The Complete Guide to Buying Adult Drinking Games (2026)

What Are Adult Drinking Games?

Adult drinking games are party games and drinking novelties made strictly for grown-ups — card and prop games where drinks are the stakes, plus the cheeky cups, shot glasses, flasks and bottle openers that dress the night to match. They exist for one job: getting a room of adults laughing fast.

The category splits into two camps: games (card decks, scratcher cards and physical party games that run the entertainment) and drinking novelties (cups, shot glasses and bar props that carry the joke without needing rules). Most great party kits mix both — have a look through the full drinking themed range to see the two camps side by side.

Are Adult Drinking Games Right for Your Night?

If you're hosting anything with adults, drinks and a need for momentum — yes. A drinking game is the cheapest entertainment upgrade a party can buy: it hands every guest something to do, something to hold and something to laugh at within the first ten minutes.

They earn their keep three ways. At bucks and hens nights they're practically mandatory — the game is the itinerary. At house parties and birthdays they break the ice between friend groups who've never met. And as gifts, a naughty cup or novelty bottle opener is the Secret Santa that actually gets used.

Straight talk on the trade-offs: prop games are one-party wonders more than weekly fixtures, and the humour is proudly low-brow — that's the point. Pick your spice level for the crowd you've actually invited, and nobody has to drink alcohol to play: soft drink works exactly the same.

Types of Adult Drinking Games: Which One Suits Your Party?

There are four main types — party games, naughty cups, shot glasses and glassware, and flasks and bar props — and the right one comes down to whether you want the entertainment or the accessories. Rule of thumb: games run the night, novelties dress it.

Party drinking games

The engine of the category. Card decks, scratchers and physical games where drinks are the currency — from the read-and-drink simplicity of Drink If… Totally F*cked Up Version to full-table productions like the Beer Boobs Drinking Game. Pick these when you're responsible for the entertainment.

Naughty party cups

Novelty cups with attitude — metallic pineapples, cactuses and skulls that make the whole table look like it dressed up. The Pineapple Disco Cup is the poster child: mirror-finish, party-proof and $10 on promotion. Grab several; matching cups are half the joke.

Shot glasses & glassware

The toast-round upgrade. Cheeky shapes that get a laugh on every pour — the Super Fun Penis Shot Glasses two-pack is the hens-party staple that also moonlights as a gag gift. Small, giftable, endlessly reusable.

Flasks & bar props

The accessories with a punchline. Concealable novelty flasks like Booze Implants smuggle the supply in; rude bottle openers live in the kitchen drawer telling the same joke for a decade. Lowest cost, longest service life in the category.

How to Choose the Right Drinking Game

Choose on four points: crowd size, occasion, spice level and budget. Get the first two right and the game basically picks itself.

Match the crowd size

Physical games like the Swinging Dicks Ring Toss need a proper audience — six or more, ideally with hecklers. Card games and scratchers scale from a quiet four to a packed house. Buying for a big night? Take one of each and let the room decide.

Match the occasion

Bucks night wants the loud centrepiece; hens night wants the photogenic chaos of ring toss and penis shot glasses; a house party wants low-effort fuel like Boozy Bingo scratchers you can hand out at the door. Gag gifts come from the cups-and-props shelf.

Check the spice level

The category runs from mild (bingo cards, novelty cups) through cheeky (shot glasses, flasks) to full throttle (dare-heavy games and anatomical props). Match it to the most easily-shocked person invited, not the least — the game should loosen the room, not clear it.

Budget

The whole category is friendly: cups from $9–$10 on promotion, gag props under $20, card games $25–$36, and the big-night showpieces at $63–$76. A complete party kit — game, cups, shot glasses — lands around $70 all-in.

Materials & Quality: What to Look For

Most of the category is sturdy moulded plastic — cups and shot glasses built to survive a party, not single-use throwaways — with card games printed on decent coated stock that handles spilled beer better than you'd think.

Buying rules: metallic and glow finishes should be printed or moulded in, not stickers; card decks should come boxed so they survive the trip to the next party; and anything that holds a drink should feel solid in the hand. That's the whole checklist.

How to Run a Great Games Night

Start the game early, keep the rules to one sentence, and let players sub in soft drink whenever they like — that's 90% of hosting a drinking game well.

Open with something zero-effort — scratcher cards or a read-aloud deck — while people arrive, then bring out the centrepiece game once the room is warm. Matching cups and shot glasses do quiet work here too: when everyone's holding the same ridiculous pineapple, the party has a uniform.

Pace beats pace-setting: water rounds between games, food within reach, and nobody ever has to drink — the forfeit can be a dare, a confession or a soft drink. The game is the entertainment; the drinks are just the scoring system.

Care, Cleaning & Storage

Hand-wash cups and shot glasses in warm soapy water, dry the card decks that copped a splash, and box everything together as a party kit — that's the entire routine.

• Skip the dishwasher for metallic and printed finishes — hand-washing keeps the shine and the artwork intact.
• Rubber-band opened card decks back into their box; a deck with missing cards is a game with missing laughs.
• Store the whole kit in one tub, ready for the next party.

Our Top 7 Adult Drinking Games & Party Novelties for 2026

The seven picks we rate most highly this year — ranked, in stock and priced in Australian dollars, chosen on laughs-per-dollar, group appeal and build quality.

Still weighing it up? Browse the full range of drinking games and novelties — new picks land ahead of every party season.

Adult Drinking Games FAQ