Drinking games from around the world share the common interest of bonding with family and friends while having a good time. They are also great for adding fun and excitement to a night out or any event.
Drinking games are party games for adults, and it’s more fun when you drink responsibly. If you aren’t a drinker, you can have a non-alcoholic beverage instead!
Fun Drinking Games Around the World
1. Thong Toss (Australia)
Don’t confuse the word “thong” with your intimate underwear because Aussies use the term “thong” for flip-flops.
The drinking game rules are straightforward:
- Stand behind a line alongside the other players.
- Use your hand or foot to throw the thong.
- On the command of the game referee, you throw or kick your thong off your foot as far as you can.
The person that throws their thong the farthest wins! You can also penalize the person with the shortest throw by making them take a drink. You can customize the game to add more elements of fun.
This video also shows how to play Thong Toss.
2. Bevilo Tutto (Italy)
Now, this is a game where the entire town can get involved!
You can tailor this drinking game how you like by playing it in a small circle or around an entire village. This version involves the whole town.
- Start with a large pitcher or jug of your favorite beverage (Italians typically prefer red wine over beer.)
- One person must drink from the pitcher while singing “Bevilo Tutto.”
Lyrics to Bevilo Tutto in English
Drink it all, drink it all,
Drink it all, drink it all,
He drank it all, and it didn’t hurt him.
Water makes him ill, and wine makes him sing!
- The person who finishes drinking then selects the next person to drink.
- Once everyone finishes at the table, we move on to the neighboring houses. The person that drinks last must knock on the door. The resident must come out, drink to the song, and join the group going to the next house.
Bevilo Tutto is a tradition, and people are happy to play along. Check out this video of people having a lot of fun with their version.
3. Chui Niu, aka Dice (China)
Chui Niu is comparable to dice games like Liar’s Dice. You can play with as few as two players or a large group. The goal is to roll a higher number than the player before you. You can bluff about your score; if you’re convincing enough, you win the game.
What You Need:
- A cup you can’t see through
- 5 Dice
- Your drinks of choice
Rules:
- The first person shakes up the cup and calls out the numbers they got. Players must have at least two of the same number for the turn to count, like ‘double fours’ or ‘triple fives.’ The game continues clockwise, with each player increasing the value of their dice. For example, you can’t say ‘twos’ after someone just said ‘fives.’ (Note: you can say ‘two sixes’ after someone has said ‘three fives,’ but you can’t say ‘six twos’ after someone has said ‘five fours.’)
- Players must score higher than the roller before them or bluff and call out a number they don’t have.
- Wait to see if anyone calls you on bluffing (they can say “bu xing,” meaning “impossible”)
- Players then reveal their dice.
- You must take a drink if you have a lower score than the previous player.
- If you get called out for bluffing, and you were, you must also take a drink.
4. Medvyed Prishol (“Here Comes the Bear!”) (Russia)
This game involves a lot of drinking, so be prepared!
What You Need:
- A large table
- Large shot glasses
- Several bottles of cold vodka
- Players stand around the table with a shot glass full of vodka.
- Each player must take a shot before the leader shouts, “Here comes the bear!”
- Everyone crawls under the table.
- When the leader believes the danger has passed, they call out, “There goes the bear!”
- Everyone refills their shot glasses, and everyone takes a drink.
The last person standing wins the game. People will likely get drunk with this game, so consider a taxi or ride the bus.
5. Pence (UK)
Pence is one of the oldest drinking games on record and perhaps the easiest. The game’s objective is to guard your drink so that nobody can drop a pence in it.
- Players sit in a circle.
- Place a coin in the center where everyone can reach it.
- Everyone closes their eyes and reaches for the coin simultaneously. Whoever gets it must hide it, so nobody knows who has it.
- Carry on like usual, and the person with the coin has to sneak it into someone else’s cup without them noticing.
- The player who finds it in their cup has to chug or gulp the drink fast. But if they catch the person putting it in their cup, that person is the one who is chugging the glass instead.
6. Irish Quarters (Ireland)
This game involves completing a couple of actions before the coin stops spinning. Here’s how you play Irish Quarters:
- The first player starts spinning the quarter.
- The player chugs their drink while the quarter is spinning.
- The same player must add as much beer as they want into the cup and grab the quarter all before it stops spinning on its own.
- If the player could accomplish all that before the coin stopped spinning, the next player going clockwise does the same but has to drink as much as the previous player poured.
- The player that fails to complete this before the quarter stops spinning loses. The same player has to try again and finish drinking what’s in their cup or fill it halfway if it’s empty.
7. Ping Pang Pong (Japan)
To play Ping Pang Pong, you need four or more players and lots of drinks.
- The first player says ‘Ping’ and points to the left.
- The next player to the left says ‘Pang’ and points to the left.
- The next player to the left says ‘Pong’ and points to anyone.
- The player that gets pointed at starts over by yelling, ‘Ping’ (except now players can start pointing to anyone.)
- You can only point if you say the correct word. Players who say the wrong word must take a drink.
- If you forget to point and say the word simultaneously, you have to take a drink.
8. Beer Olympics Games (USA & Worldwide)
The Beer Olympics Games isn’t your average drinking game. Instead, you create teams with their official beer Olympics outfits. A scoring system tracks the performance of the competing teams, and a single winner will emerge at the end. To the victor goes the spoils or the beer!
Just like the worldwide Olympic Games, it will host a variety of events, some of which include the following:
- Beer Pong
- Beer Ball
- Keg Toss
- Beer Stein Holding Contest
If you want to learn more about the Beer Olympics Games or how to host your own, check out this Beer Olympics Games detailed guide.
9. Beer Pong (USA & Worldwide)
The Beer Pong game is a college party classic. Each team has two players, and the play continues until one team wins.
What you’ll need:
- A ping pong table (or any long table will do)
- Arrange ten plastic cups of beer in triangles at the table’s edge on each end (twenty cups total). The point of each triangle should face the opposing team.
- Two teams take turns throwing the ball.
- Players take turns throwing balls into cups.
- Teammates take turns drinking from the cups that the balls land inside.
- Remove the emptied cups and resume throwing the balls until they are all gone.
- The team that gets their cups emptied first loses.
10. Beer Ball (USA & Worldwide)
Beer ball is a fast-paced game requiring beer cans and ping pong balls. The objective is to finish your cans of beer before your opponent.
- Each team takes turns throwing a ping pong ball, aiming to hit the opposing team’s beer cans.
- If a can gets hit, players from that team must drink from their can.
- Once the opposing team picks up the ping pong ball and taps it on the table, you must stop drinking.
- Nobody gets to drink if the ball misses a can, and it’s the other team’s turn.
Final Thoughts
Drinking games are recognized globally as a fun way to break the ice and have a fun adult party. There are many different game ideas you can play. Tailor the games to make your group fun. Remember to drink responsibly.
This article originally appeared on Wealth of Geeks.