How to Play Pizza Box

Setup

Objective

Pizza Box, also commonly called “Shapes,”  is a challenge-based drinking game that makes kicking back and relaxing with friends more entertaining.

Pizza Box is a popular pregame activity that allows players to have a few drinks, play games, and flex their artistic skills, all within one game.

Pizza Box can involve as little or as much drinking as players like- making it a solid go-to game for parties or groups about to head out for the night.

Gameplay

Step One: Place the pizza box on the table so that all players can reach and see the board. Choose a player to go first, usually the oldest or youngest of the group. The first player will take the coin and flip the coin onto the pizza box. For the first round, if the player’s coin misses the box, the player will need to re-do the throw. 

Step Two: Going counter-clockwise, each player will flip the coin. Once every player has tossed the coin onto the board, they will draw a shape around the coin and write their name in the center. (Ex: After the first round with 5 players, the board will have five shapes for each player). If a player lands on one of these named shapes, the player must drink.

Step Three: Once the first round has been completed, the first player will go again, and so on. Two possible outcomes will occur once players flip the coin:

1. The coin will land on an unclaimed space on the board: This prompts a new shape to be drawn and a new rule added. Players can draw whatever shape they like, but make sure there is space to write a rule inside. 
2. The flipped coin will land on an occupied shape: If it lands on someone’s designated shape from the first round, that player must drink. If it lands on an existing shape, the player must perform the task or rule indicated inside the shape.

Step Four: Each turn will consist of flipping the coin and either performing the rule inside a shape or drawing a new shape and creating a new rule. For the following rounds, players will need to drink, perform tasks, or accept dares based on whatever shape their coin lands on. Whenever a player lands on a shape, they must perform the rule indicated inside the shape. 

As the game proceeds, the pizza box will become crowded with various shapes and challenges, dares, and drinking prompts. At this point, everyone will be forced to complete the tasks, making for an engaging and interactive drinking game perfect for small groups or large social gatherings.

Endgame

As the perfect pregame, Pizza Box typically ends once the pizza box or cardboard has been completely covered with shapes. Players can continue to take turns as much as they like, but the game usually ends once everyone has had enough drinks.

Examples of Pizza Box Rules

The best part about playing Pizza Box is that every game is unique.

Any rule or shape you can imagine is fair game, leading to infinite game possibilities. Popular rules or tasks players will write inside shapes include but are certainly not limited to:

• Finish your drink
• Take a shot
• Give a toast about another player
• Shotgun a beer
• Do a viral dance move
• Attempt X amount of pushups
• Play a round of Truth or Dare
• Sing a song of your choice
• Challenge a player to a Thumb War
• Demonstrate your best party trick
• Switch an article of clothing with another player

Pizza Box Tips & Strategy

• Pay attention to shape size: It might be tempting to draw a massive shape to guarantee players are more likely to land on that prompt, but it’s also a surefire way to end the game quicker. 
• Variety: Encourage a mix of drinking and non-drinking rules to help keep players engaged.
• Get creative: Feel free to customize the game to your friend group. Don’t hold back on inside jokes!

FAQs

What happens if someone flips the quarter and it misses the board?

A common house rule in Pizza Box is that players who fail to flip the coin onto the board are penalized by taking a drink of their beverage. 

What shapes can be drawn?

Pizza Box is all about getting creative when brainstorming rules and shapes are similar. Anything players feel comfortable drawing is fair game! Not everyone is an artist, but that’s part of the fun of Pizza Box. Common shapes drawn include circles, squares, hearts, clouds, stars, random blobs, and so on. Players can be as detailed or as simplistic as they’d like when drawing a shape, just make sure to leave enough space inside for a rule.

What happens if the coin is barely inside a shape?

It’s all or nothing in the game of Pizza Box. If any part of the coin lands on a shape, the rule must be obeyed. Even if the coin is barely inside a shape, the player must proceed.

Disclaimer

The Game Farm does not encourage or promote alcohol consumption of any kind. We do not take responsibility for any injuries, damages, or other consequences that may arise from the consumption of alcohol while playing our games.

It is the responsibility of each individual player to drink responsibly and know their limits. We recommend that players drink plenty of water and take breaks throughout the night to avoid becoming intoxicated.

If you are underage, please do not drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol underage is illegal and can have serious health consequences.

We hope you have fun playing our drinking games responsibly!