Rules of the
Showdown
Take turns, draw cards, and do what they say. That's it. The game handles itself.
The basics
2–20 players
Works best with 4+. More players, more fun.
One phone each
Everyone joins on their own device. No app, no signup.
19-card deck
Shuffled fresh every game. Reshuffles automatically when it runs out.
Play until you can't
No winner. No end condition. Play until you decide to stop.
How a turn works
1 Draw
The active player taps to draw a card from the deck.
2 Read
The card is revealed to everyone. Read it out loud.
3 Do it
Follow the card. Some trigger live events across all phones.
4 Pass
End the turn. Play moves clockwise to the next player.
Card types
19 cards across 9 types. Every deck is shuffled fresh.
- Slow Down Take 1 sip.
- Bottoms Up Take 2 sips.
- Go Hard Take 3 sips.
- Generous Soul Give 2 sips to anyone.
- Split It Give 1 sip each to two players.
- Vendetta Give 3 sips to your worst enemy.
- Drinking Buddy Pick a player. They drink whenever you drink for the rest of the game.
- Cheers Everyone drinks 1 sip.
- Social Everyone drinks 2 sips.
- House Rule Invent a rule that lasts until the next Wildcard.
- Chaos Card Host decides what happens. Anything goes.
- Truth or Drink Answer a question honestly, or drink 2 sips.
- Do It Do a dare chosen by the group, or drink 3 sips.
- Most Likely To Everyone votes for a player — most votes drinks 2 sips. You have 30 seconds.
- Hot Take Give a hot take. Group votes thumbs up or down. Majority down: drink 2 sips. You have 20 seconds.
- Dice Off Roll the dice. Odd: you drink that many sips. Even: give them out.
- High Roll Everyone rolls. Lowest roll drinks 3 sips.
- Slow Fingers A button appears on every phone. Last one to tap takes 3 sips. 8 seconds.
- Dead Zone Same deal, shorter fuse. Last tap takes 4 sips. 6 seconds.
Interactive events
Some cards trigger live events that happen simultaneously on everyone's phone.
Tap events
A big tap button appears on every player's screen at the same time. The last person to tap loses and drinks.
Vote events
A prompt appears on everyone's phone. For Most Likely To, players vote for a person — most votes drinks. For Hot Take, players vote yes or no — majority rules.
Frequently asked questions
Does everyone need their own phone? +
Yes — each player joins on their own device. That's what makes tap events and voting work across the group simultaneously.
What happens when the deck runs out? +
It reshuffles automatically and keeps going. The game only ends when you decide it does.
Can you play without alcohol? +
Absolutely. A sip is whatever your group agrees it is. Water, soda, juice — it works either way.
Can the host play too? +
Yes. The host is a regular player who also has the ability to start the game and skip stuck turns.