Drinking Card Games: The 10 Best Games with Cards
Drinking games with cards are a party classic for a reason: a single deck (or no deck at all) turns any gathering into a night to remember. Here are the best drinking card games with simple rules for each - from Kings Cup to Ride the Bus - plus a card-style game you can play instantly online without any deck.
21+ Only. These drinking games are intended for adults of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly, never pressure anyone to drink, and always offer non-alcoholic alternatives.
The Best Drinking Games with Cards
All you need is a standard 52-card deck, drinks, and a group of friends. Rules below are the most common versions - house rules always welcome.
1. Kings Cup (King's Cup)
4-10 players · Easy
Spread a deck face-down around a central cup. Players take turns drawing; every card value has a rule (2 = You: pick someone to drink, 8 = Mate: choose a drinking buddy, etc.). The first three Kings drawn add a splash of that player's drink to the cup - whoever draws the fourth King drinks the whole thing.
2. Ride the Bus
3-8 players · Medium
Four guessing rounds: red or black, higher or lower, in between or outside, and suit. Wrong guesses mean sips. The player left with the most cards at the end "rides the bus" - a final gauntlet of guesses where every miss costs a drink.
3. Higher or Lower
2-8 players · Easy
Flip a card, then guess whether the next one is higher or lower. Wrong guess: drink and start over. Right guess three times in a row: pass the deck to the next player. Perfect two-player drinking card game.
4. Circle of Death
4-10 players · Easy
A Kings Cup cousin: cards fan out in a circle and each rank triggers an action - waterfalls, categories, rhymes, and "make a rule" cards. Breaking the circle of cards means finishing your drink.
5. Screw the Dealer
3-8 players · Medium
One player deals and the others guess the top card's value. Wrong guesses mean the guesser drinks the difference between the guess and the real value. If the dealer survives three correct guesses in a row, the deck passes on.
6. Pyramid
3-8 players · Medium
Build a five-row pyramid of face-down cards. Each player gets a hand they may not re-check. As pyramid cards flip, anyone claiming a match assigns sips - but bluffing is allowed, and a called bluff doubles the cost.
7. Bus Driver
2-6 players · Easy
A simpler solo version of Ride the Bus: guess red/black through a row of cards. Every wrong answer adds a sip and restarts the row. Quick, brutal, and great as a game-night warmup.
8. Never Have I Ever (Card Version)
2-12 players · Easy
Each "card" is a Never Have I Ever statement. Draw, read it aloud, and everyone guilty takes a sip. You can buy physical decks - or use our free online deck with 1,700+ question cards and skip the shopping entirely.
9. Around the World
3-8 players · Easy
Guess red or black, then higher/lower, then in-between, then suit - one stage per flipped card. Each correct answer lets you hand out sips equal to the stage number; each miss means you take them instead.
10. Beeramid (Reverse Pyramid)
3-8 players · Easy
Like Pyramid but inverted: rows get bigger as the game goes on, so the sips stack up toward the end. Matching a flipped card lets you assign drinks; the last row is worth five sips per match.
No Deck? Play a Card-Style Game Online
Never Have I Ever works exactly like a card drinking game - every question is a "card" someone draws and reads to the group - except the deck lives in your browser. Over 1,700 question cards, dealt one at a time, free and with no signup.
1700+ Question Cards
Party, spicy, funny, and couples decks - pick a category and the app deals for you.
Works on Any Device
Pass one phone around the circle, or cast it to a TV for the whole party to see.
Play Remotely
Create an online room with video chat and play the card game with friends anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best drinking card game?
Kings Cup is the most popular drinking card game worldwide - every card has a rule, it scales to big groups, and no skill is required. Ride the Bus is the favorite for smaller groups who want more tension, and Never Have I Ever is the best pick when you want conversation and stories rather than pure card luck.
What drinking games can you play with a normal deck of cards?
A standard 52-card deck covers Kings Cup, Ride the Bus, Higher or Lower, Circle of Death, Screw the Dealer, Pyramid, Beeramid, Bus Driver, and Around the World. Every game on this page except Never Have I Ever uses a regular deck.
What is a good drinking card game for 2 people?
Higher or Lower and Bus Driver both work perfectly with two players since they are pure dealer-versus-guesser games. Never Have I Ever also plays well head-to-head and doubles as a get-to-know-you game for couples.
Can you play drinking card games without physical cards?
Yes. Our free online Never Have I Ever game works exactly like a card drinking game - the app deals question cards one at a time on any phone or laptop, and an online room mode lets remote friends join with video chat.
How do you make drinking card games safer?
Use small sips instead of full drinks, keep water and food available, allow a no-questions-asked pass, and never pressure anyone to drink. All of these games work with non-alcoholic drinks or dare-based penalties instead.