Category: Party Games

The best New Year’s Eve drinking games build to midnight: start with a beer pong bracket while people show up, switch to big-group games like flip cup when the house fills, and finish with a Power Hour that ends exactly at the ball drop. Here’s the whole night, hour by hour, plus the house rules that make each game feel like New Year’s.

Jump to: The plan · Beer pong bracket · Resolution Kings · Flip cup · Power Hour to midnight · Setup · FAQ

The plan

Time	Game	Why then
8:00–10:00	Beer pong bracket	People trickle in; teams can sign up as they arrive
10:00–10:30	Resolution Kings	Gets everyone in one circle and talking
10:30–11:00	Flip cup	The house is full; the more players, the better
11:00–midnight	Power Hour	Song 60 ends right at the ball drop

Don’t want the full schedule? Pick any one of these. They all work alone.

8 PM: the beer pong bracket

Early in the night, people are showing up in twos and threes, which is perfect for a bracket. Post a sign-up sheet by the table, take teams as they arrive, and play single-elimination until 10.

• Keep games short: play 6 cups instead of 10 so the bracket moves.
• New Year’s house rule: sink the last cup before 10 PM and your team picks the next song. Small stakes, big trash talk.
• Champion gets bragging rights until next year, or something to hang over the table. See our tournament guide for free printable brackets.

Settle the rules before the first game: island, heating up, redemption. It’s all in the rules of beer pong.

10 PM: Resolution Kings

Play regular Circle of Death (Kings Cup), with one New Year’s swap:

• King = resolution. Draw a King, pour into the King’s Cup like normal, then announce a New Year’s resolution for someone else in the circle. They have to say whether they’ll keep it, and the group votes on whether they’re lying.
• The fourth King still drinks the King’s Cup. Keep that cup small. You’ve got two hours left.
• Queen = question master, but every question has to be about last year.

Print the Kings Cup rules sheet (PDF) and put it in the middle of the circle.

10:30 PM: flip cup

By now the house is packed, and flip cup is the best game ever invented for a crowd. Line up two teams down the pong table and go.

• Year vs. year: split into teams by birth year, or “this year’s resolutions kept vs. broken.”
• Last round of the year: the losing team’s anchor makes the midnight toast.
• Short on time? A boat race runs even faster.

11 PM: Power Hour to midnight

This is why Power Hour was made for New Year’s. Start the 60-song playlist at exactly 11:00:00 and song 60 ends right as the ball drops.

• Sync it: pull up the countdown on the TV and hit play when the clock reads 11:00.
• Do the quick math first: 60 shot glasses of beer is about 7.5 beers in an hour. On top of everything else tonight, that’s a lot. Go with sips, every other song, or light beer.
• Song 60 should be the one everybody screams along to. Pick it ahead of time.
• At midnight, swap the shot glass for the toast.

Set up the house

• One long table does double duty for pong and flip cup. No table? See our best beer pong tables.
• Rules on the wall: hang a House Rules sign by the table and you’ll skip the 11:45 argument about bounce shots.
• Light it up: an LED beer pong sign makes the pong corner look like a bar.
• Water and food on every table, and figure out everyone’s ride home before the ball drops, when rideshare prices go through the roof.

FAQ

What are good drinking games for New Year’s Eve?

Beer pong for the early crowd, Kings Cup and flip cup once the house fills up, and a Power Hour timed to end at midnight.

How do you time a Power Hour for midnight?

Start the 60-song, one-minute-per-song playlist at exactly 11:00 PM. The last song ends at 12:00.

What’s a good New Year’s drinking game for a small group?

Quarters or Kings Cup. Both work with three or four people.

Can you play these without drinking?

Yes. Every game works with soda, seltzer or water, and Power Hour works fine as a name-that-tune game.

Hosting Thanksgiving first? Here’s our Thanksgiving drinking games plan. More games for the night: see all our party games.

Planning the whole year? See the beer pong party calendar.

