How to Play Beer Darts

Co-authored by Kyle Hall

Beer darts is a fun and simple backyard game that can be played with 2 players or teams. The object of the game is to hit your opponent's beer can with a dart before they hit yours. When your beer is punctured, you have to drink it! To play beer darts, you'll just need darts, some cans of beer, and a couple chairs.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Setting up the Game

1
Find at least 1 other person to play with you. You need at least 2 players to play beer darts. If you have more than 2 players, break off into teams of 2.^{[1]
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2
Set up a chair for you and your opponent so they're 10 feet (3.0 m) apart. Your chairs should be facing each other. If you’re playing on teams, set up a chair for each player so that teammates’ chairs are about 3 feet (0.91 m) apart and facing in the same direction.^{[2]
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3
Put a piece of cardboard in front of each chair. The cardboard will shield you and your opponent's legs from the darts. When you start the game, each player should move the cardboard in front of their legs.^{[3]
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4
Place an unopened beer can in front of each chair. If you’re playing on teams, you only need 1 beer can per team. In that case, place the beer in the middle of the 2 team members’ chairs.^{[4]
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5
Decide which side will go first and split up the darts. You can flip a coin, play rock-paper-scissors, or see who drinks a beer fastest to decide. Once you’ve decided, divide the darts up evenly among all the players.
- It's up to you how many darts you play with, but try to give each player at least 2 darts.
6
Have all players take their seats. Beer darts is played sitting down. If a player plays while standing up, their shot doesn’t count.^{[5]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Playing the Game

1
Have the first player throw a dart and try to hit their opponent’s beer. They must remain seated while throwing the dart. Once they throw the dart, their turn is over. If you’re playing with teams, teammates should take turns throwing a dart at the other team’s beer can.
2
Pass play to the next player after the first player throws a dart. Now it’s the second player’s (or team’s) turn. They have to do the same thing — throw a dart and try to hit their opponent's beer can.
3
Drink your entire beer if your opponent hits it with a dart. Once your unopened beer is punctured with a dart, you have to crack it open and chug the whole thing. Replace it with a new unopened beer when you’re finished.
4
Keep playing until a player or team has finished 3 beers. The player or team who drinks 3 beers first loses the game. When a team wins, set out a new beer can for the losing team and start the score back at zero to play again.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Trying Variations

1
Play standing up. If you don’t have chairs around, or you just want to switch things up, playing beer darts standing up is a fun variation on the game. The rest of the rules are the same, but you’re standing instead of sitting.^{[6]
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2
Drink to where the dart hole is when your opponent punctures your beer. Instead of drinking the whole beer, open it up and drink it down so it’s level with the puncture hole the dart left. Then, place the beer back down in front of you and keep playing. The beer stays until your opponent knocks it over with a dart or punctures it at the very bottom of the can.
3
Try playing further away from your opponent to make the game harder. If beer darts is getting too easy for you, increasing the distance between you and your opponent can make it more challenging. Instead of leaving 10 feet (3.0 m) in between you, try moving your chairs back 1–2 feet (0.30–0.61 m) and see if the game is any harder.
4
Have players drink even if their beer can isn’t punctured to speed up the game. Sometimes in beer darts the dart will strike the beer can but not puncture it. Make it a rule that if you strike your opponent’s beer can without puncturing it, they have to take a sip out of a separate, opened beer.