Who says bar hopping has to mean a chaotic crawl from dive to dive? With bar hopping games, you can bring the laughter, camaraderie, and even questionable dance moves straight to your living room—or spice up your next night out! Whether you’re looking for a ready-made favorite or itching to craft your own, there’s a bar hopping game to match your vibe.
Let’s dive into the ultimate lineup of bar-hopping games, DIY tips, and creative ideas to keep the fun flowing!
Table of Contents
Popular Bar Hopping Board Games
The Red Dragon Inn 8: Pub Crawl
This fan-favorite game mixes fantasy and fun with a bar-crawl twist. Players step into the shoes of adventurers, visiting taverns, sipping (imaginary) drinks, and facing challenges like gambling or brawling. With its playful mechanics and party vibe, “Red Dragon Inn” is perfect for game night enthusiasts.
Core Mechanics:
- Tavern Hopping: Players move between various taverns, each with distinct effects or mini-games that might include gambling, brawling, or drinking contests.
- Drink Deck: Each player draws cards from the “Drink Deck,” which may contain actual drinks, potions, or other surprises.
- Fortitude and Alcohol Content: Players must balance their fortitude (health) against their alcohol content. If your alcohol content exceeds your fortitude, you’re out!
- Gold Management: Players use gold to buy drinks for others, pay off debts, or gamble. Lose all your gold, and you’re out of the tavern!
The humor in the card effects, combined with the tension of managing resources, makes for a dynamic game night. Plus, expansions allow for endless replayability with new characters and rules.
Monopoly Board Crawl
Monopoly Board Crawl is an official drinking game twist on the classic board game. Forget play money and stressful bankruptcies—this version adds hilarious drinking rules and bar-themed strategies to keep players laughing all night.
Core Mechanics:
- No Play Money: Forget paper currency! Instead of collecting rent, you take drinks or assign them to other players.
- Bar-Themed Properties: The game board features bars or pub-related spaces. Landing on certain spaces triggers themed mini-games or challenges, such as:
- Take a drink for every property of a specific color.
- Challenge someone to a drinking duel for a piece of property.
- Community Chest and Chance Cards: These cards are rewritten to include drinking challenges, such as “Drink twice if you own more than three properties” or “Pick someone to finish their drink if you’re in jail.”
- Endgame: The winner is the player with the most properties (and least alcohol consumed!) by the time everyone decides to call it a night.
Monopoly Board Crawl turns the usually cutthroat and lengthy Monopoly experience into a lighthearted, laughter-filled party game. It’s a great way to enjoy Monopoly-themed drinking game without the usual financial frustration.
Printable and Customizable Bar Crawl Games
Etsy and similar platforms are treasure troves for bar-crawl printables. From customizable bingo cards to scavenger hunts, these games are perfect for personalizing your party. Add in your favorite rules, and you’ve got an instant hit!
Popular Game Types:
- Bar Crawl Bingo: A card filled with challenges like “Order a drink you’ve never tried” or “Take a selfie with the bartender.” Completing rows or columns earns rewards (or makes others drink).
- Scavenger Hunts: Players or teams collect items or complete tasks at various bars. For example:
- Find a cocktail napkin with a logo.
- Get a stranger to teach you a dance move.
- “Find Someone Who”: Players must check off tasks that involve interactions, like finding someone wearing a funny hat or someone who can recite a specific movie quote.
Customization Tips:
- Tailor challenges to your group’s humor and preferences.
- Include local bar trivia or inside jokes.
- Add a point system to declare a winner (or just let everyone enjoy the silliness).
Printable games offer flexibility for any occasion, from bachelorette parties to casual nights out. Plus, they’re budget-friendly and easy to set up.
How to Create Your Own DIY Bar Hopping Board Game
Why buy when you can DIY? Designing your own game adds a personal touch and ensures it’s tailor-made for your group.
Materials and Essentials
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Printable templates (or plain paper for drawing your board).
- Dice, playing cards, or spinners for movement.
- Tokens or small objects as player pieces.
- Pens or markers for customizing rules.
Themed Rules and Challenges
Inject fun challenges into the gameplay:
- “Sing a karaoke verse before rolling again.”
- “Finish your drink to skip a turn!”
- Trivia questions based on your group’s inside jokes.
Designing a Bar Crawl Experience
If you’re heading out to real bars, link game rules to locations. For example:
- “Order a specialty cocktail at Bar A.”
- “Snap a group selfie with the bartender at Bar B.”
For at-home crawls, set up “stations” with themed drinks and games at each spot in your house.
