The 25 best movie drinking games to PLAY RESPONSIBLY

Drinking games to make your favorite movies better

Obviously, don't get yourself in trouble, but do enjoy trying this list of the best movie drinking games. If the pandemic taught us anything it was how to have fun indoors, and nothing says party like tequila shots and Independence Day.

The rules are fairly simple for cinematic soirées (drink whenever 'this' or 'that' happens on screen), but they naturally vary with each round, depending on which movie you've decided to whack on the telly. Have a swig every time a zombie bites it in Zombielandor take a tipple every time someone says, "Mr President" in Independence Day. Only the very best movie drinking games have made it onto our list below.

You'll find some of these in our best Netflix movies list.
And some on our
best Amazon Prime Video movies list.

25. Anchorman (2004)

The movie: Will Ferrell stars as the mustachioed broadcaster living it up as the network's main attraction, only to get shafted when he's lumbered with a female co-host in the form of Christina Applegate's Veronica Corningstone.  

Take a drink when: Ron addresses San Diego or makes a bizarre exclamation (i.e. "By the beard of Zeus!"). Brick Tamland says something stupid. An Apatow favourite makes a cameo. 

Watch Anchorman now on Amazon Prime Video

24. Zombieland (2009)

The movie: This horror comedy takes place in a post-apocalyptic world - it's there in the title, isn't it? The nifty part is that the undead have been roaming for a while when we meet Jesse Eisenberg's survivor, who tells us - via amusing onscreen captions - of certain rules he has to stay alive. 

Take a drink when: A rule comes up on screen. Somebody uses a place as a character name. Twinkies are talked about. Tallahassee kills a zombie. 

Watch Zombieland now on Amazon Prime Video

23. Top Gun (1986)

The movie: '80s action classic starring Tom Cruise as a rebellious fighter pilot, Maverick, who goes up against the oppression of... err... those who don't like really really fast planes? There's shirtless volleyball too. 

Take a drink when: There's a homoerotic look shared between characters. Characters high five. Maverick goes against the rules. The song 'Danger Zone' plays. 

Watch Top Gun now on Amazon Prime Video

22. Scream (1996)

The movie: The best slasher flick of the '90s, starring Neve Campbell as the target of a movie-loving psychopath. Both witty and scary, it launched the careers of its young cast and schooled a generation on horror movie trivia.  

Take a drink when: Someone references another horror movie. A phone rings. Gale Weathers makes a bitchy remark to her cameraman. Ghostface appears.  

Watch Scream now on Amazon Prime Video

21. The Hangover (2009)

The movie: A group of pals on a ker-azy stag party (Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms) wake up in Vegas the next morning, but can't remember anything about the previous night. They probably played too many movie drinking games. 

Take a drink when: Stu touches his missing tooth or mentions it. Someone says remember. You see a Vegas landmark. Alan copies Phil. 

Watch The Hangover now on Amazon Prime Video

20. Zoolander (2001)

The movie: Ben Stiller stars as quite possibly the stupidest man alive, Derek Zoolander. A model with looks that could kill, he becomes embroiled in a bizarre plot where only models can save the world. 

Take a drink when: Zoolander does the face. There's a celebrity cameo. Will Ferrell looks like his dog. Somebody says 'Blue Steel'. 

Watch Zoolander now on Amazon Prime Video

19. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 

The movie: Freddy Krueger haunts the dreams of the Elm Street children, whose parents fried him to death when they were youngsters. The plot unravels through the experiences of Nancy, a teenager and Freddy's main target. He'll do anything to get her - even turn himself into a... err... phone handset.  

Take a drink when: You're not sure if somebody is awake or dreaming. Freddy Krueger's on screen. You see Nancy's house from the outside. Horror legend John Saxon appears.  

Watch A Nightmare on Elm Street now on Amazon Prime Video

18. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

The movie: In his most recent collaboration with Martin Scorsese (ignoring that weird casino commercial), DiCaprio plays real-life stock market sleaze Jordan Belfort - a man who will stoop low to go high. By that I mean, get high.  

Take a drink when: Someone says fuck. Anyone snorts anything. Something ridiculously decadent and hedonistic happens.  

Watch The Wolf of Wall Street now on Amazon Prime Video

17. Gremlins (1984)

The movie: A small American town is overrun with horrible little beasties who turn Christmas into a nightmare, particularly for Zach Galligan's teenager.  

Take a drink when: A gremlin is killed. Gizmo does something cute. Gizmo gets tortured. The gremlins do something crazy. 

Watch Gremlins now on Amazon Prime Video

16. Die Hard (1988)

The movie: Coolest action movie ever made? Probably. Bruce Willis stars as a cop who's trapped in a building with 12 terrorists at Christmas time. He's the only thing stopping them from delivering more than presents... 

Take a drink when: Anyone uses a radio or walkie-talkie to communicate. McClane kills a bad guy. There's a Christmas reference. McClane talks to himself.

Watch Die Hard now on Amazon Prime Video

Gem Seddon

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.