Welcome to the Bobsled Drinking Game, the ultimate test of speed, skill, and sheer chugging power! This game is a competitive, team-based format that will take your Beer Olympics to the next level. Whether you’re a party pro or a first-time player, Bobsled will have everyone on their feet—if they can still stand by the end!
Table of Contents
What is the Bobsled Drinking Game?
The Bobsled drinking game takes its inspiration from the fast-paced, team-driven sport of Olympic bobsledding, combining college party fun with competitive energy. Bobsled is a very popular college drinking game, as it’s not just your average game of beer pong or flip cup—no, it’s a fast-paced, high-stakes, two-on-two race that will have you bouncing, flipping, and chugging your way to victory.
The front player is responsible for flipping cups and drinking (what a life, right?), while the back player is the sharpshooter, trying to sink those ping pong balls like a barroom sniper. Think of it like the Winter Olympics—minus the snow, plus a lot more alcohol.
How to Set Up the Bobsled Drinking Game
Setting up for a Bobsled match is simple, but like any great sport, the devil is in the details. You’ll need just a few key items to get started.
Equipment You Need
- 12 Red Solo Cups: Six for each team.
- 2 Ping Pong Balls: The main weapons of choice.
- Plenty of Drinks: Beer or a light cocktail works best for this game.
- A Table: The longer, the better—classic beer pong length is perfect.
Pro Tip: For added excitement, color-code the cups for each team or make custom team logos for Beer Olympics!
Set Up
- Each team sets up 6 cups on their side of the table.
- Four of the cups should be arranged in a straight line on the edge of the table (this is the bobsled track).
- The remaining two cups are personal cups, one for each player on the team.
Team Roles
- One player will be at the “front” (closer to the cups), and the other player will be at the “back” (on the opposite side of the cups).
- The front player’s role is to drink and flip cups, while the back player’s role is to shoot and bounce the ball.
How to Play the Bobsled Drinking Game
1. Starting the Game
- The back player begins by trying to throw the ball into one of the four cups lined up in front of them.
- If they miss, the front player retrieves the ball and returns it for another attempt.
2. Sinking a Cup
- Once the back player makes a shot, the front player steps aside, takes a sip from their personal cup (if drinking), and then attempts to flip it.
- Flipping the Cup: Place the cup face up on the edge of the table. Using your finger, flick the bottom of the cup to flip it in the air, aiming to land it face down on the table. If it doesn’t land correctly, reset the cup and try again.
3. Bouncing the Ball
- After the front player successfully flips their cup, the back player moves on to bouncing the ball into their personal cup.
- Bounce the Ball: Position your personal cup face up, away from the edge of the table. Attempt to bounce the ball once into the cup without touching or moving it.
4. Continuing the Game
- Once the back player successfully bounces the ball into their personal cup, they resume shooting at the remaining cups.
- Repeat the process of shooting, drinking, flipping, and bouncing until all 4 cups in the line are sunk.
5. Winning the Game
- The first team to successfully sink all their cups, flip their front player’s cup, and complete the final bounce wins the game.
- Don’t forget: The last step must always be the back player bouncing the ball into their personal cup to seal the victory!
Why Bobsled is a Popular Game at Beer Olympics
Bobsled (or bobsleigh) is a high-speed winter sport where teams of two or four race down an icy, twisting track in a sled. It’s all about speed, precision, and teamwork, with athletes pushing the sled to get a fast start, then hopping in to steer through sharp turns at speeds over 90 mph.
Originating in Switzerland, bobsled is now a thrilling staple of the Winter Olympics, known for its adrenaline-packed races where split-second decisions and coordination can make or break a run.
Like the sport, the Bobsled Drinking Game mirrors that intensity, swapping ice for cups, and speed for chugging and flipping.
Pro Tips for Winning Bobsled
Want to dominate at Bobsled in your next Beer Olympics? Here’s how to give your team the edge:
- Stay cool under pressure: It’s a fast game, but chugging too quickly can leave you gagging. Take steady drinks so you don’t end up splashing beer everywhere.
- Master the Flip: Cup flipping can be surprisingly tricky when you’re a few drinks in. Practice flicking with just the right amount of oomph. Less “wham” and more “smooth flick.”
- Nail the Bounce: The back player’s got one job: bounce that ball like a pro. Keep it controlled, don’t overthink it, and hit that perfect arc every time. Avoid wild rebounds and you’ll be golden.
- Know your team’s strengths: Put your fastest drinkers at the front to give your team an early lead, then let the slower sippers bring it home without too much pressure.
Popular Bobsled Drinking Game Variations
1. Polar Bear Plunge Bobsled
In this icy twist, every time a player drinks, they have to dunk their hand in an ice bucket before flipping the cup. This adds a literal chill to the game and makes flipping the cup way more difficult. As a bonus, players can chant “Polar bear plunge!” before each icy drink to really get in the spirit.
Challenge Level: High (because, brrr, cold hands and coordination don’t mix well).
2. Obstacle Course Bobsled
Want to make things interesting? Create mini obstacles for the back player to overcome before each shot. For example, they have to spin in a circle three times, jump in place, or do a silly dance. Or even better, place random objects like chairs, shoes, or pillows between the shooter and the cups, so they have to shoot around them like an Olympic-level ping pong ninja.
Challenge Level: Hilarious (and probably dizzying).
3. Shotgun Bobsled
For those who want to up the stakes, replace the standard sip of a drink with a shotgun! Yep, every time the front player has to drink, they shotgun a can of beer instead. Obviously, this isn’t for the faint of heart (or weak of stomach), and you’ll need to slow the game down a bit between rounds unless you want a house full of exhausted bobsledders.
