Got a small crew and ready for epic fun? These drinking games for 3 people turn any trio into a full-blown party! While most games are built for big groups, these 20 options are perfect for three players, packed with laughs, friendly competition, and all the camaraderie a small gathering brings. Grab your drinks—it’s game time!
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What Is the Fun Game to Play When Drinking?
Drinking games for three people add a unique, up-close-and-personal twist to a night in. Small-group games create an atmosphere where everyone’s engaged, jokes flow easily, and there’s plenty of room for friendly rivalry. With fewer people, you can adapt rules on the fly, add quirky challenges, and turn simple games into unforgettable moments. Ready to dive into the top picks?
Choose a Best Drinking Game for 3 Players
In this article, we’ve rounded up both card-free and card-based drinking games perfect for three players. These small-group games offer a unique, up-close twist, keeping everyone laughing and bringing out the friendly rivalry. With or without cards, these games let you improvise, add quirky challenges, and create unforgettable moments. Ready to dive into our top picks?
10 No Card Drinking Games for 3 Players
1. Sevens: The Celebrity Roast Edition
- Setup: Sit around with drinks and make sure you’re ready to count (and laugh). Designate one person as the “Roaster” to start the game.
- Gameplay: Players count up from 1, taking turns. When a number with a 7 or a multiple of 7 is reached, say “Pass!” instead of the number. But here’s the twist—every time you pass, you also have to “roast” a famous celebrity or character.
- For example: if the number is 7, you might say, “Pass! And let’s face it, Tom Cruise is just collecting Mission Impossible sequels at this point.”
- Drink Penalty: If anyone laughs at a roast, they take a drink. But if the roast falls flat and no one laughs, the roaster takes a drink.
- Adding Themed Twists: Each round, choose a new pop culture theme—like “Roast Disney Characters” or “Roast 80s Rock Stars.” The results are guaranteed to be as funny as they are cringeworthy!
2. Drunken Artists: Blindfolded Picasso
- Setup: Get paper and markers, and sit around a table. Draw names to pick the first “artist.” The artist has to wear a blindfold while drawing.
- Gameplay: The artist tries to draw a randomly chosen word or phrase while the others guess. Each wrong guess means the artist takes a sip, and the round ends when someone guesses correctly.
- New Rules:
- Blindfold Bonus: The artist must complete the drawing while blindfolded, using only their non-dominant hand. For every wrong guess, they take a sip.
- Art Critic’s Choice: Once a player guesses the word, they get to critique the drawing and name it in a funny way. If the artist laughs at the critique, they take another sip.
- Fun Twist: Add a theme to the drawings, like “draw a celebrity” or “draw a famous scene” while blindfolded. This leads to hilarious interpretations and unexpected masterpieces!
3. Drunk Jenga: Dare Tower Edition
- Setup: Write “truths,” “dares,” and drinking challenges on Jenga blocks. Build the tower and set up in a circle.
- Gameplay: Players take turns pulling blocks and completing the action written on it. If the tower falls, that player has to finish their drink.
- New Rules:
- Double Dare Draw: If a player refuses a dare, they take an extra drink and add another block to the top, making it riskier for the next player.
- Tower of Terrors: Each time a dare is completed, that player gets to write a new rule on a blank Jenga block, adding custom rules like “whisper your dares” or “speak in an accent.”
- Pop Culture Twist: Add famous “challenges” inspired by celebrities or movie quotes. Think “perform a one-line Shakespeare monologue” or “dance like you’re in a music video.”
4. Cheers to the Governor: Reality TV Confessional
- Setup: Sit in a circle, ready to count up to 21. The goal is to make it to 21 without breaking any rules.
- Gameplay: Each time someone says “21,” they get to create a new “Reality TV Confessional” rule. Think “act like you’re on The Bachelor” or “do your best Real Housewives impersonation.”
- Reality Confessional Twist: Each player who messes up the count has to give a quick “confessional” about what’s happening in the game. Example: “Listen, I didn’t come here to count numbers wrong. I came here to win.”
- New Rules: With each round, add new “Reality TV” rules, like “speak like you’re narrating a dramatic event” or “whisper everything like it’s a secret.”
- Wildcard Rule: If someone messes up three times in a row, they have to do a “walk-off” like they’re storming out of the room in a huff.
- Pop Culture Twist: Assign each person a reality TV character type, like “The Diva,” “The Overachiever,” or “The Drama Queen.” They have to stay in character until the next round.
5. The Most Likely To Game
- Setup: Sit together and prepare a list of “Most Likely To” scenarios (like “Most likely to sleep through an earthquake” or “Most likely to accidentally join a cult”). If you need inspiration, check online or brainstorm a few together!
