Spring is finally here, and if you’re in college, that means the end of the semester is just around the corner. With the end of the semester comes every college student’s favorite event – finals week. Just kidding! We all know the end-of-semester party is what keeps most students going in that limbo time between Spring Break and finals, and that bash is sure to include drinking games. But which game is the best? Our crack team of experts at HomeWetBar.com recently sat down and graded the top 5 best drinking games of all time. Our grading is based on overall fun for players and onlookers, as well as the “buzz factor” for the game.
5. Never Have I Ever
Never Have I Ever combines drinking with sometimes embarrassing admissions, which of course means that this drinking game makes the list! Players take turns making “Never have I ever…” statements, and players who have done those activities drink. Learning new and occasionally disgusting facts about your friends and fellow-party goers makes Never Have I Ever one of the top 5 best drinking games ever; however, the game does tend to slow down as players try to come up with “never have I ever…” statements, which can slow down the buzz factor.
Fun for Players: B-
Fun for Onlookers: B+
Buzz Factor: B-
Final Grade: B
4. Asshole
Asshole is one of the most complex card drinking games (for full instructions on Asshole and other drinking games, please visit the link at the end of this report card), so it can entertain and frustrate for hours. A 52 card deck of playing cards is dealt out to the players. In the initial round, the goal is to be the first player to discard all of their cards. The first player to get rid of all of their cards is the President in the next round, and the last player to get rid of all of their cards is the Asshole. The President assigns rules and has special privileges over other players, and the Asshole…well, let’s just say you don’t want that title. The complexity of this drinking game requires players pay relatively close attention, and the humor or cruelty of the acting President creates some hilarious moments for players and onlookers alike. And as there is always the goal of becoming the acting President in the next round, Asshole can last a long time, which gives it a strong buzz factor.
Fun for Players: B+ (F for whoever the current asshole is)
Fun for Onlookers: B-
Buzz Factor: A
Final Grade: B+
3. Quarters
Quarters has secured its place in drinking game history due to its simplicity and fast pace. Try to bounce a quarter into a shot glass and assign drinks. Miss your shot, and you take a drink. Quarters is surprisingly addicting, as getting just the right touch on bouncing the quarter into the shot glass takes some practice, and other party-goers are inevitably drawn to the sound of the quarter as it bounces and (hopefully) rattles into the shot glass.Oh, and it will get you buzzed fairly quickly, as the act of bouncing a quarter into a shot glass does require some skill and luck.
Fun for Players: A-
Fun for Onlookers: B
Buzz Factor: A
Final Grade: A-
2. Circle of Death or Waterfalls or Ring of Fire
This drinking game goes by many names, but for simplicity, we will call it Circle of Death. Players sit in a circle and draw cards that are spread out in the middle of the circle of players thus the name, Circle of Death. Each card has a corresponding rule that the players must follow. For example, when a 9 of any suit is drawn, it is a “Nine, Nine, Bust-a-Rhyme,” where the player who drew the card says a word or phase, and players take turns around the circle rhyming with the selected word or phase. The rhyming continues until a player cannot continue the rhyme, at which point that player drinks. Circle of Death is fun as players are constantly making up and abiding by the various, hilarious rule and drinking. Outside observers will also get some laughs from the antics coming from the circle.
Fun for Players: A+
Fun for Onlookers: B
Buzz Factor: A
Final Grade: A-
1. Beer Pong
In Beer Pong, opposing teams (generally of two) stand at opposite ends of a beer pong table with nine cups set up in a triangle in front of them. Each team tries to bounce ping pong balls into the opposing teams cups filled with beer, forcing the opposing team to drink. Beer pong is fast-paced, strikes up the spirit of competition at almost any party, and a crowd of onlookers can almost always be found gathered around a beer pong table. For this reason, beer pong is considered by many to be the best drinking game of all-time, earning it our highest grade.
Fun for Players: A+
Fun for Onlookers: A
Buzz Factor: A
Final Grade: A
Further Study for the Best Drinking Games
As with any game, it is always best to study up on the rules, strategies, and intricacies of a drinking game before playing it. For rules and strategies on our best drinking games of all time, Howcast.com has a great series on playing drinking games. For a drinking game that has more complex rules, such as Asshole and Circle of Death, Drinksmixer.com has a great set of more detailed instructions for these games.
