Freshers Week Drinking Games
Freshers week means a flat full of people who met an hour ago. These are the drinking games that actually work when nobody's got an in-joke yet — and what to do about the housemate who isn't drinking.
Players
Whoever's in your flat, block or corridor — works from 4, better with a full kitchen
You'll need
A deck of cards for Kings Cup, cups if you're doing beer pong, a dartboard if the corridor's got wall space
How to play
- 1Never Have I Ever — say something you've never done; anyone who has, drinks. No shared history needed, which is exactly the point in week one.
- 2Kings Cup — one deck, one cup, rules printed on every card. Nobody has to invent anything, which matters when the whole circle just met.
- 3Categories — pick a topic, go round naming things in it; stall and you drink. Fast enough that an awkward silence never gets the chance to land.
- 4Dartboard drinking game — throw a dart, do whatever it hits. The board decides, so there's no one person handing out dares to people they met an hour ago.
- 5Beer pong — needs a table and cups, but it's a game most people already half-know, which helps when the kitchen's full of strangers.
- 6Most Likely To — save this one for once the flat's loosened up a bit. It works far better a few days in than on the first night.
Tips
- → First-week nerves push people to keep drinking to keep up. Nobody should feel like they have to finish a cup just to stay in the game.
- → Rotate who explains the rules each round — don't let one person become the de facto host for the whole week.
- → Check your accommodation's actual rules on darts and alcohol in communal areas before you set anything up.
Icebreakers for people who just met
Freshers week has one real problem: a kitchen full of people who don't know each other, and nobody wants to be the one running the show. Games solve that quietly — instead of forced small talk, everyone's got a task, and the task does the introducing for you.
Never Have I Ever, Kings Cup and Categories all work without any shared history, which is exactly what week one needs. Save the games that rely on actually knowing people — Most Likely To, Mr and Mrs — for a few days in, once the flat's had time to meet properly.
Flat-party staples that scale
Most freshers flats end up playing the same handful of games on repeat, because they work in a kitchen, need almost no kit, and don't require the whole corridor to be in on it. Kings Cup and beer pong cover most nights; a dartboard drinking game covers the ones where the kitchen's full and you need a second game running in the hallway or living room.
None of these need planning. A deck of cards costs a couple of quid, and a paper dartboard rolls up small enough to fit in a moving box — useful when half the flat's still living out of bin bags in week one.
The 'nobody knows each other yet' problem
Every group game needs someone to run it — pick the next dare, decide who goes first, settle an argument about the rules. In an established friend group, that job falls to whoever's loudest. In a flat of total strangers, nobody wants it, and nobody trusts anyone else to have it yet either.
That's the actual gap DartUp fills in freshers week. The board decides the forfeit, not a person — so there's no single housemate handing out dares to people they met an hour ago, and no argument about whether it's fair. Throw a dart, read what it says, get on with it.
Quick answers
What if someone doesn't drink?
Keep a jug of squash or an alcohol-free option on the table from the start, not as an afterthought once someone asks. Every game here works with a soft drink swapped in — Kings Cup and the dartboard forfeits don't care what's in the cup, and nobody should have to sit out the whole game just because they're sitting out the alcohol.
How many people do you need?
Four is the practical minimum for most of these — fewer than that and Kings Cup runs out of steam fast. Beyond four there's no real ceiling; a bigger flat or a full corridor party just means longer rounds.
We genuinely don't know each other yet — is that a problem?
It's the whole reason these games work. Kings Cup, Never Have I Ever and a dartboard forfeit round all give a room of strangers something to do together without anyone needing an existing joke or a shared story. Save the games that need history — Most Likely To, in-joke rounds — for later in the week.
Is this safe to run in a shared flat or halls?
Check your accommodation's rules on darts and alcohol in communal areas first — some halls restrict both. Keep the throw line clear, mind the windows, and treat the night like any other party: know your limits, and don't pressure anyone who's said no.
By Arnis & Edgar — the two who built DartUp in Newry. 18+. Eat first, drink water, know when to stop.
Keep the night going
Freshers Week Party Games
September means a kitchen full of people who don't know each other yet. These are the games that get a flat talking fastest.
Stag Do Games
Nobody wants to be the best man frantically Googling games at 11pm the night before. This is a shortlist that works in an Airbnb, a hotel room, or a beer garden, and needs no craft supplies.
Garden Party Games
A garden party mixes ages and audiences in a way a Saturday night doesn't. These work with a Pimm's or a squash in hand, no explaining required.
DartUp earns its keep in freshers week specifically — the board hands out the forfeit, so nobody in a flat of near-strangers has to be the one making the calls. Throw a dart, read what it says, argue about it together.
See the boardsThe promise:under 100 pre-orders by 15 Sept, everyone's refunded automatically.
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