How Do You Play Never Have I Ever?

“Never Have I Ever” is a really fun way to get to know people (or to learn more about people you already know!). You can play the basic version of the game (also known as "Ten Fingers"), which is suitable for all ages. Or you can turn "Never Have I Ever" into a drinking game for a group of people above the legal drinking age. Whatever your variation of choice, this article contains everything you need to play the funnest game possible!

“Never Have I Ever” Game Rules

Have players stand in a circle and select one to begin the game by saying a simple thing that they’ve never done: “Never have I ever…” Anyone who has done that thing must put a finger down or take a drink. Continue until only one player has fingers up or alcohol in their cup—that’s the winner!

Section 1 of 4:

Playing ‘Never Have I Ever’ or ‘Ten Fingers’ (No Drinking)

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At least five people are usually needed to play the game to make it as fun and lively as possible, but you can technically play it with as few as three people. Sit the players in a circle so you can see everyone’s hands and faces, and easily take turns as play moves around the circle. ^{[1]
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Players can rest their hands on the floor or hold their hands up in front of them. Either way, everyone starts with 10 fingers up, and should take care to keep track of their raised fingers throughout the game. ^{[2]
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Have the first player state something that 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 that they’ve never done before. It's best if the player thinks it's likely something that other people have done. ^{[3]
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- 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."
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Put one finger down if you’ve done what the first player said. Anyone who’s done the action or activity stated by the first player must put a finger down. Any players who also haven’t done that thing should keep their fingers up. ^{[4]
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- In one variation of the game, any players who put a finger down must share the story behind them doing the stated action or activity!
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Move to the next player in the circle and repeat. 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 (e.g., “Never have I ever broken a bone”). Any players who have done that thing must put a finger down, while the players who haven’t maintain their current number of raised fingers. ^{[5]
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- Continue play around the circle according to these rules.
Once the majority of players have put all ten of their fingers down (meaning they’ve done 10 of the “things” mentioned during the game), the last person who has any fingers up wins the game. You can repeat the game as many times as you like! ^{[6]
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Section 2 of 4:

Playing the ‘Never Have I Ever’ Drinking Game

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Gather at least 5 players in a circle. You can have as many players as you want, but if you have more than 10, you might want to break the large group into multiple groups of fewer players to make it more manageable. Similarly, you can play with fewer than five players, but it might not be as fun. ^{[7]
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- Since there’s drinking involved in this version of the game, all of the players need to be of legal drinking age. If you live in the United States, for instance, all players must be at least 21 years old.
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Make sure everyone has the same amount to drink. It’s up to each individual player what they want to drink. However, to make the game fairer, everyone should have about the same amount of alcohol or beverage in their cups. You can play with beer, wine, or mixed drinks. ^{[8]
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- If there’s anyone who’s participating in the game who’d like to stay sober, they can have a non-alcoholic drink like water, juice, or soda.
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Have the first player announce something they’ve never done. Someone can volunteer to go first, or you can choose someone by playing rock, paper, scissors. The first player says, “Never have I ever...” and then follows it with something they’ve never done. ^{[9]
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- Try coming up with things you’ve never done but that you know other people playing have. This approach ensures you don’t have to drink, but they do, so you can get players out of the game quicker.
- In the drinking version of the game, the things players say tend to be a little more risqué and juicy!
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Drink if you’ve done what the first player said they haven’t done. If you’ve done what the first player has said they haven’t, you have to take a sip of your drink. To make the game more fair, you can time the drinking so that all the players have to drink for the same amount of time. About 3 seconds is usually enough time! ^{[10]
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- You can also play this drinking version of the game using shots of alcohol, but it’s likely to get wilder more quickly. Every time someone has done the thing the player says, they have to take a shot, and you have to refill the shots as you go.
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Have the next player share something they’ve never done. The next player—the player to the immediate left of the first player—can now take their turn. Just like the first player, this player says something that they’ve never done, using the “Never have I ever...” sentence construction. Any player who has done that thing must drink, while anyone who hasn’t can refrain from drinking (for now). ^{[11]
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- You can also play a variation where if only one player in the group has done the thing, then this player must share the story behind when, why, and how they did it!
If the player who shared a “never have I ever” phrase can’t get anyone to drink, then they have to drink! In other words, if they shared a thing that they’ve never done and no one else in the game had done it either, they must take a drink. This rule helps to avoid players tossing out boring or unoriginal “Never Have I Ever” questions. ^{[12]
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The game ends when only one person has any of their drink left. That person wins the game! You can repeat the game as many times as you like. ^{[13]
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Section 3 of 4:

