Drunk Battleship Drinking Game: Rules, Shot Setup & Safer Variations

Drunk Battleship is Battleship with drinking penalties: when your ship gets hit, you drink, and when a ship gets sunk, the penalty usually gets bigger.

The actual game is still Battleship. You hide ships, call coordinates, mark hits and misses, and try to sink your opponent’s fleet first. The drinking part just turns every hit into a small penalty and every sunk ship into a louder one.

There are two common versions: the beer/sip version and the shot version. The shot version sounds cleaner on paper and becomes a terrible idea once you remember a full Battleship board has a lot of hits. CollegeWares recommendation: use sips or small pours, not full shots for every hit.

To play Drunk Battleship: play regular Battleship, but add a drinking penalty whenever a ship is hit or sunk. The game ends when one player sinks all of the other player’s ships, just like normal Battleship.

What You Need to Play Drunk Battleship

• A Battleship board game or two DIY grids
• Pens or markers if using paper grids
• 2 players, or 2 teams
• Drinks
• Optional shot glasses for measured sip pours

How to Set Up Drunk Battleship

1. Use a Board or Make a Grid

The easiest version uses the actual Battleship game. For a DIY version, each player draws two 10-by-10 grids labeled A-J and 1-10.

2. Place Ships Secretly

Use the normal ship sizes if you are playing classic Battleship: 5, 4, 3, 3, and 2 spaces. Do not let ships overlap.

3. Pick the Drinking Version

Decide before the first coordinate whether hits are sips, small pours, or shots. If you pick full shots for every hit, congratulations, you have invented regret.

Drunk Battleship Penalty Table

How to Play the Drunk Battleship Drinking Game

1. Call a Coordinate

Player one calls a coordinate like B7. The opponent says hit or miss.

2. Mark the Result

Both players mark the result so nobody has to remember fifty tiny acts of naval aggression.

3. Apply the Drinking Rule

If it is a hit, the defender drinks. If it sinks a ship, add the sunk-ship penalty.

4. Keep Going Until One Fleet Is Gone

The winner is the first player to sink every opponent ship.

Drunk Battleship House Rules & Variations

Beer Version

Hits are sips and sunk ships are extra sips. This is the best default.

Shot Version

Hits are shots or mini shots. This is common online, but a full game can stack way too much alcohol. Use tiny measured pours if you insist.

Teams Version

Two teams share one board. Teammates rotate coordinate calls. Penalties can go to the player who placed that ship or be split across the team.

Miss Drinks Version

If you miss, you drink. This speeds up consumption but makes the game less strategic. Use only with small sips.

Our Recommended Drunk Battleship Rules

Is Drunk Battleship Good for Two Players?

Yes. Drunk Battleship is one of the better structured drinking games for 2 players. It has a real winner, enough strategy to stay interesting, and no need for a full party circle.

For more small-player options, use the drinking games for 2 hub.

Drunk Battleship FAQ

How do you play Drunk Battleship?

Play regular Battleship and drink when your ships get hit. Sunk ships usually add an extra penalty.

How many players do you need?

Drunk Battleship is best with 2 players. You can also play with 2 teams.

Do you take a shot every time you get hit?

Some versions say that, but it is too much for most games. Use sips or tiny measured pours instead.

What happens when a ship sinks?

The defender usually takes an extra penalty. CollegeWares recommends two extra sips.

Can you play without the Battleship board game?

Yes. Draw two 10-by-10 grids for each player and mark ships, hits, and misses manually.

Can you play without alcohol?

Yes. Use points, snacks, or water penalties.

Drunk Battleship in One Sentence