Are you already excited for the New Year party you’re planning to throw?
Are you looking for some interesting entertainment options for your guests?
Do you want to try out some drinking games that will set the mood to welcome and step into the New Year?
If partying on New Year in your style is on your mind, then we are here to give you a great mix of fun and drinking. Today we are sharing a whole bunch of fun games that will make a great combination with drinks.
We’ll tell you about each game and what all you need to set it up. We will share the rules and the drinking rules for each, so that no drunken fight breaks out on who has to drink when (kidding!). If you’re still not sure whether or not drinking games should be a part of your New Year’s party plans, this article could help you decide!
Where do drinking games fit in a New Year’s celebration?
- Drinking games are always fun when there is a good mix of friends or family members.
- These can be great party conversation starters and ice-breakers.
- These also help to keep the party going when guests start getting a little tired or bored, waiting for midnight to strike.
7 Fun New Year Drinking Games to Play at Parties
Option #1. New Year’s Eve movie drinking game
Why it’s good on New Year’s
Perfect for home parties when you can switch on a New Year themed movie and watch with friends/family.
Materials Needed:
- Viewing device
- The movie (for instance Harry Potter)
- Alcohol
Alcohol: Beer
How to Play:
- Keep alcohol handy
- Start the movie
Rules:
Drink each time:
- The name Potter or Harry Potter is mentioned.
- Someone says ‘He who can’t be named’
- Someone casts a spell
Option #2. Red or Black/Higher or Lower
Why it’s good on New Year’s:
Gets you quite a few drinks!
Materials Needed:
- A deck of playing cards (remove the jokers)
Alcohol: Beer
How to Play:
- Dealer holds out the card deck and takes out the first card, face down.
- First player has to guess whether it’s a Black or Red card.
- The dealer then reveals the card.
- Every time the player guesses incorrectly, the process has to start from the first guess.
- The player has to keep guessing till 3 successive cards are guessed properly.
Rules:
- Some variations are: dealer asks whether first card is black or red, second is higher or lower, third is inside or outside.
- Players drink for each wrong guess.
Option #3. Beer Pong
Why it’s good on New Year’s:
Play it in the room or in the backyard.
Materials Needed:
- Red solo cups
- Table to play on
- Ping pong balls
- Alcohol
Alcohol: Beer
How to Play:
- Place the cups on either side of the table for both teams.
- Fill with beer.
- Players have to throw a ping pong ball into the opposing team’s cup from one end of the table.
- Players will keep taking turns to throw the ball in the opponent’s cup.
Rules:
- If it lands in the cup, the defending team has to take the ball out and drink up the beer.
- The game will continue until one team has thrown the ball in all the cups and got all the members of the other team drunk.
Option #4. Category
Why it’s good on New Year’s
Fun conversation and drinks!
Materials Needed:
- Alcohol
Alcohol: Any
How to Play:
- All players sit together in a circle.
- One player is selected as the initial category caller.
- This player has to call out a category (for instance, BEER).
- The player on the left of the category caller has to immediately say something that falls into that category (for instance, Corona, Budweiser and so on).
- The game goes on in a circular manner until a player isn’t able to come up with something, or repeats something that has already been said (for instance, Corona).
- This player will become the next category caller.
Rules:
- Players have to drink if they can’t remember what to say or repeat a word.
Option #5. Beer Goggles
Why it’s good on New Year’s:
This is a super silly game that will loosen up everyone and get them relaxed. There is no winning or losing in this game, but the only aim is for all the players to have some silly fun.
Materials Needed:
- Alcohol
Alcohol:
How to Play:
- Players sit together in a circle and everyone says ‘Beer goggles up!’
- This means that you have to shape your fingers to represent a pair of goggles.
- Now place these goggles in front of your eyes.
- One player starts and extends one hand on the side, saying ‘Boop.’
- Right hand means the player on the right side will have to take a similar action and extend their hand on the left or right.
- If the player extends the hand twice and says ‘boop boop’ it means this person has been skipped.
- The player sitting next to the skipped person has to take action.
Rules:
- Any player who makes a mistake has to drink.
Option #6. Flip Cup
Why it’s good on New Year’s
This is more of a team game and will be perfect to include all your guests in the game.
Materials Needed:
- Solo cups
- Any flat surface
- Alcohol
Alcohol: Beer
How to Play:
- Divide your guests into two teams.
- In case you are not able to find an even number of players, you can choose someone in the team with fewer players who will be willing to drink twice.
- Add the desired amount of beer in the cups. Every cup should have the same amount of beer.
- Both teams have to align the cups in a line on the same side of the table or surface.
- Place the cups on the edge directly in the front.
- One player from each team drinks up the beer and places the empty cup back on the edge of the table.
- The players now have to use their finger to completely flip the cup in an upside down manner.
- Once the player flips the cup, the second player from the team drinks and repeats the same.
- The team that flips all cups first is the winner.
Rules:
- Drink and then flip.
- Add a twist that each time a player is unable to flip, they have to take another drink from an extra glass.
Option #7. Never Have I Ever
Why it’s good on New Year’s
Fun way to expose embarrassing moments of your friends!
Materials Needed:
- Alcohol and glasses
Alcohol: Beer
How to Play:
- Players sit with drinks in hand.
- One player begins by saying something that begins with ‘Never have I ever’ and mentions something they have never done.
- The idea is to make these statements as funky and bold as possible.
Rules:
- Players who have done the said thing have to drink up.
How to encourage friends and relatives to try New Year’s eve drinking games
You can encourage your friends/relatives to play drinking games in different ways. Keeping fun or quirky prizes could be an option. Also, you could make this into a fun way of sharing drinks, instead of doing the regular drinking from the bar.
While all of these games can add a lot of additional fun and excitement in your party, make sure you and your guests drink responsibly.