A pool party without games is just a group of adults standing in water making small talk. Add a competitive drinking game and suddenly everyone is engaged, laughing, and having the kind of fun that makes people ask “when’s the next one?”
These 10 pool drinking games are designed to work in and around the water. Some require basic equipment. Others need nothing but cups and people. All of them turn an ordinary pool hangout into something memorable.
Important safety note: Alcohol and water are a dangerous combination when taken to extremes. Drink responsibly, never swim alone while intoxicated, stay in shallow water, and designate a sober watcher. These games are meant to be fun — not reckless.
The Games
1. Floating Beer Pong
What you need: Floating beer pong table (or two rafts), cups, ping pong balls, drinks
The classic party game, adapted for the pool. Set up a floating beer pong table with 10 cups on each side in triangle formation. Players stand in the water or sit on floats and throw ping pong balls across the table.
The twist: the table drifts. Wind, waves from people moving in the pool, and the balls themselves push the table around. This turns a game of skill into a game of skill plus adaptation. Some groups anchor the table with a light string to keep it in range.
House rules that work well: Re-racks at 6 and 3 cups. Bounce shots count as 2 cups (but can be swatted away). Island rule — if a cup is separated from the others, call it out for a bonus cup.
2. Tipsy Volleyball
What you need: Volleyball net and ball, drinks on the pool deck
Play water volleyball with a twist: the losing team of each rally drinks. Play rally scoring to 11 or 15, depending on how long you want the game to last and how much you want people to drink.
Variation: Instead of the losing team drinking after each rally, use milestone drinking — losing team drinks at every 5-point interval (0-5, 5-10, etc.). This keeps the drinking moderate while maintaining the competitive edge.
3. Waterfall Relay
What you need: Cups, drinks
Two teams line up in the pool along opposite walls. On “go,” the first person in line chugs their drink and holds their empty cup upside down over their head. Only then can the next person start drinking. It continues down the line like a waterfall.
First team to finish wins. Losers do a penalty — cannon ball, belly flop, or a bonus drink. This game moves fast and gets very loud.
4. Drink or Dive
What you need: Drinks, a brave attitude
One person calls out a “truth or dare” style challenge. The target person chooses: do the challenge or take a drink. Challenges should be pool-appropriate — underwater handstand, belly flop from the deck, hold your breath for 30 seconds, do a lap underwater.
This game is self-regulating. People who do not want to drink much just do the challenges. People who do not want to do challenges just drink. Everyone participates at their comfort level.
5. Pool Pong Shootout
What you need: Pool basketball hoop, cups, drinks
Set cups on the pool deck around the basketball hoop. Each cup is assigned a point value (1, 2, or 3). Players take turns shooting a ball at the hoop. If you make a basket, the other team drinks the cup with the matching point value. If you miss, you drink.
Variation: Play HORSE rules — if one person makes a shot, the next person must match it. Miss and you take a drink plus earn a letter.
6. Kings in the Pool
What you need: Waterproof playing cards (or regular cards you don’t mind ruining), drinks
Spread cards face-down on a pool float or on the pool deck edge. Players take turns drawing cards. Each card triggers a rule:
- Ace: Waterfall (everyone starts drinking, can’t stop until the person before you stops)
- 2: You (pick someone to drink)
- 3: Me (you drink)
- 4: Floor (last person to touch the pool floor drinks)
- 5: Dive (everyone goes underwater, last one up drinks)
- 6: Chicks (ladies drink)
- 7: Heaven (last hand in the air drinks)
- 8: Mate (pick a partner, they drink whenever you do)
- 9: Rhyme (say a word, go around rhyming, first person who can’t drinks)
- 10: Categories (name a category, go around listing items, first to repeat or blank drinks)
- Jack: Make a rule
- Queen: Question master (if you answer a question from the Queen holder, you drink)
- King: Pour into the center cup. Fourth King drawn drinks the center cup.
7. Cannonball Contest
What you need: Drinks, a pool with enough depth for jumping
Take turns doing cannonballs off the pool edge or diving board. After each round, everyone votes on the best splash. Last place drinks. Continue until everyone has gone multiple times or the neighbors call to complain.
Variation: Add style requirements — biggest splash, smallest splash, most creative entry, best belly flop. Different categories, different losers, different drinkers.
8. Float Race
What you need: Pool floats or noodles, drinks
Players race across the pool on a float or pool noodle. No hands in the water — paddle only with your feet. Last person to the other side drinks. First person gets to assign a drink to someone else.
The struggle of balancing on a float while kicking provides its own entertainment, especially as drinks accumulate.
9. Flip Cup Poolside
What you need: Plastic cups, drinks, pool deck
Line two teams up along the pool deck edge. Standard flip cup rules: drink your cup, place it on the edge upside down, and flip it right-side up by flicking the bottom. Next player goes when the cup lands.
The pool twist: the losing team jumps in the pool. Or, play it on the pool deck and anyone who drops their cup in the water has to retrieve it before continuing — a time penalty that usually costs the game.
10. Sharks and Minnows (Drinking Edition)
What you need: Drinks on the pool deck
Classic Sharks and Minnows with a twist. When a minnow gets tagged, they take a drink before joining the sharks. Last minnow standing gets to assign drinks to everyone else. The shark who tags the most minnows gets a free pass on the next round.
Safety Rules for Pool Drinking Games
This section is not optional. Follow these rules:
- Designate a sober watcher. Someone needs to be paying attention to the pool at all times.
- Stay in shallow water. Keep all drinking games in water where everyone can stand comfortably.
- No diving while drinking. Alcohol impairs coordination and judgment. Keep it to walking and swimming in the shallow end.
- Know your limits. These games are meant to be social, not a chugging contest. Pace yourself.
- Provide water and food. Keep snacks and non-alcoholic drinks available. Dehydration plus alcohol plus sun is a bad combination.
- Use plastic containers only. No glass near the pool. Ever.
For more pool game ideas (without the drinking), check out our guides on best pool games for adults and 12 swimming pool games everyone should know.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best pool drinking game for a small group?
Drink or Dive works great with 3 to 5 people. It requires no equipment and the pace adjusts naturally to the group size. Kings in the Pool also works well for small groups.
Are pool drinking games safe?
They can be, with common sense. The risks come from overconsumption combined with water, not from the games themselves. Set ground rules, designate a sober watcher, stay in shallow water, and keep the pace moderate. Never let anyone swim alone while intoxicated.
What drinks work best for pool games?
Light beers, hard seltzers, and mixed drinks in plastic cups work best. Avoid glass bottles and heavy cocktails. Canned drinks are convenient and safe. Keep drinks in a cooler at the pool edge rather than bringing them into the water.
Can you play these games without alcohol?
Absolutely. Replace “drink” with any fun penalty — do a cannonball, hold your breath for 10 seconds, do 5 push-ups, or whatever your group decides. The games themselves are entertaining regardless of what is in the cup.
How many people do you need for pool drinking games?
Most of these work with 4 to 8 people. Floating Beer Pong needs at least 4 (2v2). Tipsy Volleyball needs at least 6 (3v3). Drink or Dive and Kings work with any group size from 3 to 12.