- Gameplay: Players take turns reading a “Most Likely To” scenario, and on the count of three, each person points to the person they think is “most likely” to do that action.
- The Rule: The person with the most votes drinks. If there’s a tie, both players drink.
- Tiebreaker Challenge: In case of a tie, the tied players must perform a quick “act out” of the scenario. For example, if the question was “most likely to get lost in their hometown,” each tied player gives a one-sentence explanation why.
- Add-On Twist: After each round, the chosen person makes up a new “Most Likely To” prompt for the next player. This adds a personal touch and can lead to hilarious revelations!
6. Emoji Charades
- Setup: Write down common emojis (like “crying face,” “fire,” or “dancing person”) and a few emoji combos (like “party popper + balloon + wine glass”) on separate cards. Put them in a bowl. Each player picks a character or vibe (like a “grumpy boss” or “happy-go-lucky friend”) for their “texting style.”
- Gameplay: One player draws a card and has to act out the emoji(s) silently, while the others try to guess what it is.
- Expression Style: Players must stick to their chosen “texting character” while guessing (e.g., the grumpy boss might say, “I’m too old for this emoji nonsense”).
- Penalty Rule: If the actor breaks character or laughs while performing, they take a drink. If no one guesses the emoji within 20 seconds, everyone else takes a drink.
- Add-On Rule: If a player guesses an emoji combo exactly, they can make a rule for the next round, like “Everyone has to perform with dramatic background music.”
- Social Media Twist: Throw in a “like” rule—anytime someone says a word associated with social media (like “followers” or “selfie”), they drink.
7. Truth Bomb Roulette
- Setup: Write a bunch of “Truth Bomb” questions on slips of paper and place them in a bowl. These can be spicy, funny, or slightly embarrassing (like “What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on?” or “Who was your first celebrity crush?”). Place a shot glass in the center of the table.
- Gameplay: Players take turns drawing a question and choosing one of the other players to answer it. If the chosen player doesn’t want to answer, they take a drink from the shot glass.
- Truth Bomb Penalty: If a player refuses to answer twice in a row, they have to tell an embarrassing story or take a double shot.
- Twist Round: After a few rounds, introduce “Truth Dares,” where players can dare someone to perform a challenge (like dancing to a random song or doing a dramatic monologue).
- Bonus Fun: Add a “reverse question” rule, where if the person answering feels it’s too juicy to answer alone, they can make the person who asked it answer as well!
8. Drink If… (Personal Edition)
- Setup: This game works like a “Never Have I Ever” format, but it’s all about specific life experiences, quirks, or funny situations. Sit in a circle with drinks ready.
- Gameplay: Players take turns saying “Drink if…” followed by a specific statement (e.g., “Drink if you’ve ever fallen asleep in public” or “Drink if you have a hidden talent”).
- The Rule: Anyone who relates to the statement drinks. If all three relate, the person who made the statement drinks instead.
- Personal Twist: Each player can add “personal” statements based on what they know about each other, which adds inside jokes and keeps everyone on their toes.
- Wildcard Round: Every third round, use a “theme,” like childhood memories, travel experiences, or embarrassing moments. It gets funnier as everyone remembers more niche things about each other!
- Quickfire Challenge: Set a time limit on responses to keep things moving fast. Anyone who takes too long to think drinks.
9. Drunk Spelling Bee
- Setup: Gather a list of challenging or funny words (think “onomatopoeia,” “photosynthesis,” or “Szechuan”). Make it interesting with slang, foreign words, or long, complex words.
- Gameplay: Players take turns acting as the “Bee Master” who selects a word for the others to spell out loud, as if they’re in a serious spelling bee.
- Rules: The player spelling the word can ask for it in a sentence or to hear it pronounced, but they only get one shot to spell it. If they spell it wrong, they drink. If they get it right, the Bee Master drinks.
- Tipsy Twist: Each round, add funny new rules like “Spell it backward” or “Spell while covering your eyes.”
- Speed Round: After a few rounds, the Bee Master can introduce a 10-second timer, adding pressure and hilarious results as players rush to spell correctly.
- Pop Culture Bonus: Add pop culture terms and slang words (like “yeet” or “TikTok”) for a fun twist, especially if someone tries to use the word in a sentence!
10. GIF Guess Game
- Setup: Pull up a GIF library (like Giphy) on your phone or tablet. One person acts as the “GIF Master,” while the others prepare to guess.
- Gameplay: The GIF Master picks a random GIF, and the other two players take turns trying to guess what movie, meme, or emotion it represents. The catch? They can only guess using one-word descriptions (like “drama,” “confused,” “thriller”).
- Guess or Drink: If they guess wrong, they take a drink. If they guess correctly, the GIF Master drinks.