Boat Race is the original team drinking relay, and the game flip cup grew out of. Two teams line up across from each other. The first player drinks, puts the empty cup upside down on their head, and only then can the next teammate go. First team down the line wins. Zero skill required, maximum trash talk.

What you need

• A table, or just two lines of players
• One cup per player, filled with the same small amount (a few ounces)
• 2 teams with the same number of players (4 to 8 each is ideal)
• A referee or a neutral friend to call “go” and watch for cheating

How to set up

1. Teams line up on opposite sides of a table, each player facing an opponent.
2. Pour every cup to the same level. Uneven cups are the number one Boat Race argument.
3. Pick an order. The first and last players (the “stroke” and the “cox” in the original rowing slang) are usually the fastest drinkers.

How to play Boat Race

1. The referee says “go.” The first player on each team picks up their cup and drinks it.
2. When they’re done, they put the empty cup upside down on their head. That’s the signal for the next teammate to start.
3. The next player can’t touch their cup until the player before them has the cup on their head.
4. Repeat down the line. The first team to have every cup empty and on a head wins.

Boat Race rules disputes

• False start: picking up your cup early means you start over with a full cup.
• Drips: if liquid drips from a cup on your head, you weren’t done. Refill a splash and drink again.
• Uneven teams: the shorter team picks a player to go twice.

Boat Race vs. flip cup

Same lineup, same relay. In Boat Race you’re done when the cup is on your head; in flip cup you have to flip the empty cup from the table edge so it lands upside down, which slows things down and adds skill. If your group has a slow drinker, flip cup evens the field.

FAQ

Why is it called a boat race?

The game comes from British university rowing clubs, where teams of eight raced like a rowing crew.

How much do you pour in each cup?

A few ounces is plenty. Keep every cup the same so the race is fair.

Can you play without alcohol?

Yes. Water or soda works, and the relay is just as competitive.

More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Power Hour, Rage Cage, Slap Cup, Chandeliers, Quarters, flip cup, Beer Die, Beer Ball, Dizzy Bat. See them all on our party games page, or play the classic with the full rules of beer pong.

Power Hour is the playlist drinking game: 60 songs, one minute each, and everyone takes a small drink every time the song changes. It works for any size group and anyone can play. It also adds up way faster than people think, so read the quick math below before you hit play.

What you need

• A Power Hour playlist: 60 songs that change every 60 seconds (search your music app for “power hour,” or make your own)
• A shot glass or small cup per player
• Beer, a light drink, or a non-alcoholic option for each player
• Water on the table for everyone

How to play Power Hour

1. Everyone pours their first small drink and starts the playlist together.
2. Every time the song changes, everyone drinks their glass and refills it.
3. Keep going for all 60 songs. Anyone can switch to water or sit a round out at any time; there’s no penalty.
4. Make it to the end of song 60 and you’ve finished the Power Hour.

Quick math before you start

A standard shot glass holds 1.5 oz. Sixty of them is 90 oz of beer, which is about 7.5 beers in one hour. That’s how Power Hour turns into Power Nap. Ways to keep it a party:

• Half Hour: 30 songs. Same fun, half the damage.
• Sip, don’t shoot: one sip at every change instead of a full glass.
• Every other song: drink only on the even ones.
• Light or non-alcoholic beer: same game, a lot less hangover.
• Eat first, keep water going, and nobody drives afterward.

You’ll hear about the “Centurion,” a 100-minute version. Nobody’s earning a trophy for that one. Skip it.

Playlist tips

• Pick songs everyone knows so the room can sing along; the theme does the rest (decade, genre, one artist).
• Add a clear sound, like an air horn or a bell, at every change so nobody misses it.
• Download the playlist ahead of time so ads or buffering don’t throw off the minute.

Power Hour variations

• Name that tune: the last person to name the new song drinks; everyone else skips that round.
• Movie Power Hour: drink at a set cue in a movie instead of every minute.
• Teams: pair up and take turns, so each player drinks only every other minute.

