How to Play "Never Have I Ever"

Playing the Basic Version of the Game

Gather at least 5 players in a circle. At least five people are usually needed to play the game. You can use less than five, but it’s usually not as much fun! You should sit in a circle so you can see everyone’s hands.

Each player holds 10 fingers in front of them. You can rest your hands on the floor or hold your hands up. Either way, everyone starts with 10 chances.

The first player announces something they’ve never done. You can have someone volunteer to go first, or play rock, paper, scissors to decide. The first player says “Never have I ever....” and then announces something outrageous they haven’t done. It's best if the player thinks it's likely something other people have done. For example, you can say something like "Never have I ever been to Europe," "Never have I ever been arrested," or "Never have I ever had detention."

Put one finger down if you’ve done what the first player said. The players who also haven’t done it should keep all of their fingers up.

Move to the next player in the circle. Move clockwise through the circle, with the person on the first player's left taking the next turn.The next player comes up with a new thing they’ve never done. The players who have done it put a finger down, the players that haven’t keep their fingers up.

The person with fingers remaining up wins. The last person who has fingers up wins the game. You can repeat the game as many times as you like.

Playing the Drinking Game

Gather at least 5 players. Since there’s drinking involved in this version of the game, all of the players need to be of legal drinking age. You can have as many players as you want, but if you have more than 10, break the large group into multiple groups of fewer players.

Make sure everyone has the same amount to drink. It’s up to each individual player what they want to drink. But to make the game more fair, everyone should have about the same amount in their cups. You can play with beer, wine, or mixed drinks. You can also play the drinking version of the game using shots of alcohol. Every time someone has done the thing the player says, they have to take a shot. You’ll have to refill the shots as you go.

Have the first player announce something they’ve never done. Someone can volunteer to go first, or you can choose someone playing rock, paper, scissors. In the drinking version of the game, the things players say tend to be a little more risqué. The first player says “Never have I ever...” and then follows it with something they’ve never done. Try coming up with things you’ve never done, but that you know other people playing have. This ensures you don’t have to drink but they do, and can get players out of the game quicker.

Have the players who have done what the first player said drink. If you’ve done what the first player has said they haven’t, you have to take a drink of your drink. To make it fair, you can time it so all the players have to drink for the same amount of time. About 3 seconds is usually enough time.

Move to the next player. The next player - the player to the immediate left of the first player - takes their turn. They say something they’ve never done, using the “Never have I ever...” construction. The players who have done that thing drink, the ones who have not don’t drink.

Have the first player drink if nobody else does. If the player can’t get anyone to drink – meaning the player is the only person who’s done the thing they said – the player has to drink.

Repeat until only one person has alcohol left in their cup. The game ends when only person has any of their drink left. That person wins the game. You can repeat the game as many times as you like.