can always swap it out for some other activity—like going to a club or going on vacation.

3

Two Truths and a Lie

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1. 
   The starting player must make 3 statements about themselves—2 true ones and 1 false statement. Then, the person to their left must try to guess which statement is the lie; if they guess correctly, the player who invented the lie must take a drink, and if they guess wrong, they (the player guessing) must drink.

   • Number of players: 3 or more
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4

21 Dares

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1. 21 Dares is pretty simple! As a group, take turns counting one, two, or three numbers in order from 1 to 21. The player who has to say “21” loses the round, and the rest of the group gets to come up with a dare for them. The losing player must either do the dare—or, if they refuse, they can take a drink instead.

   • Number of players: 3 or more
   • Depending on how creative you want to get, dares can be anything from a silly challenge (like eating a snack without using your hands) to something embarrassing (like letting the group DM someone from your Instagram).

5

Cheers to the Governor

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1. Sit in a circle and take turns counting to 21 (with one person saying “1,” the next saying “2,” and so on). When you reach 21, everyone must say “Cheers to the governor!” and take a drink. Then, the person who said “21” must make up a new rule for the next round of counting—and in subsequent rounds, anyone who forgets a rule or messes up must also take a drink.

   • Number of players: 2 or more
     • Example rules include:
     • Dance when you say the number 5.
     • Say 7 in Spanish.
     • Skip the number 15.
     • Make an animal sound instead of saying 11.
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6

I Drink and I Know Things

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1. 
   Interested in drunken trivia? Have one player say “I drink and I know…” followed by a statement about what they know (without saying the fact itself). If someone else knows the fact being referenced, they can blurt it out, and everyone has to drink (including the first player). Then, the person who got the answer right can make a statement of their own. If nobody gets the answer, the entire group must drink, and the original player can make another statement.

   • Number of players: 3 or more
   • For example, you might say something like, “I know what the smallest dog breed is.”
   • If somebody else correctly calls out “Chihuahua,” that means you’d have to drink along with the rest of the group.
   • However, if nobody guesses “Chihuahua,” you could make another statement after taking a drink.

7

Suffocation

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1. Alternatively, you could just call this game “awkward questions,” because that’s the name of the game! To start, have one player start asking questions to another; the questions should start off fairly innocent and get increasingly more personal as time goes on. When it reaches a point where the other player doesn’t want to answer a question, they must take a drink.

   • Number of players: 2 or more
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8

Would You Rather

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1. This simple and classic game of questions is an easy way to find out about someone else’s preferences. Take turns posing a question that starts with “Would you rather…” and presents two challenging (or silly) scenarios. The rest of the group must choose one of the two options—and anybody in the minority (who chose the less-popular answer) must take a drink.

   • Number of players: 4 or more
   • Example questions include:
     • Would you rather be on a dating show or a survival show?
     • Would you rather have a pause or a rewind button in your life?
     • Would you rather run into an alien or Big Foot?
     • Would you rather be royalty 1,000 years ago or an average person today?

9

Never Have I Ever

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1. 
   Select a player to begin the game and take turns stating something you’ve never done, beginning with the phrase “Never have I ever…” Anybody who has done the “thing” in question must take a drink—and if nobody else drinks, the person who said the original statement has to drink instead. The last person with alcohol still in their cup wins the game!

   • Number of players: 3 or more
   • Sample Never Have I Ever questions include:
     • Never have I ever left the country.
     • Never have I ever finished an entire pizza by myself.
     • Never have I ever prank-called someone.
     • Never have I ever run into a glass door.
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10

What’s My Problem?

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1. To start, have one player leave the room (or just go somewhere out of earshot). Then, have everyone else agree on what their “problem” (their worst or most challenging trait) is. When the player returns, they must try to guess what trait the rest of the group is thinking of, and for every wrong guess, they have to take a drink.

   • Number of players: 3 or more
   • Don’t play this game unless everyone playing is on the same page and knows it’s all in good fun. It’s better to play this with close friends rather than casual ones!
   • When coming up with someone’s “problem,” don’t get mean-spirited. It should ideally be something they can laugh about along with everyone else.
   • For example, you could say someone’s worst trait is the fact that they always ask questions about the plot of a movie DURING the movie, or that they pour milk before their cereal.

11

Text or Shot

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1. Have each player put their phone in the middle of the table, then mix them all up. From there, get everyone to take a random phone and compose a message to a contact in that phone—without sending it or showing anyone what it is. From there, go around the group and have each phone’s owner decide whether to let the mystery message send take a drink!

   • Number of players: 3 or more
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12

Medusa

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1. 
   Sit around a table, ensuring all players can see one another. Then, have everyone put their heads down and count to 3. On 3, each player must raise their head and stare directly at another player. However, if you lock eyes with someone, yell “Medusa.” The person who says it last must take a drink. If you don’t lock eyes with anyone, you’re off the hook for that round!

   • Number of players: 4 or more

13

Thumper

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1. Have each player pick an animal. Then, have one player start pretending to be their animal, mimicking its noises and movements as best they can. From there, the next person must do their own animal impression and an impression of the player before them. Keep going around the group, with each player doing their animal impression and all previous ones. Anyone who pauses, forgets an impression, or messes up must take a drink!

   • Number of players: 4 or more
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14

The Name Game

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1. First, pick a category (like popular singers, celebrities, or TV show titles). Then, have the first player say a name in the chosen category. The next player must say a name (also in that category) that starts with the first letter of the last name of the previous player’s option. However, while you’re thinking of a name, you must drink continuously—and if you can’t think of a name, you must finish your drink.

   • Number of players: 3 or more
   • Bonus rule: If someone says a name in which the first and last names start with the same letter, reverse the direction of play.