FAQ

How many drinks is a Power Hour?

60 small drinks. With 1.5 oz shot glasses of beer, that’s about 7.5 beers; use smaller pours or a Half Hour to cut it down.

Can you play Power Hour without drinking?

Yes. Many groups play it with soda, or turn it into a name-that-tune game.

Can you play Power Hour with liquor?

No. Sixty shots of liquor in an hour is dangerous, full stop. Power Hour is a small-pours-of-beer game, or no alcohol at all.

Doing this on New Year’s Eve? Start at exactly 11:00 PM and song 60 ends at midnight. Here’s the whole New Year’s Eve game plan.

More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Rage Cage, Slap Cup, Chandeliers, Quarters, flip cup, Boat Race, Beer Die, Beer Ball, Dizzy Bat. See them all on our party games page, or play the classic with the full rules of beer pong.

Dizzy Bat is the funniest thing you can watch at a tailgate. Finish a drink, put your forehead on the end of a plastic bat, spin around it ten times, then try to run a relay leg or hit a pitch. Most people don’t get either. Grab a camera and a patch of soft grass.

What you need

• A plastic wiffle ball bat (or one per team for a relay)
• A wiffle ball or soft ball for the batting version
• One drink per player per round, in a cup or can
• Soft, open grass with nothing hard nearby
• 4 or more players

Relay version

1. Split into two teams. Each team lines up behind a start line, with its bat and drinks about 20 to 30 feet away.
2. On “go,” the first player on each team runs to the bat and finishes their drink.
3. They stand the bat upright, put their forehead on the handle end, and spin around it 10 times while their team counts out loud.
4. They drop the bat and run back to tag the next player.
5. The first team to have every player finish wins.

Batting version

1. One player is the pitcher; everyone else takes turns at bat.
2. The batter finishes their drink, then spins 10 times with their forehead on the bat.
3. The pitcher tosses an easy underhand pitch. The batter gets three swings.
4. Score however you like: one point per hit, or count how far the ball goes. Most points after everyone has batted wins.

Don’t be the guy in the ER

Dizzy people fall down. That’s the whole game. So:

• Grass only, plastic bat only. Keep it far from the fire pit, the pool, the stairs and anybody’s car. Never a real bat, never a baseball.
• Back up, crowd. The batter is going to swing wild. Give them room.
• Put a buddy next to every spinner. Their job is to catch you, not film you. (Okay, both.)
• Five spins is fine. So is a small pour or water. Nobody’s checking.

House rules

• Beer in the bat: some groups pour the drink into the hollow end of the bat and drink from it. Rinse it out first.
• Spin count: 10 is standard; 5 for a quick game, 15 for veterans.
• Do-over: fall before you finish your spins and you start the count again.

FAQ

How many times do you spin in Dizzy Bat?

Ten is the usual count, with your forehead on the end of the bat and the other end on the ground.

Can you play Dizzy Bat inside?

We don’t recommend it. Dizzy players fall, so play on soft grass with plenty of room.

Can you play without alcohol?

Yes. The spinning does all the work; water or soda is just as funny.

More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Power Hour, Rage Cage, Slap Cup, Chandeliers, Quarters, flip cup, Boat Race, Beer Die, Beer Ball. See them all on our party games page, or play the classic with the full rules of beer pong.

Beer Ball is the game for when you’ve got cans and a crowd. Every player sets a full, open can on their end of the table. Teams take turns throwing a ping pong ball at the other side’s cans. Knock one over and your whole team starts drinking, and keeps going until the other team chases down the ball and gets set. First team to empty every can wins. It’s a sprint, so pace yourself.

What you need

• A long table, like an 8 ft beer pong table, or a patch of flat ground
• One unopened can per player (light beer, seltzer, or soda for non-drinkers)
• One ping pong ball (some groups use a tennis ball outdoors)
• 2 teams of 2 to 4 players

How to set up

1. Each team stands at one end of the table.
2. Every player opens their can and sets it on the table edge in front of them, spaced a few inches apart.
3. Agree on a throw line. On a table, that’s your own table edge; outdoors, mark a line about 10 to 15 feet from the other team’s cans.

