Ever since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have started to get accustomed to a new normal. This new normal mostly involves staying indoors unless it is necessary. Our social lives have been reduced to video calls, phone calls, and texting. Owing to the restrictions on movement and social gathering, it is impossible to go out for a drink with your friends.
However, instead of getting depressed about it and feeling gloomy, people have been coming up with innovative ideas and solutions to beat the cabin fever. They are taking the aid of various video conferencing apps and tools to make up for the lack of physical interaction. Zoom is one such popular app. It has allowed people from all around the world to get together. Be it for work or just casual hangouts; Zoom has made the lockdown somewhat bearable.
This article is not about Zoom or how it is changing the dynamics of the professional world; this article is about fun. As mentioned earlier, people are seriously missing hanging out with their squad at the local pub. Since there is no clear idea when it will be possible again, people are looking for alternatives. That is exactly what we are going to talk about in this article. We are going to list down several drinking games that you can enjoy with your friends and colleagues over a Zoom call. So, without any further ado, let’s get pouring.
15 Best Drinking Games for Zoom
1. Water
This a simple and fun game to play with your friends. All that you need is two shot glasses, one filled with water and the other with any clear alcohol like vodka, gin, tonic, tequila, etc. Now when your turn comes, you need to pick a glass (either water or alcohol) and drink it. Then you need to say “water” or “not water”, and other players will have to guess if you are telling the truth. If they can catch your bluff, then you have to drink another shot. However, if someone falsely called out your bluff, then they need to drink a shot. The famous HBO show Run inspires this game. You can see characters Bill and Ruby play this game on the second episode of the show.
Contents
- 15 Best Drinking Games for Zoom
- Water
- Most Likely Too
- Never Have I Ever
- Two Truths and One Lie
- Drinking Watch Party
- Pictionary
- UNO
- Drunk Pirate
- Words with Friends
- Around the World
- Evil Apples
- Heads Up
- Red or Black
- Truth or Shots
- Power Hour
2. Most Likely Too
Every group has a person who is more likely to do something than others. This is game is all about deciding that. It is a fun way to find out what people think about each other. Apart from being a drinking game, it strengthens the bond between friends and colleagues.
The rules of the game are simple; you need to ask a question that involves a hypothetical situation like, “who is most likely to get arrested?” Now others will have to choose someone from the group who they think is most likely to be a fitting match. Everyone casts their votes, and the one with the highest number of votes has to drink.
To prepare for this game, you need to jot down some interesting scenarios and questions that you can ask during the game. If you are feeling lazy, you can always take the help of the internet, and you will find a lot of “most like to…” questions at your disposal. This game can be easily played on a Zoom call, and it is a fun way to spend the evening.
3. Never Have I Ever
This is a classic drinking game that we think most of you are familiar with. Fortunately, it can be played just as conveniently on a Zoom call. For those who haven’t played the game ever, here are the rules. You can start randomly and say anything that you have never done. For example, you can say “never have I ever been suspended from school”. Now others will have to drink if they have done this.
It would be best to start with simple questions and situations that will compel most people to drink. This is because the game starts getting fun and spicy only when people get a little tipsy. It is only then the best secrets are divulged, and that makes the game super fun. This game is perfect means to share embarrassing and risqué details about your life. By sharing them with your friends, you are building a strong bond among each other.
4. Two Truths and One Lie
The next game suggestion is a fun way to get your friends to drinking. It all depends on how good you are at making up facts. As the name suggests, you need to speak three sentences about yourself, two of them have to be true and the other one a lie. Others have to guess which one is the lie and lock in their answers. Later, when you disclose which statement was actually a lie, all those who guessed wrong will have to lie.
5. Drinking Watch Party
Setting up a drinking watch party is simple and enjoyable. It is basically watching the same movie or show while being connected on a Zoom call. You can ask all your friends to download the same movie and start watching at the same time. If all your friends have Netflix, then you can use the in-app features to host a watch party.
Netflix will generate a URL that you can share with your friends, and they will be able to join your party. This will ensure that the movie is in exact sync on all devices. While you are watching the movie, stay connected on a Zoom call to discuss and comment.
Now, for the drinking part, you can get as creative as possible. For example, you can drink every time someone says “hello” or there is a kissing scene in the movie. Depending on what you are watching, you can set conditions when everyone has to drink. If you are lucky enough, you will get tipsy real soon.
6. Pictionary
Pictionary is one of the best drinking games for Zoom. It is a classic party game that can be easily converted into a drinking game by adding shots to the stake. Since you are all connected on a Zoom call, you can either use a physical pen and paper or use the screen sharing feature while you draw on “Paint”.
The rules of the game are simple; you take to draw something, and others will have to guess what it is. It could be an object, a theme, a movie, etc. If others are not able to accurately guess what you are drawing, then you need to drink. If you want you can use a random word generator from the internet so that the game is completely unbiased.
7. UNO
This classic card game is an all-time favourite to play with friends and family. Although it is originally meant to be played with a physical deck of cards, there is an official UNO app that allows you to enjoy the game remotely. This is exactly what we are going to do while staying connected on a Zoom call.
If you are not familiar with the games, then here is a little summary for you. The deck contains cards of four colours having numbers one to nine. In addition to that, there are special power cards like skip, reverse, draw 2, draw 4, etc. You can also add a few custom cards to make the game more interesting. The objective of the game is to get rid of your cards as soon as possible. You can go over to the official website for more detailed rules.
