Korean drinking culture has produced some of the most creative and entertaining drinking games in the world. From the iconic soju bottle cap flick to rhythm-based games that get harder as you drink more, these games are easy to learn and impossible to forget. Here are 10 of the most popular Korean drinking games.
1. Flick the Soju Cap
Players: 2+
What You Need: A soju bottle cap
This is the most iconic Korean drinking game. When you open a bottle of soju, the cap has a twisted metal strip hanging from it. Twist the strip into a tight coil, then take turns flicking it. The person who flicks it off gets to make someone else drink. Everyone else takes turns flicking until it breaks off.
How to Play:
- Open a bottle of soju and twist the dangling strip of metal on the cap tightly.
- Players take turns flicking the twisted strip with their finger.
- The person who successfully flicks it off chooses someone to drink.
- Some groups add: the two people sitting on either side of the successful flicker also drink.
2. Baskin Robbins 31
Players: 3+
What You Need: Drinks
Named after the ice cream chain’s 31 flavors, this counting game is simple but strategic.
- Players take turns counting upward from 1.
- On your turn, you can say one, two, or three numbers in sequence.
- The person who is forced to say “31” loses and drinks.
Strategy: Work backward from 31 to figure out the safe numbers. If you can land on 27, the other person is forced to say 28, 29, or 30 — leaving 31 for the next player. The key positions are 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, and 27.
3. Nunchi Game
Players: 3+
What You Need: Drinks
“Nunchi” means social awareness in Korean, and this game tests exactly that.
- One person shouts “Nunchi game, start!”
- Players must stand up one at a time and count upward (1, 2, 3…) without any predetermined order.
- If two people stand up at the same time, both drink.
- The last person remaining seated also drinks.
- The count resets and you play again.
This game gets chaotic and hilarious as everyone tries to read the room. Hesitate too long and you are last. Move too quickly and you collide with someone.
4. Image Game
Players: 3+
What You Need: Drinks
One person asks a question like “Who in this group is most likely to become famous?” or “Who would survive longest on a deserted island?” On the count of three, everyone points at the person they think fits best. The person with the most fingers pointed at them drinks the number of fingers they received.
This game is basically “Most Likely To” and is hugely popular in Korean drinking culture. It reveals how the group perceives each person.
5. Sam Yuk Gu (3-6-9)
Players: 3+
What You Need: Drinks
- Players count upward from 1 around the circle.
- Whenever a number contains 3, 6, or 9, you must clap instead of saying the number.
- If a number contains multiple 3/6/9 digits (like 33 or 39), you clap that many times.
- Say the number instead of clapping, or clap the wrong number of times? You drink.
Example sequence: 1, 2, *clap*, 4, 5, *clap*, 7, 8, *clap*, 10, 11, 12, *clap*, 14… up through 29, *clap clap* (for 30, which has one 3), *clap clap* (31), *clap clap* (32), *clap clap clap* (33, which has two 3s)…
This game gets devastatingly hard after 30 when almost every number triggers a clap.
6. Titanic
Players: 2+
What You Need: A glass of beer, a shot glass, soju
Fill a glass about two-thirds with beer. Float an empty shot glass on top of the beer (it will float if placed gently). Players take turns pouring a small amount of soju into the floating shot glass. The person who causes the shot glass to sink “sinks the Titanic” and must drink the entire glass (beer + soju combo).
This creates a somaek (soju + beer mix), which is one of the most popular ways to drink in Korea.
7. Apartment Game
Players: 4+
What You Need: Drinks
- Everyone places both fists on the table, stacked vertically like building floors.
- One person calls out a floor number (for example, “3rd floor!”).
- Everyone must quickly move their fists so their stack matches the called number — if 3 is called, each person must stack 3 fists high by borrowing from neighbors.
- The last person to arrange their fists or anyone who makes a mistake drinks.
8. Bottle Cap Number Guessing
Players: 2+
What You Need: A soju bottle cap, drinks
- One player looks at the number printed inside a soju bottle cap (numbers range from 1 to 50).
- Other players take turns guessing the number.
- After each guess, the person holding the cap says “higher” or “lower.”
- The person who guesses the exact number makes everyone else drink.
- If you narrow it down but someone else guesses it, you drink.
9. Consonant Game
Players: 2+
What You Need: Drinks
While this game traditionally uses Korean consonants, you can adapt it for English:
- One player thinks of a word and shows only the first letters of each syllable (like S_M for “SUMMER” or B_N_N for “BANANA”).
- Other players have 10 seconds to guess the word.
- Whoever guesses wrong drinks. If nobody guesses correctly, the word-giver drinks.
10. Drunken Shoulder Tap
Players: 4+
What You Need: Drinks
- Everyone sits in a circle with eyes closed.
- One person is the tapper. They tap someone on the shoulder.
- Everyone opens their eyes. Players guess who was tapped.
- If the group guesses correctly, the tapper drinks.
- If the group guesses wrong, the person they accused drinks.
Korean Drinking Culture Tips
- Soju is the drink of choice. Most of these games are designed around soju — a clear Korean spirit that is about 16-20% alcohol. It is smooth, affordable, and available at most Asian grocery stores and liquor stores.
- Pour for others, not yourself. In Korean drinking etiquette, you pour drinks for others and they pour for you. Never fill your own glass.
- Turn away when drinking with elders. If you are drinking with someone older, turn your head to the side and cover your glass with your hand while drinking. This is a sign of respect.
- Somaek is popular. Mixing soju with beer (somaek) is extremely common. The Titanic game is basically a formalized version of this.
- Food is always involved. Koreans rarely drink without food. Fried chicken (chimaek = chicken + beer) and Korean BBQ are the classic pairings.