How to play Beer Ball

1. Throw. Teams alternate throws, one player at a time. Throw the ball at the other team’s cans.
2. Hit a can. If your throw knocks a can over, everyone on your team picks up their own can and starts drinking.
3. Stop the clock. The team that got hit has to stand the can back up, chase down the ball, and get back behind their line. The moment they’re set and shout “stop,” your team puts its cans down.
4. Miss. A miss passes the throw to the other team. Nobody drinks.
5. Finish. When you think your can is empty, turn it upside down over your head. If anything drips out, you keep drinking. The first team with every can empty wins.

Beer Ball house rules

• Hit vs. knock over: some houses only count a can that falls over; others count any hit. Decide before the first throw.
• No defense: you can’t block or catch a ball headed for your own cans.
• Bounce shots: on a table, a bounce that knocks over a can counts the same as a direct hit.
• Spilled can: if a can tips and spills, its owner keeps playing with whatever is left. Nobody gets a refill.
• Beersbee: the outdoor cousin, played with poles, bottles and a frisbee.

Tips

• Aim at the middle can. A near miss can still clip the one next to it.
• Send your fastest runner after the ball and leave everyone else at the table. That’s strategy.
• Go small or go light. Beer Ball is a chugging game and it moves fast. Smaller cans keep it a game instead of a dare.

FAQ

How many people do you need for Beer Ball?

Four, two per team. It’s best with three or four per side.

Do you have to finish the whole can?

Yes. A team wins only when every player’s can is empty, checked by turning it upside down.

Can you play Beer Ball without alcohol?

Yes. Use soda or sparkling water; the race to finish works the same.

More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Power Hour, Rage Cage, Slap Cup, Chandeliers, Quarters, flip cup, Boat Race, Beer Die, Dizzy Bat. See them all on our party games page, or play the classic with the full rules of beer pong.

Beer Die (aka Snappa when you play sitting down) is the 2-on-2 table game with the most arguments per minute. Throw a die high over the table so it lands on the other team’s half. If they can’t catch it one-handed, you score. Plunk it in their cup and they finish their drinks. First to 7, win by 2. Every house has its own rules, and every house thinks the others are wrong.

What you need

• A long table: an 8 × 4 ft sheet of plywood on sawhorses is traditional, but an 8-foot beer pong table works
• One standard six-sided die
• Four cups or pint glasses, one per player
• Two teams of two

How to set up

1. Teams stand at opposite ends of the table, one player at each corner.
2. Each player’s cup sits near their corner, about a hand’s width in from the back edge and a fist in from the side.
3. Fill the cups. Agree on the target score (usually 7, win by 2) and the minimum throw height before starting.

How to play Beer Die

1. Throw high. Players take turns throwing the die underhand, in a high arc that goes above the thrower’s head (or the agreed height). Low throws are dead.
2. Land it on their side. The die has to hit the defending team’s half of the table.
3. Defend with one hand. Once the die hits the table, the defenders try to catch it one-handed before it hits the floor or anything else.
4. Score a point when the die hits the table and the defenders drop it or let it fall.
5. Plunk. Land the die in an opponent’s cup and your team scores, and the plunked team finishes their drinks. Many groups let the thrower sign the table.
6. Win by being first to the target score, usually 7, winning by 2.

Popular Beer Die house rules

• Hitting a cup (“tink”): a die that hits a cup and falls off the table uncaught is often worth a point, sometimes two.
• Self-sink: drop the die in your own team’s cup and you finish it; in some houses you lose the game.
• “Biz” for five: in many groups nobody may say “five” (say “biz” instead) or “seven” (“buzz”). Slip up and you drink.
• Drinking and scoring are separate: drinks are triggered by plunks and penalties, not by points.
• Snappa: the same game played sitting down, which keeps the dives off the table.

