Setup
Players
- Unlimited (though 10-15 is usually the best size group to play with)
Materials
- A large table for everyone to stand around
- Two ping pong balls
- A large number of cups (2-3 per person)
- A drink to fill the cups with
Setup
- Place the cups together in a circle on the table and filled to an even level except for one in the very center that is completely filled. The rims of the cups should be touching one another.
Objective
Bounce the ping pong ball in your cup before you get stacked. You want to avoid drinking the full center cup while making the stack taller and taller!
Gameplay
Once you’ve set up the cups on the table and gathered everyone who is going to play, pick two people to start that are standing across the table from each other. You can always pick one person (youngest, oldest…) and the person at the other end of the table. When the game begins, they will both take a cup from the table, cheers, then drink it. They then place the empty cup on the table and try to bounce a ping pong ball into it.
Once they make it, they pass the cup to their left and the next person will attempt to bounce the ball in as well. The cups will make their way around the table as people race to make their cups. If the person to your left is also trying to bounce their ball into their cup when you make it, you stack your cup into theirs making the tower taller. The tower is then passed to the next person as the player who was “stacked” takes a new cup from the table, drinks it, and begins again. As this continues, one player will have a taller tower to try and bounce their ball into while the other usually only has one cup.
If a player makes their ball in the cup on their first try, they can pass the cup to anyone at the table, not just the person to their left. At any point, if someone trying to bounce a ball into a cup misses and the ball lands in one of the filled cups on the table, they drink it and add it to their stack (watch out for the center!). The game ends when the cups on the table are all taken away and the “loser” is whomever has to drink the final cup. If everyone else is lucky, it will be the one filled to the brim!
Endgame
Once all the cups have been drank, the game is over. Try not to be the last person stacked!
Stack Cup Variations and Alternate Rules
Slap Cup: Boom Cup and Rage Cage are just different names for Stack cup, but Slap Cup uses different rules too. Instead of stacking your cup into your neighbors when you make your ball before them, you slap the cup in front of them off the table. They still take a new cup and play passes to their left, but the height of the tower doesn’t change. Instead, you play with two single cups that are passed around as normal. The game still ends when all the cups have been consumed, but it is now a complete race to avoid last place and the fullest cup.
Stack Cup Tips & Strategy
- Keep the cup close to you so that your stray bounces don’t land in other cups
- Be ready to catch your ball if you miss the cup! Speed and accuracy are key in stack cup, don’t lose time chasing a ping pong ball and avoid adding to your stack by letting it bounce into another cup.
- If you make it on your first try, give the cup to the person behind the player with the other cup, you’re more likely to get a stack
- When players who make their first attempts consistently pass their cup to a player who does not make the ball as quickly, they can be trapped in a cycle of getting stacked then having to drink a new cup, the namesake “rage cage” which can be hard to escape! The best way to break free is to pass the cup as far away from you as possible if you make your ball on the first try.
FAQs
If I make the ball on my first try, can I stack the other cup?
No, you can stack it if the other cup is to your left, but otherwise you have to pass it to a player that doesn’t have a cup in front of them.
Is there a dry version of this game?
Sure! Water or any other soft drink works great, but the game is just as fun with empty cups! Empty cups also work great if you want to avoid reusing communal cups.
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!