The Best ‘Never Have I Ever’ Questions

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Start off with this list of great “Never Have I Ever” questions. If you're worried that people will have trouble coming up with “Never Have I Ever” prompts off the top of their heads, you can consult the list below or this ultimate list of game questions. You may even want to write down some of your favorite questions on sheets of paper and have people draw them from a hat instead of coming up with their own! ^{[14]
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- Simple ‘Never Have I Ever’ Questions:
  - “Never have I ever Googled myself .”
  - “Never have I ever been fired .”
  - “Never have I ever sang karaoke .”
  - “Never have I ever sleepwalked .”
  - “Never have I ever gone on a solo trip .”
- Funny ‘Never Have I Ever’ Questions:
  - “Never have I ever eaten pet food .”
  - “Never have I ever flashed someone .”
  - “Never have I ever belched the alphabet .”
  - “Never have I ever wet myself from laughing too hard .”
  - “Never have I ever cut my own bangs .”
- Juicy ‘Never Have I Ever’ Questions :
  - “Never have I ever skinny-dipped .”
  - “Never have I ever danced on a bar .”
  - “Never have I ever kept a big secret from my best friend .”
  - “Never have I ever been arrested .”
  - “Never have I ever played hooky from work or school .”
- Dirty ‘Never Have I Ever’ Questions:
  - “Never have I ever sent a naughty photo .”
  - “Never have I ever had a one-night stand .”
  - “Never have I ever been intimate with someone in a public place .”
  - “Never have I ever had a friend with benefits .”
  - “Never have I ever said the wrong name in bed .”

Section 4 of 4:

More Party & Drinking Games

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The fun doesn’t have to end when you run out of Never Have I Ever questions! There are countless fun party games , conversation games , and drinking games to play with your pals until the wee hours of the morning. Here are some of the best games to play with all of your friends and loved ones:

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is there a kid's version of this game?

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Yes! It's not as intense as this one, but it is still fun. The rules follow the same principles, but instead of alcohol, participants use their fingers. If, in the original game, one has to drink, instead the player puts down a finger. The game ends when someone has all 10 fingers down. The person with the most fingers still up wins.

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Could I play the drinking version with kids if you used water/cola etc?

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That would work well. Just make sure to ask if everyone likes said drink. Lemonade works as well.

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If I am asking the question do I have to put my finger down if I have done it?

Community Answer

The question you ask has to be something that you have never attempted or done before.

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As with all drinking games, don't force yourself or others to drink more than can be managed. You can make an agreement that people who are smaller or already a bit drunk can drink less than others to avoid bad outcomes. Ice-breaking is more important than winning or drinking.

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

There is a hilarious version of "Never Have I Ever" in the popular game Witcher 3, with three usually-serious characters.
Here's a spin on the drinking version for kids and teens: Instead of alcohol, use sour or hot candy.
If you don't have anyone to play with in real life, you can play the Roblox version!

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Warnings

Make sure you’re not drinking too much. If you start to feel sick, you can back out of the game and drink some water.

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Don't drink and drive, and don’t give alcohol to anyone who’s under the legal drinking age.

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How Do You Play Never Have I Ever?

“Never Have I Ever” Game Rules

Steps

Playing ‘Never Have I Ever’ or ‘Ten Fingers’ (No Drinking)

Playing the ‘Never Have I Ever’ Drinking Game

The Best ‘Never Have I Ever’ Questions

More Party & Drinking Games

Community Q&A

Video

Reader Videos

Tips

Tips from our Readers

Warnings

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