Challenge Level: Extreme (seriously, pace yourself).
4. Blindfolded Bobsled
Spice things up by blindfolding the back player. The front player then has to verbally guide them to aim their ping pong shots into the cups. It’s like beer pong meets Marco Polo—just with a lot more slurred yelling and ping pong balls bouncing off walls.
Challenge Level: Chaos (but pure entertainment).
5. Bobsled Relay
Why not bring more friends into the action? In this variation, teams of 4+ players rotate between each round. For example, after a player drinks and flips, they tag in the next team member to take over the flipping or shooting duties. This relay-style setup works great for bigger groups and spreads the hangover love among everyone.
Challenge Level: Energetic (think of it as a boozy workout).
Fun Drinking Games Similar to Bobsled
If you love Bobsled, you’re in for a treat—there are tons of fun drinking games out there that bring the same level of hilarity, competition, and, of course, lots of drinking.
1. Stack Cup
Stack Cup is a fast-paced drinking game that’s all about quick reflexes and a steady hand. Players stand around a table with cups stacked in the center. The goal? Bounce a ping pong ball into a cup, then stack your cup on top of another. The next player then tries to bounce the ball into the new stack. This keeps going until one player messes up and has to drink from the middle stack. As the cups pile higher, the tension builds—and so does the likelihood of spills!
Why It’s Like Bobsled: Both games demand precision and speed, with players racing against each other in a frantic, cup-focused challenge. Just like Bobsled, Stack Cup keeps everyone on edge, competing to finish first without slipping up.
2. Beer Pong
Beer Pong needs no introduction, but in case you’ve been living under a rock: two teams of players try to throw ping pong balls into the opposing team’s set of cups. Every time you land a ball, the other team drinks. First team to clear all of their opponent’s cups wins the glory.
Why It’s Like Bobsled: Both involve ping pong balls, cups, and accuracy. If you’re the back player in Bobsled, you’ve already got the skills to dominate at Beer Pong.
3. Drunk Jenga
Take your average game of Jenga and give it a twist—write a different drinking challenge or rule on each block. As players pull blocks from the tower, they must complete the challenge written on it. It could be anything from “Take a shot” to “Swap seats with another player.” Things get funnier (and messier) as the tower gets shakier!
Why It’s Like Bobsled: Both games rely on coordination and strategy—though Jenga’s coordination gets more difficult as the game (and drinking) goes on!
4. Kings (King’s Cup)
Kings is the ultimate drinking card game for groups. You spread a deck of cards in a circle around a large cup in the center of the table. Each card drawn represents a different rule or action, such as “Waterfall” (everyone drinks in a cascade) or “Make a Rule” (the player sets a drinking rule for everyone). The game ends when the “King’s Cup” is filled and chugged by the unlucky last player.
Why It’s Like Bobsled: Both are versatile party games with lots of drinking and laughter. Plus, Kings involves lots of quick thinking and social interaction, just like Bobsled.
5. Quarters
Quarters is a classic bar game where players take turns trying to bounce a quarter off a table and into a cup. If they succeed, they get to choose another player to drink. It’s simple, but as you drink more, bouncing that quarter starts to feel like trying to land a spacecraft.
Why It’s Like Bobsled: Both involve bouncing objects into cups—and both make you curse your coordination after a few rounds.
6. Drunk Waiter
Drunk Waiter is pure physical comedy. Players must carry cups full of drinks on a tray and navigate an obstacle course. If you spill any drinks, you have to chug the leftovers. This game is as much about balance as it is about drinking, and watching your friends stumble through it is half the fun.
Why It’s Like Bobsled: Both games involve racing, drinking, and plenty of spills!
7. Civil War
If regular beer pong isn’t enough of a challenge, try Civil War, which involves three players per team and an arsenal of cups. Each player has their own ping pong ball and tries to sink it into any of the opposing team’s 3–5 cups. The catch? It’s absolute chaos because there’s no turn-taking—everyone is firing and drinking simultaneously.
Why It’s Like Bobsled: Just like in Bobsled, Civil War is a fast-paced, competitive drinking game that involves bouncing ping pong balls while trying to avoid total chaos.
8. Power Hour
Looking for a marathon drinking experience? In Power Hour, players take a shot of beer every minute for one full hour. It starts off easy, but trust me, by minute 40 you’ll be questioning your life choices. To make it more fun, you can add music and take a drink whenever the song changes.
Why It’s Like Bobsled: Both games require endurance and pacing—don’t get overconfident, because Power Hour will sneak up on you like a bobsled flying down a hill!
9. Ride the Bus
In Ride the Bus, players have to answer a series of card-based questions incorrectly (yes, you heard that right). For every wrong answer, they “ride the bus,” which involves drinking more. It’s a tricky game of luck, but with enough rounds, nobody escapes the bus unscathed.
Why It’s Like Bobsled: Both games involve a series of challenges that get harder (and funnier) the more you drink.
10. Chandeliers
In Chandeliers, each player places a cup filled with drink around a central cup that is filled with a stronger drink (the “chandelier”). Players take turns trying to bounce a ping pong ball into any of the surrounding cups. If you make it into someone’s cup, they drink. If you land it in the chandelier cup, everyone drinks!
Why It’s Like Bobsled: Both games are cup-heavy, fast-paced, and involve precision bouncing—plus, both are sure to get messy!
There you have it! The Bobsled Drinking Game is the perfect mix of speed, skill, and all-out fun. Whether you’re playing at a Beer Olympics or just looking to turn up the party with friends, Bobsled guarantees a hilarious and competitive time.