Fun and Creative Ways to Enjoy Bar Crawl Games
Bachelorette or Bachelor Parties
Make the bride or groom’s big night hilariously unforgettable with these wild variations:
1. Dare Dice Crawl:
- Assign different dares to each number on a dice (e.g., “Sing a karaoke song,” “Do a dance move,” “Take a funny photo with a stranger”).
- At every bar, roll the dice to see who must complete the dare.
- Add a twist by letting the group vote on how well the dare was executed—loser buys a round!
2. Drink Like the Bride/Groom Game
- Create a list of the bride’s or groom’s favorite drinks or quirky habits (e.g., sips drinks with a pinkie raised, prefers fruity cocktails).
- At each stop, everyone must mimic their drinking style or order their signature drink. Extra points for nailing the vibe!
3. Wedding Word Bomb
- Choose a set of wedding-related words like “marriage,” “ring,” or “love.” Every time someone says one of the forbidden words, they have to perform a quick, funny punishment, like proposing to a stranger, doing a silly walk, or giving a dramatic toast to the bartender.
4. Bride/Groom Gladiator
- At every bar, the group challenges the bride or groom to silly bar games, such as:
- Ice Cube Flick: Flick an ice cube across the bar to land it in a glass.
- Beer Pong Speed Round: A 1-minute solo game against the group.
- Shot Balance Challenge: Carry a full shot glass on their forehead for 10 steps without spilling.
- Winners get bragging rights, and losers buy the next round!
Themed Gatherings or Birthdays
Turn your bar crawl into a fully immersive adventure by incorporating these innovative twists:
1. Time Traveler Crawl
- Each bar represents a different decade or era.
- Start in the roaring 20s with classic cocktails like a gin fizz, move to the disco-fueled 70s with a Harvey Wallbanger, and end in the future with glowing drinks (use LED ice cubes!).
- Bonus challenge: Speak in slang from each decade or face a drink penalty!
2. Character Roleplay Crawl
- Assign each participant a quirky character for the night (e.g., “The Detective,” “The Rockstar,” “The Flirty Pirate”).
- Stay in character during the crawl, completing tasks like:
- The Detective interrogates the bartender about their favorite drink.
- The Rockstar serenades the group with a karaoke number.
- The Pirate negotiates a drink trade with another table.
3. Passport to Party
- Everyone gets a mini “passport” with a checklist of countries, each represented by a drink.
- Example: Margarita for Mexico, mojito for Cuba, sake for Japan.
- At each stop, bartenders stamp their passport or initial it when they finish a drink.
- Add challenges like learning a few words in the native language for bonus points!
Innovative and Funny Bar Crawl Ideas for Any Occasion
1. Mystery Menu Roulette
- At each bar, roll a dice or spin a wheel (use an app!) to decide:
- Type of drink (cocktail, beer, shot).
- An ingredient that must be included (e.g., something sour, something spicy).
- Bartenders love the challenge, and players never know what they’ll sip next!
2. Costume Crawl Chaos
- Everyone dresses to a theme, but with a twist: Each bar stop comes with a new accessory or costume piece that adds to their outfit (think sunglasses, silly hats, or feather boas).
- By the end of the night, everyone’s dressed like the most chaotic version of the theme!
3. Secret Saboteur Game
- Assign one person in the group as the “saboteur” secretly.
- Their goal? Sneakily add silly tasks or wild rules into the game (e.g., “Everyone must drink with their non-dominant hand!”).
- If someone catches them in the act, they have to do a double penalty drink!
4. Bar Olympics Crawl
Turn your bar crawl into a spirited competition by organizing a Beer Olympics showdown at each stop, with participants earning points toward a final medal ceremony.
- Events at Each Bar:
- Beer Pong Relay: Two-person teams take turns sinking cups in a timed race.
- Dartboard Decathlon: Score points by hitting assigned targets (e.g., “Hit a double for extra points”).
- Speed Sip Challenge: Finish a drink using only a straw—no hands allowed!
- Trivia Throwdown: Themed trivia questions (like sports or pop culture) with rapid-fire rounds for extra laughs.
- Awards Ceremony:
Create gold, silver, and bronze medals (or silly prizes) for the winners. Bonus awards could include “Most Spirited Competitor” or “Creative Cheater of the Night.”
Bar hopping board games combine the excitement of a night out with the comfort of staying in—or the creativity of a pub crawl adventure. From classics like “Red Dragon Inn” to personalized DIY creations, these games promise laughter, bonding, and a bit of (responsible) revelry. So, rally your friends, grab your favorite drinks, and let the bar-hopping board game adventures begin. Cheers to making memories!