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Drinking games without cards

No deck, no cups, no table required. Everything here runs on counting, talking, or paying attention, which means you can play it in a kitchen, a taxi queue, or over a video call. Start with 3-6-9 if the group is new to all of it.

Players
Buzz
Needs

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Never Have I Ever illustration

Never Have I Ever

3+ players 20 min

Ten fingers up, one confession a turn. Everyone already knows it, so it starts fast.

Seven Drinking Game illustration

Seven Drinking Game

2+ players 15 min

Count around the circle and clap on anything with a seven. Harder than it sounds.

All 17 games newest updates first

  1. Sam Yuk Gu (3, 6, 9) Drinking Game illustration Sam Yuk Gu (3, 6, 9) Drinking Game Count up around the circle and clap instead of saying any number that contains a 3, 6, or 9, twice when it has two of them. Say a forbidden number, miss a clap, or lose the beat and you drink. 2+ · 15 min
  2. Never Have I Ever illustration Never Have I Ever Players take turns saying something they have never done, and everyone who has done it puts a finger down and drinks. The first player to lose all ten fingers finishes their drink, and the stories along the way are the point. 3+ · 20 min
  3. Seven Drinking Game illustration Seven Drinking Game Count up around the circle and say "buzz" or clap instead of any number that contains a 7, is a multiple of 7, or has digits that add up to 7. Say a forbidden number, buzz on a safe one, or hesitate and you drink; the count runs to 100. 2+ · 15 min
  4. Apartment Game illustration Apartment Game Everyone chants "apateu, apateu", piles their hands in the middle, and the leader calls a floor number. Hands move from the bottom of the pile to the top, counting up, and whoever's hand lands on the number drinks. 3+ · 15 min
  5. Baskin Robbins 31 illustration Baskin Robbins 31 Players count up from 1 around the circle, each saying one, two, or three numbers on their turn, and whoever is forced to say 31 drinks. There is a provable winning strategy for two players, and none at all for three or more. 2+ · 10 min
  6. Buffalo illustration Buffalo Buffalo has one rule: you only drink with your non-dominant hand, and if another player catches you using the other one they shout "buffalo" and you finish your drink. Most people who play it consider the rule to be for life. 2+ · 1 h
  7. Cheers to the Governor illustration Cheers to the Governor Players count from 1 to 21 around the circle, one number each, and on 21 everyone raises a glass, says "cheers to the governor," and drinks. The player who said 21 then attaches a rule to one of the numbers, the rules stack, and anyone who breaks one drinks and restarts the count. 3 to 15 · 30 min
  8. Drinking Dice illustration Drinking Dice One player rolls a single die to set a target, and the next has up to three rolls to match it exactly, on one roll or by adding rolls together. Miss or go over and you drink; your last roll is the next player's target. 2+ · 15 min
  9. Image Game illustration Image Game One player describes a type of person and on the count of three everyone points at whoever fits best. The player with the most fingers pointing at them drinks and asks the next question. 3+ · 20 min
  10. Korean Drinking Games illustration Korean Drinking Games Ten Korean drinking games explained in a paragraph each, with quick rules and links to the full pages, from 3-6-9 and Baskin Robbins 31 to Titanic, the Image Game, the Nunchi Game, and the Apartment Game. Almost none of them need anything but a table, a bottle of soju, and the people around it. 2+ · 1 h
  11. Most Likely To illustration Most Likely To A questioner reads a "most likely to" statement and everyone points at the player it fits best. Whoever gets the most fingers drinks one sip per finger, and the next player asks the next question. 3+ · 20 min
  12. Nunchi Game illustration Nunchi Game Players count up from 1 with no turn order, each standing and calling one number when they think nobody else will. Two people who call the same number at once both drink, and the last player left silent drinks too. 3+ · 10 min
  13. Roxanne illustration Roxanne Split into Team Roxanne and Team Red Light, play the Police song, and each team drinks every time their word is sung. That is about 26 sips for one side and 25 for the other in just over three minutes. 2+ · 5 min
  14. Taboo illustration Taboo Everyday words, phrases, and habits are written on cards and handed out as secret triggers. Catch someone saying or doing yours, shout "Taboo", and they drink; it runs all night behind every other game. 2+ · 2 h
  15. Thumper illustration Thumper Every player picks a hand sign, the table drums, and the leader calls the chant before passing play with their own sign and then someone else's. Each player repeats the pattern in rhythm, and whoever breaks the chain or misses their sign drinks. 4 to 12 · 20 min
  16. Titanic illustration Titanic A shot glass floats in a glass of beer and players take turns pouring a little soju into it. Whoever's pour sinks the shot glass drinks the whole glass, beer and soju together. 2+ · 15 min
  17. Yes, No, Maybe illustration Yes, No, Maybe One player takes the hot seat for sixty seconds and must answer every question without saying yes, no, or maybe, or repeating an answer. Each slip is a sip, and the hot seat passes to the left when the timer goes. 2+ · 20 min

Why no-materials games are the ones you actually end up playing

Cards get lost, cups get knocked over, and nobody brings dice. The games that survive a real party are the ones that live in people’s heads. Counting games are the backbone: 3-6-9, Sevens, and their cousins turn a simple sequence into a trap, and the trap gets worse the more people are in the circle. Question games (Most Likely To, Yes No Maybe) fill the gaps between rounds and are the reason two people who did not know each other at nine are arguing about pineapple on pizza at eleven.

This is also the hub that travels. Every game here works in a bar booth, on a balcony, and over a video call. If you only learn one category of drinking game, learn this one.

No cards, answered

What drinking games can you play without anything?

Counting games like 3-6-9 and Sevens, word games like Yes No Maybe and Taboo, and pointing games like Most Likely To. None of them need cards, cups, dice, or a table; they need people who can count and a drink in hand.

What is a good drinking game for a big group with no materials?

3-6-9 or Sevens. Both go around a circle, both produce a mistake every lap, and both get funnier as the group gets bigger. Most Likely To also scales well because more people means more votes.

Can you play these over a video call?

Yes. Counting games and question games are the drinking games that work best online because nothing physical changes hands. 3-6-9 over a call needs a clear turn order; agree it before you start.

Which of these works with two people?

Yes No Maybe and Taboo both work with two. The counting games need at least three to be interesting, because with two the pattern is too easy to track.

Are these games lighter than card games?

Usually. Nobody is pouring into a central cup, and drinks come one at a time when someone slips. The exception is I'm Going to the Bar, which is a memory game with shots attached.

Please drink responsibly. Pace yourself, drink water between rounds, look after each other, and never drive after playing.