Pong table taken? Circle of Death, flip cup, Rage Cage, Beer Die, Power Hour and more, each with full rules and house rules. See them all on our party games page.
The best Halloween drinking games make the costumes part of the game: costume beer pong where you have to stay in character, glow-in-the-dark cups once the lights go down, Monster Kings, and Zombie Rage Cage, where knocked-out players come back. Here’s the plan for October 31.
Regular Rage Cage, but players who get knocked out become zombies. They can’t shoot, but they can moan loudly behind anyone who’s shooting. The last human standing wins.
The best Fourth of July drinking games are made for the backyard and the pool: red, white and blue beer pong, giant beer pong on the lawn, Beer Ball, and pool pong on an inflatable table. One rule above all the others: whoever lights the fireworks isn’t playing.
Float the inflatable beer pong table in the pool and play regular rules. Splash shots don’t count, and neither does knocking the table over on purpose.
The one rule
Fireworks and drinking don’t mix. Pick a sober fireworks crew before the first game, keep the pong far from the launch zone, and keep the pool supervised. Let it be a party, not a story.
For Cinco de Mayo, keep it simple and keep it outside: a beer pong bracket with red, white and green cups, Chandeliers and Rage Cage around the patio table, and flip cup when the crowd gets big. Good food, good music, and nobody in a costume.
Quick history, so you can be the guy who knows it: Cinco de Mayo marks Mexico’s victory over the French army at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It’s a much bigger party in the US than in Mexico, where the main holiday is Independence Day in September.
Color-row rule: set the rack with one color per row. Clear a whole color and you get a bonus re-rack.
Bracket it: run a quick bracket with the bracket generator so everyone gets a game.
Shade: warm cups and sun in your eyes are no excuse, but they help.
Keep it respectful
Celebrate the day, not a stereotype: skip the sombreros and fake mustaches. Put the effort into the food and the music, and the party takes care of itself.
The best March Madness drinking games run two brackets at once: the real tournament on TV and a 16-team beer pong bracket in your garage, seeded the same way. Add game cards for upsets and buzzer beaters and the whole weekend takes care of itself.
The best St. Patrick’s Day drinking games go green: beer pong with green cups and a gold “pot of gold” cup in the middle, Lucky Kings, flip cup, and the pinch rule all day for anyone not wearing green. St. Patrick’s Day is March 17. Here’s the plan.
When
Game
The twist
All day
The pinch rule
Not wearing green? Everyone gets to call it on you once, and you drink.
Go green: a drop of green food coloring in each water cup. It looks great and nobody has to drink green beer.
Pot of gold: swap the center cup for a gold one. Sink it and you pull a bonus cup. It replaces the bitch cup for the day.
Luck of the Irish: a ball that rims out twice and still drops in counts double.
Four-leaf clover: the first player to call an island and make it gets a second island call.
Lucky Kings
Play Circle of Death as normal, with one swap: 7 is lucky. Draw one and you hand out three sips, any way you want.
Pace yourself
St. Patrick’s Day starts early and runs late. Keep pours small, eat something that isn’t green, and know how you’re getting home. Leprechauns don’t drive.
The best bachelor and bachelorette party drinking games put the guest of honor in the middle of everything: a bride- or groom-vs.-the-crew beer pong game, Kings with a wedding twist, couple trivia, and flip cup. These work for both parties or a combined one, at a house, a bar or a rental.
1. Guest of honor vs. the crew
Regular beer pong, but the bride or groom (plus the best man or maid of honor) takes on challengers all night.
Ring of fire counts double: it’s a wedding. Pull off a ring of fire and the other team buys the next round.
Last cup “I do”: the guest of honor has to say “I do” before shooting at the last cup.
Queen: question master, but every question has to be about the couple.
Jack: make a rule. It has to be a wedding rule, like “nobody says ‘wedding.'”
King: pour into the King’s Cup and give a 10-second toast to the couple.
3. Who knows the couple best?
Before the party, ask the bride or groom 10 questions about the couple: where they met, first date, who said “I love you” first. At the party, the crew guesses. Wrong answer, sip. The guest of honor drinks for every answer they get wrong about their own relationship.
4. Flip cup: bride’s side vs. groom’s side
Combined party? Flip cup with the two sides of the wedding party. Losing side handles the toast at the rehearsal dinner.
5. Never have I ever (the clean version)
Go around and say something you’ve never done. Anyone who has done it drinks. Keep it to the couple, the trip and the wedding party, and you’ll learn plenty.
6. Rage Cage for the late night
When the group gets loud, Rage Cage around the table is the perfect finale.
Keep the guest of honor upright
It’s a long weekend, not a one-night sprint. Water cups for pong, small pours, food out, and a buddy assigned to the bride or groom. Nobody wants the guest of honor missing the second night.
FAQ
What are good bachelor party drinking games?
Groom vs. the crew beer pong, wedding Kings, couple trivia and flip cup.
What are good bachelorette party drinking games?
The same lineup works: bride vs. the crew pong, Kings with couple questions, couple trivia and Never Have I Ever.
The best 21st birthday drinking games put the birthday person in the spotlight without putting them on the floor: the counting game 21, birthday beer pong, Birthday Kings and a flip cup showdown. And one thing up front: skip the “21 shots” tradition. You want them to remember turning 21.
1. The game “21” (naturally)
A counting game made for the occasion. Everyone sits in a circle.
The birthday person starts counting: “1.” Each player says the next number, going around.
Instead of saying a number, you can say up to three in a row (“4, 5, 6”), or reverse direction by saying “reverse.”
Whoever has to say “21” takes a sip and makes a new rule. For example, “7 is now ‘birthday,'” or “you have to say 12 in an accent.”