- Impression Round: If no one can guess the GIF within 20 seconds, the GIF Master has to act it out, and everyone drinks if they laugh at the performance.
- Rapid-Fire Round: Every so often, switch to a speed round where the GIF Master shows a new GIF every 5 seconds. Players have to shout out guesses as fast as they can, with incorrect guesses resulting in quick sips.
Top 10 Card Drinking Games for Three Players
1. Kings: The Celebrity Edition
Setup:
- Grab a Deck: Shuffle the deck and place it in the middle of the table.
- King’s Cup: Place an empty cup in the center as the “Mystery Cup.” Every time a King is drawn, a bit of everyone’s drink goes into it to create the “Mystery Drink.”
Gameplay:
- Draw a Card: Take turns drawing a card from the deck. The card you draw determines your quick action, so there’s no need to remember complicated rules.
- King’s Cup: If you draw a King, add a splash of your drink to the Mystery Cup. The unlucky person who draws the fourth King drinks the entire Mystery Cup concoction!
Easy Card Rules:
- Hearts: Blow a kiss to someone at the table. If you forget, take a sip.
- Diamonds: Strike a funny pose or freeze like a “mannequin” until your next turn. If you break your pose, take a sip.
- Clubs: Flex your “muscles” like a bodybuilder and say, “Too strong for this!” Forget to flex? Take a sip.
- Spades: Speak in a mysterious, “movie villain” voice. Break character? Take a sip.
Wild Twist Ideas:
- Theme Round: For an extra pop-culture twist, pick a theme for the voices and poses each round, like “Pirates” or “Superheroes.” For example, if it’s a pirate theme, everyone talks like a pirate and yells “Arrr!” when drawing a card.
- Laugh Rule: Anytime someone laughs during someone else’s action, they take a sip too!
2. Ride the Bus: Chaos Edition
Setup
Make a line of five cards in a row; this is your “bus route.” One player draws first, and everyone guesses if each card along the route will be higher or lower than the last.
Gameplay
Each time someone guesses wrong, the bus “hits a bump,” and everyone takes a drink. If you make it to the end of the bus route without guessing wrong, you get to assign a “detour challenge” (creative rules listed below).
New Rules
- Detour Challenges: The winner can pick a rule like:
- Reverse Drinking: Everyone drinks with their non-dominant hand.
- Spill and Sip: Whoever spills their drink has to share an embarrassing secret.
- Funny Hat Rule: The winner gets a silly hat; anyone who forgets to call them “Captain” drinks.
Chaos Twist
If you manage to “ride the bus” without mistakes, you’re in the driver’s seat—everyone else is your passenger and has to follow your made-up “bus driver” rules (e.g., everyone “drives” with imaginary steering wheels)!
3. Slapjack: Outrageous Reflexes
Setup
Deal the cards evenly among the three players. Set a “Penalty Drink Cup” in the middle, ready to receive some victims.
Gameplay
Each player flips a card face-up, one by one. The second a Jack appears, it’s an all-out slap fest—the last person to slap the pile has to drink from the Penalty Drink Cup (a mix of everyone’s drinks!).
New Rules
- Wild Cards: If an Ace comes up, everyone grabs the nearest object and “declares it their weapon” in a dramatic movie character voice.
- Penalty Rounds: Whenever someone slaps the wrong card, they take a penalty sip from the Cup.
Outrageous Twist
Turn each slap into a showdown! Channel your inner superhero or action star. If you don’t add sound effects, you take a sip. Trust me, the more dramatic, the better!
4. Flip Cup Royale
Setup
Each player grabs a cup, fills it with their drink of choice, and lines it up next to a stack of cards.
Gameplay
Flip your cup first, then try to “race” by flipping over a card. If you flip a face card, your opponents have to do a funny dance move for five seconds while you continue. Whoever finishes their stack of cards first wins.
New Rules
- Dance-Off: The first one to flip a face card starts a dance-off, and everyone has to copy their moves. The slowest one drinks.
- Mirror Rule: You can only flip cards or your cup if you’re mimicking someone else’s hand movements.
Royal Twist
Declare yourself “Flip Cup Royalty” if you win two rounds in a row. Royalty can give out random tasks like pretending to be a butler or singing a dramatic ballad. Each misstep by the “servants” earns them a drink.
5. Bullsh*t: No Holds Barred
Setup
Deal out the entire deck, and everyone keeps their cards face-down. Prepare your best poker face.
Gameplay
Players take turns placing cards face-down in the middle, calling out what they “are” (e.g., “two 3’s”). If anyone yells “Bullsh*t!” and they’re right, the player who placed the cards drinks. But if they’re wrong, they drink.
New Rules
- Eye Contact Rule: If you break eye contact while bluffing, you automatically drink.