Now it depends on you how you would like to add the drinking element in this game. It could be when someone is hit by a power card like skip or draw 4, he/she has to take a drink. Also, the last person to end the game, i.e. the loser has to chug his entire drink. As mentioned earlier, you can add custom cards and rules of your own which includes drinking tasks if any player is hit by it.
8. Drunk Pirate
Drunk Pirate is a simple drinking game that can be played over a Zoom call. All that you need to do is go to the official website of Drunk pirate and share your screen with others. Here, you can enter the names of the players, and it will create a game for your group.
The website will automictically generate funny instructions like “Player wearing a blue shirt has to drink” or “Everyone sitting on a wooden chair has to drink”. Now since the game was originally designed for a group of people in the same room, some instructions might be difficult to follow, e.g. “girls and boys swap seats”. Feel free to skip these rounds, and you will have a decent and fun online drinking game for Zoom.
9. Words with Friends
This is basically an online version of Scrabble. If your gang loves word-making games, then it is high time to convert this classic into a drinking game. Make sure that everyone downloads the app on their phone and joins the lobby. Stay on Zoom call to chat, laugh, and of course, drink.
The rules of the game are similar to standard scrabble. You have to form words on the board, and you will be awarded based on how good your word is or if it is strategically placed in special sections of the board that grants you bonus points. The player with the least number of points after every round has to drink. Therefore, you better up your word game, or else you get drunk pretty soon.
10. Around the World
Around the world is a regular card game that relies on luck and your guessing skills. It has a dealer that draws four random cards from the deck and the player have to guess the nature of these cards.
For the first card, you need to guess its colour, i.e. whether it is black or red. For the second card, the dealer calls out a number, and you have to decide whether the card has a higher or lower value. When it comes to the third card, the dealer specifies a range, and you need to guess if it is within that range or not. For the last card, you need to decide the suite, i.e. Diamonds, spade, hearts, or club.
If at any point someone makes a wrong guess, then they will have to drink. To play this game on Zoom, the dealer needs to place the camera in a way that the cards are properly visible. He can position the camera to focus on the table-top, and in this way, everyone on the Zoom call will be able to see the cards that have been laid out.
11. Evil Apples
This is the app version of the popular game “Cards Against Humanity”. The game encourages you to make the most hilariously evil statements that are bound to upset all humanity. It is a perfect game for Zoom calls and group hangouts, especially if your gang has a nefarious sense of humour and a knack for dank and dark comedy.
The rules of the game are simple; every player gets a set of cards that contain hilarious, evil, and inhumane replies. Every round, you will be prompted with a situation, and your objective is to create the most hilarious and dank reply by playing the right card. Once everyone has played their cards, the judge decides whose answer is the most hilarious and he/she wins the round. The judge is selected on a rotation basis, and this way, everyone gets to be the judge in some round or the other. The player who wins a particular round gets to drink.
12. Heads Up
Heads Up are, to some extent, similar to Charades. You hold up a card against your forehead so that everyone apart from you can see the word. Others will then try to help you guess it by doing different kinds of actions without speaking. If you are unable to guess the word within the given period, then you will have to drink.
If you are playing it over Zoom, then you need to make some special arrangements to make sure that you are not able to see your own video. There are options to turn off your own screen. Do this when it is your turn to pick a card. Or you can also use an app for the same purpose. Click here to download the app on your phone.
13. Red or Black
If your main objective is to get drunk fast, then it is the game for you. All you need is a deck of cards, and one person randomly picks a card. If it is Red, then the guys have to drink. If it is black, then the girls must drink.
A drinking game can’t get any simpler. Thus, if you are too eager to get started with those tipsy conversations, then this game will make sure that you can get started in no time. You can use apps to pick cards for you if you do not want to do it physically. To make the game last a little bit longer, you can tweak the rules a little. For example, guys drink only when it is a black diamond and girls drink when it is a red heart.
14. Truth or Shots
This is a fun little drinking rendition of the classic Truth or dare. The rules are pretty simple, you go around the room asking embarrassing questions or challenging them to do something stupid, and if they are not willing to do so, they will have to drink instead.
It is a fun way to get your friends to divulge secrets or to pull pranks on them. The only way to avoid it is by getting drunk. So, make your choices wisely, or else who will end up getting tipsy very soon.
15. Power Hour
Power hour is ideal for people to love listening to songs and talking about them. The rules of the game are simple; you need to play a song for one minute and drink at the end of it. You can select any song at random or select a particular theme like the “hit songs from the 90s”.
Ideally, the game lasts for an hour where players are supposed to drink after every one minute. This makes it a hardcore drinking game suited only for the seasoned and experienced drinkers. However, to make things easier, you can choose to play full songs for three to four minutes and then drink after that. It is a fun way to share your taste in music with your friends over a Zoom call and have a hearty and tipsy conversation about music.
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We hope that you find this information helpful and you found the best drinking games for Zoom. We are all desperately craving to get our social lives back. This pandemic has made us realize the value of human touch and companionship. Now we will definitely think twice before getting a raincheck on that after-work drinks plan, however, until all those fun nights are back again. We can and will have to make do with whatever alternatives we have. We would encourage you to try as many different drinking games as possible and make every Zoom call extremely fun.
