The 8 drinking games worth knowing
Every pre-drinks runs on the same shortlist. Here's each game in a paragraph — what it is, how many people it needs, how it ends — with full guides where the rules deserve a page of their own. Every one of them works sober too.
This guide explains the traditional game as it is played offline. Antics for iOS is a party-only app built on forfeits and contains no drinking instructions.
Picking fast? Group of strangers → Never Have I Ever. Old friends → Most Likely To. Want a proper game with an ending → Ring of Fire. Room's already loud → What Are The Odds. Everyone's sitting down and scheming → Imposter.
| Game | Players | Ends? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ring of Fire | 3–10 | Fourth King | The main event |
| Never Have I Ever | 3+ | Whenever | New groups |
| Truth or Dare | 3+ | Whenever | Warmed-up rooms |
| Most Likely To | 4+ | Whenever | Old friends |
| Would You Rather | 3+ | Whenever | Arguments |
| What Are The Odds | 3+ | Whenever | Chaos on demand |
| Imposter | 4–10 | Per round | Sit-down scheming |
| Antics mode | 3+ | Whenever | Letting the phone run it |
1. Ring of Fire
The classic card-drawing game: 52 cards face-down in a ring around a cup, every rank means a rule (Ace = Waterfall, Q = Question Master…), and the fourth King ends the game by sending the middle cup down someone's throat. It's the only game here with real structure and a proper finale, which is why it anchors the night.
→ Full Ring of Fire rules, every card explained
→ Kings Cup card meanings (US and UK versions)
2. Never Have I Ever
Someone confesses something they've never done; everyone who has done it drinks. The lowest barrier to entry of any game here — no props, no setup, works with strangers because the questions generate the intimacy as you go. The finger version (five fingers, first to zero loses) gives it stakes.
→ Rules + 50 questions sorted from warm-up to spicy
3. Truth or Dare
Needs no introduction, dies without good material. The fix for the two classic failure modes: no picking truth more than twice in a row, and a pre-agreed refusal penalty (drink or forfeit). Everyone gets one hard veto per game so the pressure stays theatrical.
→ Rules + 40 questions that actually get used
4. Most Likely To
Read a "who's most likely to…", count to three, everyone points. Most fingers drinks. The best game on this list for groups with history — the pointing is the punchline and the defence speeches are the content. Weak with strangers; save it for your actual mates.
→ Rules + 40 questions for maximum pointing
5. Would You Rather
Impossible dilemma, public vote, minority drinks. The voting mechanic is what makes it a party game rather than a car game — everyone commits simultaneously, then the interrogation starts. Ties mean everyone drinks.
→ Rules + 32 questions that split rooms
6. What Are The Odds
The chaos engine. You dare a mate: "what are the odds you text your ex right now?" They set the odds — say, 1 in 10. Count down from three and you both shout a number between one and ten. Match, and they have to do it. Refusing to set odds at all costs three drinks. No other game produces a genuine "no way that just happened" moment as reliably.
7. Imposter
The sit-down schemer (if you know Spyfall, it's that energy). Everyone secretly gets the same word or location — except one player, who gets nothing and must bluff. A few rounds of oblique questions, then a vote: catch the imposter and they drink three; accuse the wrong person and the accusers drink. If the imposter can guess the word, everyone else drinks.
8. Antics mode
Not a traditional game, and not a drinking game at all. One phone deals a mixed stream of challenges, rules that stay active for several cards, votes and callouts aimed at players by name, so nobody has to be the host. It's the flagship mode of the Antics app, a party-only edition built on forfeits, and the answer to "what do we play?" when nobody wants to decide.
Playing any of these sober
Every game above swaps cleanly to forfeits: wherever a rule says drink, a non-drinker performs instead. That one swap keeps designated drivers, non-drinkers and pace-yourselfers in the same game with the same stakes — we keep 40+ tested forfeit ideas for exactly this.
Playing these at a hen do or stag do
Both have the same two problems: a group who only half know each other, and no appetite for carrying props around a city you do not live in. Pass-the-phone games solve both, and the forfeit swap above matters more than usual when some of the group are pregnant, driving or simply not drinking. We have written up what actually works for each.
→ Hen do games: no props, no printing, sober-friendly
→ Stag do games: zero setup, nothing to carry
Drinking games FAQ
What's the best drinking game for pre-drinks?
Ring of Fire if you want one proper game with a beginning and an end; Never Have I Ever if the group is new and needs to break the ice; What Are The Odds once the room is warm. Most nights run two or three of these back to back.
What's a good drinking game for people who don't know each other?
Never Have I Ever — the questions create the shared history the other games rely on. Follow it with Truth or Dare once the room has warmed up, and save Most Likely To for groups with genuine history.
Can you play drinking games without alcohol?
All of them — swap every drink for a forfeit and the games run identically. Sips become press-ups, accents, and camera-roll reveals; the stakes stay real and nobody sits out.
How many people do you need?
Three makes every game on this list work; five to eight is the sweet spot for all of them. Imposter is the only one that really wants at least four.