15

Paranoia

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1. 
   Have one player start the game by whispering a question about the group to the person on their left. That person must answer the question out loud. If the player whose name was spoken (in the answer to the question) is curious about what the question was, they must take a drink—and the player who said their name can choose to tell them about the question or take a drink as well.

   • Number of players: 4 or more
   • You can also take a drink (to indicate that you want to know what question was asked) even if your name wasn’t said, but you’re just curious.
   • Potential questions include:
     • Who is most likely to wear the same pants for an entire week?
     • Who would die first in a zombie apocalypse?
     • Who eats the most garbage food?
     • Who is most likely to curse at an inappropriate time?
     • Who would be the worst person to open a joint bank account with?
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16

Straight Face

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1. Each player must write a funny sentence on a slip of paper—something they think will make people laugh. Then, throw all the slips into a pile, mix them up, and have each player choose one at random. Go in a circle around the group and have everyone take turns reading out their slip of paper—and if they laugh or smile while reading, they have to take a drink. If they keep a straight face, the writer must take a drink instead!

   • Number of players: 4 or more

17

Drunk Photography

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1. Designate different players to be the group’s photographer throughout your time together. The photographer can take photos anytime—and the catch is that anyone not in the photo has to take a shot (or a drink). This can be a fun way to get photos of the occasion while also encouraging anyone who’s a little camera-shy to hop into more photos!

   • Number of players: A group, ideally 4 or more
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18

Fingers

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1. 
   Stand in a circle with a glass in the middle of the group. Have each player put one finger on the rim of the glass, and then choose a player to count down from 3 to 0. Immediately after, they must guess how many people will leave their fingers on the rim—and everyone else must leave their finger on the rim or take it off in the split second between “0” and the number the first player guesses.

   • Number of players: 4 to 8
   • If the guesser is right, they’re out—and if they’re wrong, they take a drink and stay in the game. Keep playing until there’s only one player left!

19

The Cardboard Game

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1. You’ll need a piece of cardboard (like a delivery box or pizza box) for this game. Have each player draw a shape on the cardboard and write their name inside the shape (leaving room for everyone else’s shapes and names, too). Then, stand in a circle and take turns tossing a coin onto the cardboard. When it lands on someone’s name, they have to take a drink!

   • Number of players: 3 or more
   • Additionally, if the coin lands on an empty space, draw a new shape there and write a rule inside of it (like “everyone takes a shot” or “do a dance”). Keep going until the entire cardboard is filled!
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20

Drunken Artists

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1. Designate one player to be the timekeeper (using their phone or a clock) and another to be the artist. Each round, the timekeeper must whisper a word to the artist and then start the timer. While being timed, the artist must try to draw that word while everyone else guesses what it could be. The timer only ends when someone guesses correctly—and for every 20 seconds it took to figure out, the artist must take a drink!

   • Number of players: 3 or more

21

Flip Cup

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1. 
   Split into 2 teams, and have each team stand in a line. To begin your game of Flip Cup, players must fully drink the contents of a plastic cup, then place it on the table and try to flip it upside down by flicking the rim. The team that flips all of their cups first wins the game!

   • Number of players: An even number, ideally 4 or more
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22

Shot Roulette

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1. Place several shot glasses on the table filled with water—and one filled with vodka. Mix all the glasses together so it’s impossible to tell which is the vodka shot. Then, have every player take a shot blindly, without sniffing the glass or tasting beforehand. It’s as simple as that, and you never know who’ll get the surprise shot!

   • Number of players: 2 or more

23

Quarters

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1. For this game, you’ll need 2 quarters and a glass (ideally a thick shot glass or something similar). Have 2 players compete to see who can bounce a quarter off the table and into the glass fastest; the first person to get their quarter into the glass wins that round, and the loser must take a drink. Then, if there are other players, a new one can go up against the last round’s winner.

   • Number of players: 2 or more
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24

Beer Hockey

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1. 
   For this game, one person starts the round as the “spinner.” Have the spinner spin a quarter and yell out the name of one of the players. That player becomes the shooter, and the rest must create “goals” in front of their drinks using their index finger and pinkie. While the quarter is spinning, the shooter must flick it and try to score a goal by hitting a drink.

   • Number of players: 4 or more
   • If the shooter make their goal, they can spin the quarter again—and the person whose drink was scored on must chug until the quarter stops spinning.

25

Beer Pong

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1. Beer Pong is a classic game—and while you won’t need cards, you’ll need cups. Split into 2 teams, each situated at opposite ends of a table. Then, fill 20 cups halfway with beer and arrange 10 on each end of the table in a pyramid formation. From there, teams must take turns trying to toss a ball into their opponent’s cups—and when a ball goes into a cup, the opposing team must drink the cup’s contents.

   • Number of players: 2 or more
   • Bonus rule: To make Beer Pong more sanitary, fill the cups with water instead—and when it’s time to drink, drink from your own cup of beer instead of from the game cups.
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26

Drunk Jenga

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1. This can be tons of fun if you have a Jenga game on hand (which involves trying to pull blocks from a tower without knocking the structure over). Before playing, write commands on the Jenga pieces (like “take a shot” or “pick someone to take a shot”). Then, when someone pulls a block successfully, they have to do whatever is written on it.

   • Number of players: 2 or more
   • Possible Jenga commands include:
     • Read your last text aloud.
     • Take 3 sips from your drink.
     • Chug whatever’s left of your drink.
     • Nominate someone to finish their drink.

27

If You Know What I Mean

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1. 
   Do you enjoy innuendos and double entendres? You might remember this game from the comedy improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway; the gist of the game is to start with an everyday scenario for two people to be in (like waiting in line at the store or chatting in an office) and take turns coming up with innuendos that fit the scenario, ending each one with “...if you know what I mean.” The first person to run out of ideas must drink!

   • Number of players: 2
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