Best College Drinking Games: Classic Party Games & Rules

College drinking games range from actual skill games like Beer Pong to card games where your entire night can turn on drawing one bad King.

This guide pulls together the classic college party games in the CollegeWares rules library and points you toward the full rules for each one.

CLASSIC COLLEGE DRINKING GAMES

  • Beer Pong
  • Flip Cup
  • King's Cup
  • Ride the Bus
  • Presidents
  • Quarters
  • Stack Cup
  • Dizzy Bat

Beer Pong

Beer Pong is the obvious college-party staple. Sink balls into the other team's rack, remove made cups, and clear all ten before they clear yours.

Flip Cup

Flip Cup turns a group into two relay teams. Drink, flip your cup from the table edge, then hand the race to the next teammate.

King's Cup

King's Cup is one of the easiest card drinking games to run with a room full of people. Every card rank has a rule, and the Kings build toward the center-cup penalty.

Ride the Bus

Ride the Bus starts with Red or Black, Higher or Lower, Inside or Outside, and Suit before moving into a card pyramid and final bus round.

Presidents

Presidents is a real climbing card game with a ridiculous social hierarchy attached. Finish first and become President. Finish last and enjoy your new job as the Asshole.

Quarters

Quarters is old-school and almost impossible to underprepare for. Bounce a quarter off the table into a cup, then assign a drink when you make it.

Stack Cup

Stack Cup, often closely related to Rage Cage, has two active ping pong balls racing around a table. Catch the shooter ahead of you and stack their cup.

Civil War

Civil War is Beer Pong with multiple shooters and almost no patience. It's a better fit for groups that think alternating turns is wasted time.

Dizzy Bat

Dizzy Bat is made for tailgates and backyards: drink from the bat, spin around it, then attempt to hit an empty can while your legs file a formal complaint.

Horse Race

Horse Race uses four Aces as horses and lets the whole group bet drinks on which suit reaches the finish line first.


Best College Drinking Games by Situation

Pregame: King's Cup, Ride the Bus, Quarters.
House party: Beer Pong, Stack Cup, Flip Cup.
Tailgate: Beer Pong, Flip Cup, Dizzy Bat.
Card table: Presidents, King's Cup, Ride the Bus, Horse Race.

For more, browse our party drinking games, card drinking games, and full drinking games library.

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