Looking for a way to spice up your evening? Forget the crowded parties. Here’s a curated list of 15 enticing drinking games for two. These games offer a unique blend of challenge, excitement, and bonding moments. Whether it’s a romantic date or a night in with a buddy, these games are set to make it unforgettable.
Essential Guidelines for Two-Player Drinking Games
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Engaging in drinking games can be a fun way to bond and share a few laughs, but it’s crucial to ensure safety and comfort for both players. By understanding and setting boundaries, you can create a memorable experience without crossing any lines. Here are some key guidelines to follow:
- Drink Responsibly: The most crucial aspect of any drinking game is to remember to drink responsibly. Keep track of your intake, and don’t feel pressured to keep drinking if you start to feel the effects of the alcohol. Remember, the goal is to have fun, not to overconsume.
- Know Your Limits: Everyone has different tolerance levels. You should be aware of how much you can drink without feeling too intoxicated. It’s essential to recognize when you’re nearing your limit and to stop or slow down.
- Stay Hydrated: Alternate between alcoholic beverages and water. Staying hydrated can help counteract the dehydrating effects of alcohol and reduce the risk of a hangover.
- Use Non-Alcoholic Beverages: If one or both players prefer not to drink alcohol or want to take a break, there’s no reason you can’t use non-alcoholic beverages. Mocktails, sodas, or juices can be just as fun.
- Ensure Mutual Consent: Both players should be on board with the game and its rules. Make sure to check in with each other, especially if one person seems to be drinking much more than the other. Adjust the rules if necessary to ensure both players are comfortable.
- Set a Limit Beforehand: Decide on a maximum number of drinks or a cut-off time before you start the game. This can help ensure that neither player goes overboard.
- Have Food on Hand: Consuming alcohol on an empty stomach can lead to faster intoxication. It’s a good idea to have some snacks or a meal before or during the game.
- Avoid Mixing Different Types of Alcohol: Stick to one type of alcoholic beverage throughout the game. Mixing can lead to faster intoxication and a worse hangover.
- Remember, It’s Just a Game: The objective is to have fun and share a bonding experience. If at any point the game stops being enjoyable, it’s okay to stop and do something else.
By adhering to these guidelines, you can ensure that your drinking game remains a fun, enjoyable, and safe experience for both players.
15 Drinking Games for Two People
1. Flip Cup
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This game tests dexterity and speed. Each player has a plastic cup filled with a small amount of drink. Starting at the same time, both players must drink the contents of their cup and then attempt to flip the cup upside down by flicking the rim with their fingers. The cup should land top-down on the table. The first one to succeed wins the round.
Twist: The loser refills both cups for the next round. This ensures that the loser has more at stake as the game progresses, with the potential to consume more if they keep losing.
2. Power Hour (or Half-Hour)
The essence of Power Hour lies in its musical journey paired with the occasional sip of your favorite drink. Begin by crafting a personalized playlist of 60 of your favorite songs (or 30 for a condensed version). As the tracks change every minute, participants take a sip of their drink.
This constant shuffle ensures that the mood remains lively and unpredictable. By the end, the combination of tunes and drinks might just compel participants into an impromptu dance-off or sing-along.
Twist: Elevate the unpredictability by allowing each player to alternate in choosing the songs. Add an element of guesswork: if one player accurately predicts the next song, the other player takes an additional sip.
3. Shot Glass Roulette
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Inspired by the glamour of casinos, Shot Glass Roulette combines chance with drinking in a riveting showdown. The game set typically includes many shot glasses encircling a roulette wheel. Upon spinning, the ball decides your fate—whichever numbered glass it lands on, you drink its contents.
Twist: To keep things intriguing, mix the contents of the glasses. Some can be filled with tasty liqueurs, while others might contain non-alcoholic surprises or even a fiery hot sauce. Every spin becomes a game of Russian Roulette for your taste buds!
4. Two Truths and a Lie
This is more than just a game; it’s an opportunity to uncover fun, surprising, or even bizarre facts about your partner. Players alternate in presenting three statements about themselves—two truthful and one false. The challenge lies in distinguishing fiction from fact. Guess wrong, and it’s time to drink; guess right, and the storyteller drinks.
Twist: Ratchet up the intrigue by introducing themed rounds. Imagine uncovering “embarrassing childhood memories” or tales from “places I’ve traveled.”
5. Crazy Eights (Card Game)
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A classic card game, Crazy Eights combines strategy with adaptability. Using a standard deck, players aim to outpace each other by discarding all their cards first. Successive cards must match by number or suit, with eights acting as wildcards. Can’t play a card? Drawing from the deck is the only way forward. But each draw brings its own set of challenges and strategies.
Twist: Spice up the game with drink prompts. Drawing a card? That’s a sip. Lay down an eight? That’s two. A penalty might even result in three sips to keep the stakes high.
6. War (Card Game)
An embodiment of simplicity paired with pure chance, War requires no strategic prowess, just the luck of the draw. Players use a shuffled standard deck of cards, splitting it evenly between them.
