Card games are always a solid choice when it comes to having downtime or spending quality time with friends. With hundreds of games to choose from, the possibilities are endless, with many card games becoming beloved drinking competitions as college students play. Whether you are hosting a pregame or a game night with friends, you can instantly elevate the vibes with a good ole- 52-deck.
Have a deck of cards handy? Check out Game Farm’s best card games for college students to take your game night to the next level.
Best Drinking Card Games for College Students
King’s Cup
The go-to card game for those looking to pregame is King’s Cup, infamous for its unpredictability and customization. Also known as “Ring of Fire” or “Circle of Death,” the game is played with a deck of cards, all representing unique actions and silly tasks. Each draw corresponds to a King’s Cup rule, from chugging your drink to performing challenges.
Ride the Bus
Ride the Bus is the perfect card game to get the party going, and it can be played as a drinking game or not, depending on the group’s preferences. Players will use a deck of cards to participate in three rounds: Card Dealing, Pyramid Building, and, for the unlucky loser of the game — a third and final round of Ride the Bus. This is a game of luck, joyful drinking, and, more than anything, lots of competition. Another fun variation of this game is Irish Poker.
Horse Race
If you and your friends feel like drinking like you’re at the Kentucky Derby, Horse Race is the perfect choice. Much like a real race, each player will place bets on which suit they think will win the “horse race.” Instead of betting with cash, players test their confidence by betting with drinks. “Horses” then advance as a designated “race announcer” flips cards at random until one of the suits is called eight times. The player that bets on the suit that is pulled eight times and advances their horse to the finish line first wins.
Best Social Card Games for College Students
Cards Against Humanity
OK, this game might be outside the realm of a 52-deck, but Cards Against Humanity is a classic. The infamous card game, for adults, is a cocktail of dark humor, raucous wordplay, and shocking answers. Players compete to create the funniest answer to a question card using their hands of eccentric answer cards. Which of your friends is the wittiest of all? Cards Against Humanity always sniffs them out.
Mafia
Who’s a notorious member of a criminal organization? Mafia is a card game that can double as a creative drinking game if the group wishes. The premise of the game is simple: based on the card you are dealt, you’ll try to “kill” all the other players or catch the murderer – drink up each time a person is “murdered.” Who will survive the night?
Snap
Snap is a high-energy game perfect for groups of competitive players. After dealing the entire deck, going clockwise, players take turns placing one of their cards face-up in the middle to form a pile. The next player then places their card on top of the pile, and so on. A “Snap” occurs when two cards on top match in rank, for example, two 5s or two Queens. The first player to yell “Snap” correctly can take both cards and add them to their own stack of cards. If a player shouts “Snap” and is mistaken, they must give one card from their own stack to the person who last played before them. Whoever collects the entire deck of cards wins!
Best Card Games for Large Groups
Bullsh-t (B.S.)
B.S. can be played with groups of up to 8 players and is a great way to sniff out the best actor and actress from the friend group. The goal of B.S. is simple — run out of cards before the competition and avoid being caught lying. Begin by dealing the entire deck to the players, Each player must place cards down in ascending order whether or not they hold the value they need on their turn. If they don’t have the correct number in the sequence, they can lie. But if other players suspect this was a deception, they can always shout, “Bullsh-t!” If they suspect correctly, the liar must pick up all the cards in the pile. Whoever gets rid of all of their cards first, wins!
Spoons
Perfect for large groups of players, Spoons is an easy and energizing card game suitable for all ages. The goal of Spoons is to get four of a kind in your hand. Once you do, grab a spoon from the middle (there will always be one less spoon for the number of players). As soon they grab one, the rest of the table may scramble to grab theirs. One person will be left out and earn a letter. Once you spell out S-P-O-O-N, you are eliminated from the game. The last player standing is the victor!
Screw Your Neighbor
Screw Your Neighbor is a classic card game perfect for competitive players looking to get revenge for a previous game. Each round, the person with the lowest card loses a token, which is donated to a community pot that the winner will claim. Before starting the game, you will need to determine how many tokens each player will play with. The standard is three tokens per player. Screw Your Neighbor is won by becoming the last remaining player with tokens. Check out the full Screw Your Neighbor gameplay, here!