Start again at 1, with the new rule. Mess up a rule and you sip.
By round five, nobody can count to ten. That’s the point.
Play Circle of Death, with one swap: draw a 7 and everyone has to share their best story about the birthday person. Worst story drinks.
4. Birthday crew vs. everyone else
Flip cup, with the birthday person as anchor for their team. If their team wins, they pick the next song. If they lose, they still pick the next song. It’s their birthday.
Skip the 21 shots
Twenty-one shots in one night is how birthdays end in an ER instead of a story. Celebrate with games, not a body count. Small pours, water between rounds, food out all night, and a plan to get the birthday person home. The best birthday is the one they remember.
The best tailgate drinking games are the ones that set up in two minutes on a folding table or the grass: beer pong, giant beer pong, Beer Ball, flip cup off the tailgate and Dizzy Bat. Here’s what to play, what to pack, and how to not get your whole crew kicked out of the lot before kickoff.
Three on three, no turns. Done before the next group shows up.
Tailgate house rules
Wind rule: a ball blown off course is a do-over. Without this one, every outdoor game turns into an argument.
Rivals rule: a fan of the other team who wanders over gets to play, but their team is the opponent for the day. Winner gets bragging rights until the final whistle.
Kickoff rule: the game in progress at kickoff is the last game. Pack it up and go watch.
Settle the rest with the house rules builder and tape the sheet to the cooler.
During the game
Watching from the lot? Use the drink cards from our Super Bowl drinking games: penalties, reviews and fourth-down calls work for any game.
Cups, balls and cup racks so the wind doesn’t scatter your rack
A water jug for rinsing balls and for drinking
Towels, trash bags and a few extra balls (they will roll under cars)
Shade, chairs, and food on the grill
Don’t get your crew kicked out
Every stadium and school sets its own lot rules, and some ban drinking games or glass outright, so check before you set up. Keep the games in your own space, clean up when you leave, and sort out a sober driver before the first cup. Getting towed is a bad way to start game day.
FAQ
What are the best tailgate drinking games?
Beer pong, giant beer pong, Beer Ball, flip cup and Dizzy Bat. All of them set up fast and work outdoors.
How do you play beer pong in the wind?
Use cup racks to hold your rack, put a little water in the cups, and play the wind rule: a ball blown off course is a do-over.
Are drinking games allowed at tailgates?
It depends on the stadium or school. Many lots have their own rules, so check before you set up.
The best Thanksgiving drinking games follow the day: football drink cards while the turkey cooks, a “Turkey Bowl” beer pong bracket before dinner, low-energy table games during the food coma, and flip cup once everyone can move again. It works for Friendsgiving or the real thing. Just read the room if Grandma’s at the table.
Thanksgiving always lands on the fourth Thursday of November (November 26 in 2026). Friendsgiving can be any night you want.
Afternoon: football drink cards
Thanksgiving means football all day, and every year the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys host a game. Hand out index cards and drink when yours happens on screen. Swap cards every quarter.
Nobody’s standing up for at least an hour, so play at the table.
Thankful Kings: play Circle of Death, but when you draw a King, pour into the King’s Cup like normal and say one thing you’re thankful for about the person on your left. Anyone who laughs drinks. (Here’s the Kings Cup rules sheet.)
Quarters: one quarter, one glass, zero standing up.
Chandeliers: clear the plates and use the dinner table. The round table at Grandma’s was made for this.
Leftovers rule: whoever loses a round has to take the next plate of leftovers to go. Worst prize, best punishment.
Evening: flip cup
Second wind? Line up the house across the dinner table for flip cup.
Cooks vs. eaters: the people who spent all day in the kitchen finally get their revenge.
Hosts vs. guests: the losing side packs up the leftovers.
Short on players? A boat race works with any number.
Family edition: read the room
Thanksgiving isn’t a frat party, and your aunt didn’t come for Rage Cage. If the whole family’s there:
Water cups for pong. Everybody can play, and nobody has to drink to win the Turkey Bowl.
Save the drinking games for after the kids are in bed or for Friendsgiving.
Food out all day, water on the table, and figure out who’s driving before the pie comes out.
Set up the house
One long table works for pong in the afternoon and flip cup at night. No table? See our best beer pong tables.
Post the house rules on a House Rules sign. Thanksgiving has enough family arguments already.
The best Super Bowl drinking games run on the game clock: a beer pong bracket before kickoff, a “drink when…” card for every quarter, flip cup at halftime, and a team-vs-team showdown for the fourth quarter. It’s a long game, so this plan keeps the party going without anyone tapping out before the trophy comes out.
Pregame is when people actually want to play, so run a quick bracket. Name your teams after the two squads playing, take sign-ups as people arrive, and play 6-cup games so it’s done by kickoff.
Pick your side: every team plays for one of the two Super Bowl teams. The winning side’s fans pick the snacks for halftime.
Got a crowd? Switch to Civil War, three per side, no turns.
Halftime is long, and only half the room cares about the show. Line both fan bases up across the pong table for flip cup, best of three.
Winner’s side picks what’s on the TV for the rest of halftime.
Not enough people? Run a boat race instead, or a quick round of Rage Cage around the snack table.
Fourth quarter: fan pong
Close game? Put one player from each fan base on the pong table and play Baseball Pong, one inning per possession. Blowout? Play regular beer pong with the losing fan base on the trophy rack.
Two-minute warning rule: any cup made during the two-minute warning counts double.
Overtime in the game means overtime on the table: three cups, sudden death.
Game-day setup
Put the table where you can see the TV. Nobody wants to miss the big play.
Rules on the wall: hang a House Rules sign so the pong table isn’t another penalty review.