Outdoor drinking games for the garden and the beach

Cornhole drinking game

Cornhole (bags) is played with two slanted boards with a hole, 27 ft apart (front edge to front edge) for adults, and 8 bags. Teams take turns throwing bags from beside their board. A bag on the board is 1 point, through the hole is 3. Only the difference counts each round (“cancellation scoring”), first to 21 wins.

Drinking rules for cornhole

• Airmail: a bag straight through the hole without touching the board: the other team takes a sip.
• Four-bagger: all four of your bags in the hole in one round: everyone else takes 2 sips.
• Skunk: win 21–0 (or reach 11–0) and the losers take a sip each and fetch the next round of water.
• Dry round: no bags on the board for a whole round: that team takes a sip.

Drinking cornhole boards (boards with cup holders or bottle openers built in) are a fun buy, but any boards work, and so does a DIY set made from plywood. Keep score with the team scoreboard.

Hook and ring (ring toss) drinking game

Hook and ring is the pub game where a metal ring hangs on a string from the ceiling or a tree, and you swing it to land on a hook on a wall or post. It’s also called ring toss, ring on a string or the hook game.

How to play the hook drinking game

1. Stand behind a line where the ring hangs straight down.
2. Pull the ring back and let it swing (don’t throw it) so it arcs towards the hook.
3. Each player gets 3 swings per turn. A ring on the hook is a point, and you hand out a sip.
4. Miss all three: take a sip. First to 5 points wins.
5. House rule: land it on your first swing and you make a rule for the rest of the game.

Hook and ring kits cost very little and screw into a post, fence or tree. The classic tabletop “ring toss” with bottles works too: land a ring on a bottle neck to hand out a sip.

More yard drinking games

• Yard pong (giant beer pong): buckets and a volleyball on the lawn. See the beer pong variations.
• Giant Jenga: a garden block tower with rules on the blocks; generate them on our Drunk Jenga page.
• Beersbee: knock the bottle off the pole with a disc: full rules.
• Kan-jam style: throw a disc at an open bin; your partner deflects it in. A slot shot wins the round.
• Horseshoes or boules: closest to the target scores; farthest takes a sip.
• Water balloon toss: partners step back after every catch; a burst balloon is a sip for both.

Beach, pool and tailgate games

At the beach, beersbee and bocce work in the sand, and a floating beer pong table is a pool-party classic. At a tailgate, cornhole and flip cup on a folding table are the go-to games. Anywhere near water: plastic only, no glass, and nobody swims after drinking.

Drinking outdoors safely

Sun and alcohol dehydrate you faster than either alone. Keep a cooler of water next to the drinks, put shade over the scoreboard table, wear sunscreen, and rotate players so nobody plays every game in the midday sun. Nobody drives home, and nobody goes in the pool after drinking. More on our drink responsibly page.

Outdoor drinking games variations

Backyard olympics

Make each lawn game an event with team points: see our beer olympics planner.

Water-only afternoon

Play every game with water guns instead of sips: lose a point, get soaked.

Tips for a good game

• Mark throwing lines with rope or chalk so there are no arguments.
• Plastic cups and cans only near the games.
• Keep the games away from anyone’s barbecue.

Outdoor drinking games: FAQ