Free · Play online · No sign-up
Battle Shots: battleship, with sips
Hide your fleet of small glasses on a grid, call your shots, and every hit costs your opponent a sip. Battle Shots is the classic game of Battleship turned into a two-player drinking game. Play it on one phone below (a privacy screen hides each board), or set it up with real glasses and a printed grid.
- 👥 2 players (or 2 teams)
- ⏱ 15–30 minutes
- 🎒 One phone, or two grids and small glasses
Battle Shots: play online
Battleship with sips, on one phone
Each player hides a fleet on a 6×6 grid, then you take turns firing. A privacy screen appears every time you pass the phone. Hit a ship: your opponent sips. Sink it: they take one sip per glass.
Each player hides a fleet (ships of 3, 2, 2 and 1 glasses) on a 6×6 grid, then you take turns firing. Pass the phone at the privacy screen: no peeking.
Battle Shots: quick rules
Each player secretly places a fleet of “ships” (rows of small glasses) on their own grid. Take turns calling a square, like “C4”. If it hits a ship, the owner takes a sip from that glass. Sink a whole ship and the owner finishes the sips for every glass in it. First to sink the whole enemy fleet wins.
How to play Battle Shots
Set up the grids
Each player has a grid (6×6 is plenty; the classic board is 10×10), hidden from the other with a box, a folder or a pillow.
Place your fleet
Put your ships on your grid: one of 3 glasses, two of 2 and one of 1. Ships go in straight lines, horizontal or vertical, not touching diagonally if you want to be strict.
Fill the glasses
A small splash of any drink in each glass: juice, soda or water is best for most of them; this is a long game.
Fire
Take turns calling a square (“B3”). The other player says “hit” or “miss”. Mark your shots on a second grid.
Hit and sink
On a hit, the owner takes a sip from that glass. When all glasses of a ship are hit, it’s sunk: the owner says so.
Win
The first to sink every enemy ship wins and hands out the last sips.
Playing Battle Shots online on one phone
The game above does the hiding for you. Player 1 places a fleet (tap to place, rotate, or tap Random), then a privacy screen appears while the phone goes to Player 2. On each turn, you see the enemy grid with your hits and misses, and your own fleet in a fold-out. Hits and sunk ships tell your opponent how many sips to take; the “Go easy” option caps it at 2.
Making a Battle Shots board
- Draw two 6×6 grids per player on paper: one for your fleet, one for your shots. Label columns A–F and rows 1–6.
- Use 8 small glasses per player for the fleet (3 + 2 + 2 + 1).
- A large baking tray or a board game box lid makes a stable base; put the grid under clear plastic to protect it from spills.
- Keep a cardboard screen between players so nobody can see the other fleet.
What to put in the glasses
Commercial Battle Shots sets come with shot glasses, but a fleet of 8 real shots per player would be 8 standard drinks each: far too much. Fill most glasses with a mixer, juice or water and, if you like, one or two with a splash of something stronger as the “flagship”. The game is just as tense. More ideas on our shot games page.
Battle Shots variations
- Salvo
- Fire three shots per turn instead of one; announce hits after all three.
- Team battle
- Two teams of two share a grid; teammates must agree on each shot.
- Big fleet
- A 10×10 grid with ships of 5, 4, 3, 3 and 2: the classic board-game fleet, for a long evening (water in most glasses!).
Tips for a good game
- Spread your ships out; clusters get found fast.
- After a hit, try the four squares around it.
- Mostly soft drinks in the glasses; this game can run long.
Play it safe: every game here works with sips of any drink, or none at all. Only adults of legal drinking age should drink alcohol, alternate with water, and never drink and drive. [How to drink responsibly](/drink-responsibly/)
Battle Shots: FAQ
How do you play Battle Shots?
Each player hides a fleet of small glasses on a grid. Take turns calling squares; a hit means the owner sips from that glass. Sink the whole enemy fleet to win.
Can you play Battle Shots online?
Yes: the version above runs on one phone. Each player places a fleet behind a privacy screen, then you take turns firing.
How many glasses do you need for Battle Shots?
Our 6×6 version uses 8 per player (ships of 3, 2, 2 and 1). The classic 10×10 board uses 17 per player.
Is Battleshots the same as Battle Shots?
Yes: Battleshots, Battle Shots and battleship shots are names for the same game.
More drinking games to try
- Shot games Shot-glass roulette, Battle Shots, checkers and more.
- Drinking games for 2 Duels, card games for two, questions and dice: made for two players.
- Drinking roulette wheel An editable wheel of sips, water, dares and free passes.
- Couples Deck Questions, memories and flirty dares for two. Nothing explicit.