Simultaneously, both players reveal their top card. The higher card triumphs, compelling the other player to drink. But ties can throw a curveball: players then draw three cards face-down followed by one face-up. The higher face-up card breaks the tie, but the stakes are doubled—the loser takes two drinks.
Twist: Introduce thematic elements with face cards. For instance, the majestic nature of a King might require both players to pay homage with a sip.
7. Beer Pong (Adapted for Two)
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Beer pong, the quintessential party game, can be reimagined for a duo. Facing each other across a table, players set up triangular formations of cups. The objective? Land a ping pong ball in your opponent’s cup. Every successful shot ensures the opponent savors the drink from the targeted cup.
Twist: Introduce “trick shot” rounds where players must bounce the ball or spin around before throwing. Successful trick shots could mean the opponent drinks two cups.
8. Speed (Card Game)
In a test of reflexes and quick decision-making, Speed lives up to its name. With a standard 52-card deck split between two players, the objective is to discard onto center stacks in ascending or descending order. Every decision counts, as only one card can be in motion at any time, and there’s no passing. The rapid pace and split-second decisions ensure a heart-racing experience.
Twist: Punish hesitations or misplays. If one player lags in emptying their hand, they drink. Or add additional rules, like drinking for playing a card out of turn or if a prolonged pause disrupts the game’s rhythm.
9. Battleship (Board Game)
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Battleship has long been a game of strategy and suspense, pitting players against one another in naval warfare. Each player places their fleet of ships secretly on a grid. The aim is to guess where your opponent’s ships are and “sink” them with coordinated “hits.”
As players take turns calling out coordinates, the anticipation of a hit or miss grows. The added drinking element ensures the stakes are even higher, as each incorrect guess leads to a sip and every sunken ship might demand a bigger gulp.
Twist: For added fun, if a player sinks an opponent’s largest ship, the opponent has to take a long chug or finish their drink.
10. Drunk Waiter
This obstacle course game requires balance, focus, and a steady hand. Players must navigate a set path while balancing a tray with six glasses filled with varying amounts of drink. The goal is to complete the course in the shortest time without dropping any glasses. Spillage or dropped glasses mean penalties.
Twist: For every glass spilled or dropped, the player must drink an equivalent from a backup glass at the finish line. To up the ante, introduce obstacles or challenges, like walking backward or hopping on one foot for a section of the course.
11. Never Have I Ever (Two-player version)
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While traditionally played with larger groups, this game can be an intimate way for two players to learn more about each other. Players alternate sharing something they’ve never done, saying “Never have I ever [done something].” If the other player has done it, they drink.
Twist: Introduce categories, such as “childhood mischief,” “travel adventures,” or “awkward moments.” This narrows down the scope and can lead to more targeted (and hilarious) revelations.
12. Dice Dare
Dice Dare merges the randomness of dice with the thrill of dares. Each side of a standard six-sided die corresponds to a specific dare. A roll of the dice determines the player’s fate. Should they refuse the dare or falter in its execution, a drink awaits.
Twist: The other player gets to choose one of the dares every round, ensuring a mix of mild, wild, and unpredictable challenges. Also, introduce a “swap” rule: once per game, a player can swap their dare with the other player.
13. Checkers (Board Game)
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Checkers, the timeless game of capture and strategy, becomes even more exciting with a boozy twist. The board’s black and white squares become a battlefield, with each player trying to eliminate the other’s pieces through diagonal jumps. As pieces reach the other side and become kings, their enhanced power adds layers of strategy to the game.
Twist: Every time a player’s piece is captured, they take a sip. When a piece gets “kinged,” the opponent takes two sips. If a player achieves a double or triple jump, the opponent takes consecutive sips for each jump.
14. Chopstick Transfer
This game requires concentration, a steady hand, and a touch of skill. You’ll need two sets of chopsticks, two small bowls, and a bunch of small items (like grapes, olives, or marbles). Fill one bowl with the items, and leave the other bowl empty. Place the bowls on opposite ends of a table. Players stand on either side of the table, each equipped with a set of chopsticks.
The objective is for players to transfer as many items as possible from the full bowl to the empty one, using only their chopsticks, within a set timeframe (say, one minute). At the end of the time limit, the player with the fewest items transferred takes a drink.
Twist: To increase difficulty, blindfold one player, allowing the other to give verbal directions on where to pick and place items. This not only challenges dexterity but also tests the communication and trust between the players. For every item dropped during the process, an extra sip is added to the loser’s tally.
15. Tic Tac Toe
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This fast-paced game, often ending in draws between experienced players, becomes a nail-biter with the addition of drinks. Players alternate marking spaces in a 3×3 grid, trying to get three of their symbols in a row—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. With the board quickly filling up, each decision can make or break the game.
Twist: Every time a player loses, they take a sip. If the game results in a draw, both players take a sip, adding motivation to strategize for the win.
Conclusion
With these 15 captivating drinking games for two, you’re bound to have an evening filled with laughter, challenges, and memories. Just remember, the key to enjoying these games is to play responsibly. Cheers to fun-filled nights!
