14 Most Popular Korean Drinking Games You Can Play To Break The Ice

Korean drinking games are unique and quite unlike those played anywhere else in the world. These drinking games are essential in Korea for a fun night, especially when drinking with friends and are a great way to break the ice.

Try some games listed below, you never know if it might become your favourite game!

Most of the videos listed here have English subtitles, so remember to turn captions on.

How to remain sober during a drinking session

Wait! Before you get yourself too drunk and to prevent a major hangover the next day, make yourself invincible with this magic potion Sober Friend Hangover Cure.

Okay! Let’s get playin’!

Attendance Game (출석부 게임)

This is like having your attendance taken in school, only in this game you are both the teacher and student.

The person you point at and the name you shout have to be different. When your name is called, you reply “here!”, and then you call out the next name.

Whoever responds to the wrong name, calls the name of the person they point to, or misses their cue, drinks!

I-AM-GROUND Self-introduction

Getting the rhythm right is crucial in this game. Slap your thighs once, clap once, point right with your thumb, then left. Practise this sequence a few times so that it becomes muscle memory.

Once you get the rhythm down, the introduction round has everyone say their name at the same time they point to the right.

After everyone has had a chance to introduce themselves, it’s time to start to start the game. Say your name, then say the name of the person you want to target. So it goes like this: slap thigh, clap hands, “Johnny”, “Leia”. At any point a person says the wrong name or goes out of rhythm, the person has to drink!

Nunchi Game (눈치게임)

Nunchi game is also known as ‘Timing game’ and ‘Sensing game’.

This is a popular game played many times in countless Running Man episodes. It’s timeless, easy to learn and requires no Korean language skills.

The beauty of this game is that it can be used to quickly decide who goes last in subsequent games or gets a penalty.

Each person squats/sits down or stands up (basically, opposite of the original position) and calls out the next number. The last person standing or sitting is the loser. You are also out if another person shouts the same number as you.

Bottle Cap (병뚜껑 게임)

The simplest game often turns out to be the most intense! If you have strong fingers, you might have a shot at championing this game. Unlike the other drinking games, little to no thinking is involved.

Take the long end of the soju cap and twist it to form a rod. Everyone will take turns to flick it until the rod breaks off. The person who flicks it off is usually the one to down a shot, though there are variations where they are the winner while the rest of the group downs a shot.

Caution: Not suitable for those with fancy manicure

Baskin Robbins 31(베스킨라빈스 31)

A game that looks easy on the surface, but can get nerve-wrecking the closer you get to the number 31!

Each person calls out 1 to 3 numbers in an ascending order under the number 31. Whoever lands on 31 is then the loser and has to drink. You can strategise and form alliances to take down someone!

3-6-9 (삼육구)

Start with chanting “sam-yuggu, sam-yuggu!” and do the chicken wing action while at it.

One person will start counting from 1, and players call out the numbers in ascending order. Whenever anyone reaches a number with 3, 6 or 9, they have to clap instead of calling out the number. So for 30 you clap once, and for 33 you clap twice. The most intense part of the game is from 30-39 where there is just a lot of clapping with no words. Anyone who messes up either the counting or clapping will have to drink, and the counting starts over.

3-6-9 On Steroids

If the typical 3-6-9 game is child’s play for you and your buddies, try this pimped up version of the game! Instead of clapping on 3, 6, 9, you can come up with any numbers of your choice eg. 2, 4, 8, 9.

Babo Game (바보게임)

‘Babo’ means fool in Korean. Depending on your intention, the term can be neutral or offensive. In this game, it is not meant to offend and is simply an affectionate way of calling your friends ‘blockhead’ or ‘silly’.

The game starts with one person saying a number from 1 to 5, while showing a different number on their hand. eg. says 5 and shows 2 fingers.

The next person has to say the number of fingers the previous player had up (2), while showing a different number on their hand. eg. says 2 and shows 1 finger.

You lose if you mess up at any point. It’s really easy to be the ‘babo’ when you have to coordinate your mouth and fingers while under the influence of alcohol, but your friends who are similarly drunk might not even catch your mistakes!

Love You (사랑해)

This game has no math, thinking, or speed involved, but it plays with your emotions!

Say ‘I love you’ to the person on your left. If they reply with ‘huh?’, it means your ‘love’ got rejected and you’ll have to say ‘I love you’ to the person in the opposite direction.

Players need to restrain from laughing in order to pass. Pretty difficult for those who cannot stop giggling at every small thing after a few drinks.

Titanic/The submarine (타이타닉/잠수함)

Fill the beer glass halfway with beer, then carefully place a shot glass in the glass of half-filled beer (it will be floating in the beer). Each person takes turns pouring soju into the shot glass until it sinks.

The cocktail of beer and soju is called ‘somaek’ (soju + maekju). The person who manages to sink it becomes the loser and has to finish the glass of somaek.

High-Low (하이–로우) / Up-Down (업다운)

There is a number inscribed under the soju bottle cap that ranges from 1 to 100. One person will have to take on the role of game master and take a look at the number while the rest of the group will take turns guessing the number. After each guess, the game master will say whether the correct number is higher or lower. The person that correctly guesses the number is the winner and everyone else drinks.

Image Game (이미지 게임)

This game is based on votes. Everyone gets a turn to say “Most likely to…….”. On the count of three, everyone points to the person they think best fits the description. The person who receives the most votes for the ‘image’ has to drink.

At the same time, if you think you’re going to receive the most votes, you can at the count of three, put an ‘x’ sign with your arms to block the attack. The people who voted you have to drink. BUT, if you put up the ‘x’ sign and are not the person who got the most votes, YOU drink!

Mandu Game (만두 게임)

Everyone takes a turn to chant ‘mandu mandu mandu’ followed by a number in multiples of 5.

Method 1: Winner takes all

The person who says the number that matches the number of fingers wins, and everyone else drinks.

Method 2: Loser stands small

The person who says the number that matches the number of fingers is safe and gets to exit the game. The last person loses and has to drink.

The Black Knight (흑기사)

This is a game within a game. In any game, at any point where a person has a drink, the ‘knight in shining armour’ may step up and volunteer to drink on behalf of someone.

Have a go at these drinking games!

The next time you get together with friends, be the cool one and introduce these games to the gang! Remember to say ‘geonbae’! ‘Geonbae’ means cheers in Korean.

The most common alcohol in Korea is soju and is often consumed during work gatherings and get-togethers.

When drinking soju, do it the way the Koreans do. Swirl and shake the bottle in a circular motion before opening it – a method called ‘tornado’, which you might have seen in Korean shows. The soju bottle is also a key item used as a prop in some of the drinking games listed below. While less common, Korean beer and makgeolli are also consumed during drinking sessions. It is up to the party which they prefer, but all will still undoubtedly make for a fun night.