FAQ

Is Beer Die the same as Snappa?

Almost. Beer Die is usually played standing and Snappa sitting down; the core rules are the same.

How big is a Beer Die table?

Traditionally 8 × 4 feet. A standard 8 × 2 ft beer pong table works, but the game is tighter.

What’s a plunk?

Landing the die in an opponent’s cup. It scores and the other team finishes their drinks.

Can you play without alcohol?

Yes. Fill the cups with water. The throwing, catching and scoring don’t change.

More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Power Hour, Rage Cage, Slap Cup, Chandeliers, Quarters, flip cup, Boat Race, Beer Ball, Dizzy Bat. See them all on our party games page, or play the classic with the full rules of beer pong.

Quarters is the original bar game: bounce a quarter off the table and into a glass. Make it and you pick who drinks. Miss and the quarter moves on. All you need is a coin, a glass and a hard table, which is why it’s been around longer than beer pong.

What you need

• A hard, flat table (wood works better than glass or a tablecloth)
• A quarter or two
• A short, wide glass or cup to bounce into, plus a drink for each player
• 3 or more players

Classic Quarters

1. Put the empty glass in the middle of the table and sit around it.
2. The first player bounces the quarter off the table, aiming for the glass. The quarter has to hit the table first; dropping it straight in doesn’t count.
3. Make it and you pick someone to take a drink, then shoot again.
4. Miss and the quarter passes to the player on your left.
5. Three in a row earns you a rule that lasts the rest of the game, like no pointing or drink with your left hand only. Anyone who breaks it drinks.

Speed Quarters

1. Give two shot glasses and two quarters to players sitting across from each other.
2. On “go”, both bounce until they make it, then pass the glass and quarter to the left.
3. If you make your shot while the player to your left is still shooting, stack your glass into theirs. They drink, then keep shooting into the stack.
4. Make it on your first try and you can pass to anyone.

Tips

• Grip it flat between your thumb and first finger, and bounce it about a hand’s length in front of the glass.
• Firm and flat beats high and fancy. Save the arc for pong.
• Beer or seltzer, not shots. Quarters speeds up once someone gets hot, so keep water on the table.

FAQ

Does the quarter have to bounce?

Yes. It has to hit the table before it goes in.

What do you bounce it into?

A short, wide glass for classic Quarters, or a shot glass for Speed Quarters.

Can you play without alcohol?

Yes. Swap drinks for points or dares.

More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Power Hour, Rage Cage, Slap Cup, Chandeliers, flip cup, Boat Race, Beer Die, Beer Ball, Dizzy Bat. See them all on our party games page, or play the classic with the full rules of beer pong.

Slap Cup is Rage Cage’s rowdier cousin. Two cups race around a circle of players. Bounce a ping pong ball into your cup and pass it on, and if you sink yours while the player before you is still shooting, you get to slap their cup off the table. Get slapped and you drink one from the middle. Bring towels.

It’s a close cousin of Rage Cage. The difference: in Rage Cage you stack the cup you caught, while in Slap Cup you slap it away, which is faster and messier.

What you need

• A table everyone can stand around (and a few towels)
• 15 to 25 plastic cups
• 2 ping pong balls
• Beer, seltzer or water, poured about a third full
• 5 or more players

How to set up

1. Fill most of the cups a third full and cluster them in the center of the table.
2. Stand in a circle. Give an empty cup and a ball to two players across from each other.

How to play Slap Cup

1. Bounce. On “go”, both players bounce their ball off the table, trying to land it in their cup. Keep trying until it goes in.
2. Pass. Once it’s in, pass your cup and ball to the player on your left, who starts bouncing.
3. First-try bonus. Make it on the very first bounce and you can pass to anyone who isn’t already holding a cup.
4. Slap. If you make your shot while the player to your left is still shooting, slap their cup off the table.
5. Getting slapped. Grab a cup from the center, drink it, and start bouncing into it. Play never stops.
6. End. The game ends when the center cups run out. Keep score of slaps if you want a winner.

