Drinking Games for Large Groups: 12 Games for 8 to 30+ People
Big party, one beer pong table, and a line of people waiting to play? These games keep 8 to 30+ people in the action at once: team relays, around-the-table chaos and games that need nothing but a circle. We’ve sorted them by what you’ve got: a long table, a round table, no table, or a whole afternoon.
Large-group drinking games at a glance
| Game | Players | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Flip Cup | 8–20 | A long table, a cup each |
| Boat Race | 8+ | A cup each |
| Rage Cage | 5–12 | 15–25 cups, 2 balls |
| Slap Cup | 5–12 | 15–25 cups, 2 balls |
| Thumper | 5–12 | A table |
| Circle of Death | 3–10 | A deck, a big cup |
| Never Have I Ever | 3–15 | Nothing |
| Most Likely To | 4–15 | Nothing |
| Power Hour | Any | A playlist |
| 3v3 beer pong | 6 | A beer pong table |
| Civil War beer pong | 6 | A beer pong table |
| Beer Olympics | 8–32 | A yard and an afternoon |
Team relays (a long table)
- Flip Cup: the best big-group game ever made. Two teams line up, drink, flip, next. Any team size works.
- Boat Race: flip cup’s older cousin: drink, put the cup on your head, and the next teammate goes.
- 3v3 and Civil War beer pong: six players on one pong table. Civil War has no turns at all, so bring a towel.
Around the table (a round table)
- Rage Cage and Slap Cup: two cups race around the circle and the slow player gets stacked. Loud and fast.
- Thumper: everyone drums the table and passes hand signs. The bigger the group, the harder it gets.
- Circle of Death: the card game that handles up to ten. Run two circles for a bigger crowd.
No table needed
- Never Have I Ever and Most Likely To: just a circle and some honesty. Great for groups where not everyone knows each other yet.
- Power Hour: one sip a minute for an hour. The whole party can play while doing something else.
All-day events
- Beer Olympics: teams, countries, five events and a medal ceremony. The biggest party you can throw with a folding table.
- Beer pong tournament: seed the bracket with our free bracket generator and see how to host a beer pong tournament.
Hosting tips for a big crowd
- Run two games at once so nobody waits more than a round.
- Pour small, keep water close. Relays rack up drinks fast, and every game here works with water.
- Post the rules. Twenty people means twenty versions of flip cup. Settle it with the house rules builder.
FAQ
What’s the best drinking game for a large group?
Flip cup. Two teams of any size line up on a long table, and anyone can learn it in 30 seconds.
What drinking games need no equipment?
Never Have I Ever, Most Likely To and Thumper (all you need is a table to drum on).
How do you keep everyone playing at a big party?
Run a team game like flip cup on one table and beer pong on another, and rotate teams between them. For a whole afternoon, turn it into a Beer Olympics.
Find another game by crowd: games for 2, card games, dice games. Or browse every game on our party games page, and settle the arguments before they start with the house rules builder.