- Lie Detector Round: The player to your left must ask a question before you play. Stammer or hesitate, and they can call Bullsh*t right away.
No Holds Twist
Every time you’re caught in a lie, you have to invent a “fake secret” about yourself—each round gets weirder. Whoever has the most outlandish fake secrets wins extra points (and immunity for one round)!
6. Card Shark Duel
Setup
Deal each player a hand of 5 cards, and place the remaining deck face-down in the center as the “Shark Pool.” This game is all about bluffing and strategy, so get ready to outwit your friends!
Gameplay
Each round, players choose a card to play face-down, bluffing about its value (e.g., “I’m playing a King!”). The other players can choose to “Swim” (ignore it) or “Chomp” (challenge the play). If they “Chomp” and the card is as declared, the challenger drinks. If it’s a bluff, the player who bluffed drinks.
New Rules
- Shark Bite: If you get caught in a bluff, you have to pick a card from the Shark Pool and complete the challenge written on it (e.g., take two sips, swap seats, or sing a sea shanty).
- Jaws Card: If you play a Jack, it’s a “Jaws” card—everyone has to “swim” by tapping the table, last one to tap takes a sip.
Duel Twist
If you win three rounds in a row, you’re declared “The Shark King/Queen” and get to create a “shark rule” for the next rounds (like making opponents “speak like a pirate” until the next win).
7. Pyramid of Power
Setup
Lay out the cards in a pyramid, and hand each player four cards.
Gameplay
Everyone takes turns flipping cards from the pyramid. If their card matches, they assign a drink. At the end, the pyramid collapses, and the player with the least matches drinks from the “Bottoms-Up Bowl” (a mix of everyone’s drinks!).
New Rules
- Kings of the Pyramid: If you match a King, you rule the next round and assign roles like “Drink Guard” or “Court Jester” (silly tasks).
- Pyramid Collapse: When the pyramid is over, whoever is left standing must make a toast in an accent!
Power Twist
Declare a “Pyramid Master” who creates extra penalties for those who didn’t match enough cards. They can make up “royal decrees” for each player that must be followed.
8. High or Low: Freaky Fortune Teller
Setup
Place a deck in the center. The player draws a card and guesses if the next will be higher or lower. If they’re wrong, they drink!
Gameplay
Add a twist—if you draw an Ace, you must make a “psychic prediction” about one of the other players. If the prediction comes true by the end, that player drinks double.
New Rules
- Psychic Rounds: Every third round, the guesser must act as a “fortune teller” with a prop (e.g., a hat or fake crystal ball).
Freaky Twist
If a player correctly predicts three times in a row, they’re dubbed “The Mystic” and can make wild predictions that the others have to follow if they come true.
9. Speed: The Wild Card Race
Setup
Deal an equal number of cards to each player.
Gameplay
Everyone flips their top card to find a match with someone else. The slowest player to find a match takes a sip, and the winner gets a free “Skip Card” to avoid drinking later.
New Rules
- Ultimate Speedster: The fastest player gets to assign a wild new rule for the next round.
- Slowpoke Round: If you’re the last to play three times in a row, you have to speak in rhymes or drink.
Race Twist
Declare yourself “Speed Racer” and wear a goofy pair of “racing glasses” (even if they’re imaginary). The others must “cheer” you on whenever you play!
10. Battle Royale
Setup
Deal each player an equal number of cards. Create a “Battle Zone” (a spot in the middle of the table). Each player chooses a “Champion Card” to represent them in each round—this could be any card they think will win the battle.
Gameplay
Players reveal their Champion Cards in the Battle Zone. The player with the highest card wins the round, and the losers take a sip. If there’s a tie, it’s an “Epic Showdown,” and everyone has to draw a new card from their deck. Losers of the Showdown take double sips.
New Rules
- Battle Mode: If anyone draws a King, they’re crowned “The Royal,” and the others have to address them as “Your Majesty.” Fail to do so? You drink!
- Joker Rule: Include two jokers in the deck. Drawing one means you skip drinking but also get to assign a “Royal Order” (e.g., make someone speak in an accent until the next round).
Epic Twist
Once a player wins three rounds in a row, they earn the title of “Battle King/Queen” and can add new “battle moves” each round—like forcing the others to draw with their eyes closed or drink every time they lose a round.
Wrapping Up: Must-Try Wild 3-Player Drinking Games
Whether you’re channeling your inner celebrity, dodging “Truth Bombs,” or defending your honor as the “Battle King/Queen,” these 3-person drinking games are sure to bring plenty of laughs, rivalries, and unforgettable moments to any night in. With both card-free and card-based options, you can easily adapt these games to suit your style and keep everyone engaged. So grab a drink, pick a game, and let the good times roll—cheers to a legendary night!