Slap Cup house rules

• Slap the cup, not the player: hands only, no slapping wrists or arms.
• Center cup penalty: bounce into a center cup by accident and you drink it.
• Boom Cup: another name for the same game in some places.

FAQ

What’s the difference between Slap Cup and Rage Cage?

Same setup and bouncing, different catch-up rule. In Slap Cup you slap the caught cup off the table; in Rage Cage you stack your cup into it.

How many players do you need?

At least 5, ideally 6 to 12.

Can you play without alcohol?

Yes. Use water or soda; everything else is the same.

More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Power Hour, Rage Cage, Chandeliers, Quarters, flip cup, Boat Race, Beer Die, Beer Ball, Dizzy Bat. See them all on our party games page, or play the classic with the full rules of beer pong.

Flip Cup is the team relay that wins every party. Two teams line up across a table. One player at a time drinks a small cup, then flicks it from right-side up to upside down off the table edge, and only then can the next teammate go. First team to flip every cup wins. It’s the best game for a big crowd, period.

What you need

• A long table (an 8-foot beer pong table is perfect)
• One plastic cup per player
• Beer, seltzer, soda or water: a small, equal pour in every cup
• Two teams with the same number of players; 4 to 6 per side is ideal

How to set up

1. Split into two equal teams and line up on opposite sides of the table, facing each other.
2. Each player puts a cup on the table in front of them, mouth up, with the rim hanging just over the edge.
3. Pour the same small amount (an inch or two) into every cup so neither team gets a head start.
4. Pick the order. The first player on each team is at one end, the “anchor” at the other.

How to play Flip Cup

1. Cheers. The two first players tap cups, then tap them on the table.
2. Drink. Each finishes their cup.
3. Flip. Put the cup back mouth-up with the rim over the edge of the table, and flick the rim up with one finger so the cup turns over and lands upside down. Missed? Set it back up and try again.
4. Tag the next player. Only once your cup is upside down can the next person on your team start drinking.
5. Win. The first team whose anchor lands the last flip wins the round.

Rules that settle arguments

Flip cup gets heated. These settle it:

• No early starts: drink before your teammate’s cup is down and you wait and start over. No jumping the gun.
• Finish the cup: a flip only counts if the cup was empty.
• Flip from the edge: one hand, cup on the table, rim over the edge. Picking it up and setting it down upside down is cheating, and everybody saw you.
• Knock it off the table? Pick it up and flip again from the start.

Flip Cup variations

• Survivor (elimination): after each round, the losing team votes off a player and the game repeats until one player is left.
• Relay to 21: teams keep cycling through their players until someone reaches 21 flips.
• Flip Cup into beer pong: the losing team of a flip cup round has to set up first at the pong table, or flip cup decides who shoots first.

How to flip on the first try (and stop being the anchor who loses it)

• Leave about an inch of rim over the edge. Too little and you can’t get a finger under it; too much and it falls on the floor.
• Flick, don’t swat. One finger, gentle, aiming for one rotation. Most misses come from hitting it way too hard.
• A slightly wet table helps the cup land and stick. Spilled beer finally has a purpose.

FAQ

How many people do you need for flip cup?

At least 4 (two per team), but it’s best with 8 to 12 players.

Can you play flip cup without alcohol?

Yes. Water or soda works the same, and it’s a great warm-up before a beer pong tournament.

What if the teams are uneven?

One player on the smaller team goes twice, usually the first player, who drinks and flips again as the anchor.

Hosting game day? Flip cup is the perfect halftime game. See our Super Bowl drinking games plan.

En español: Reglas del flip cup en español.

More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Power Hour, Rage Cage, Slap Cup, Chandeliers, Quarters, Boat Race, Beer Die, Beer Ball, Dizzy Bat. See them all on our party games page, or play the classic with the full rules of beer pong.