Never Have I Ever is a wild adult party game thriving on your past failures and embarrassments. These Never Have I Ever card game rules will teach you how to play it with your friends.
Never Have I Ever is a card game with the subtitle The Game of Poor Life Decisions. Since it forces the players to relive the most awkward moments of their lives, it is one of the bravest at-home or office party games to try.
Nevertheless, once you dare to play, the gameplay is pretty straightforward. Resembling If You Had To and other card-based party games (see If You Had To game rules), Never Have I Ever reveals your fears, secrets, and regrets in front of your opponents.
But don’t worry – it is great fun, and the bravest one becomes a winner.
This Never Have I Ever card game rules guide will cover the following:
- What is Never Have I Ever?
- What you’ll need to play the Never Have I Ever card game
- Never Have I Ever card game rules
- Never Have I Ever card game (video tutorial)
- FAQs
- Other similar games to Never Have I Ever (our guides)
Read on and learn how to play the Never Have I Ever card game from scratch.
What is Never Have I Ever?
Never Have I Ever does not require any skills, tactics, or counting. All it takes to play is having enough courage to come out with your silliest secrets and turn your weaknesses into your strength.
Although the game is straightforward, it is not generally recommended for younger kids since the topics discussed on the question cards can occasionally be of an adult nature.
Number of Players: 4+
Ages: 17+
Difficulty: Easy
Length of Play: 30 – 90 minutes
Category: Party card game
Similar to: I’ve Never Bar Cards, If You Had To, Pick Your Poison
Main Objective: Be the first player to collect ten blue cards.
Why We Love It: Never Have I Ever card game provides you with a rare opportunity to take pride in your failures. You may even heal some old wounds with a good share of laughter with your friends or family.
What You’ll Need to Play Never Have I Ever Card Game
You will need an original Never Have I Ever card game set to play this game.
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The box includes:
- 485 Never Have I Ever Play Cards
- 65 Rule Cards
- 1 Set of Instructions
Never Have I Ever Card Game Special Editions
Besides the classic set, you can also try some of the following special editions. Some of them are suitable for younger kids too:
- Never Have I Ever Party Conversation Starters, College Edition (17+)
- Never Have I Ever Family Edition (8+)
- Never Have I Ever Girls Edition (17+)
- Never Have I Ever Parent Edition (17+)
- Never Have I Ever Trump Edition (17+)
Although these special editions might have slightly different contents, the gameplay does not differ from the standard version of the game, so I will not go into detail on their rules.
Never Have I Ever Card Game Rules and Gameplay
First, before you start, sort out the contents of the game set. As you’ll see, the materials include play cards(blue) and rule cards(red) – each of them has a unique role in the game, so they need to be kept in separate piles.
Starting the Game
This is how you set up the game:
- Shuffle both types of cards separately.
- Each player receives ten blue play cards. Store the remaining cards in the box.
- Place the down-facing pile of red rule cards in the center of the table.
Now you’re ready to start revealing your darkest secrets.
How to Play Never Have I Ever Card Game
Who takes a turn first? Find the player with the coolest shoes – and pick the player sitting next to him on the right. Obviously, this rule doesn’t have to be strictly obeyed – you can agree on a starting player any other way 🙂
Next:
- The starting player picks one rule card from the pile, reads the text aloud, and discards it face up on the table.
- All the players must now comply with what the rule card says.
Example:
The rule card says: “I Get to Pick a Play Card from my hand, and one by one, we go around the group clockwise and answer it. The first person to admit to it wins the card.”
The player picks one card. It says: “Been Drunk at Church.” One by one, the players deny or admit to committing the act in question. The first one who admits to it takes the card and places it face-up in front of him.
- When the card finds its owner, the next player on the left takes a turn, and the game follows the same routine.
- When the round is over, all the players replenish their play cards from the pile to 10 again.
Never Have I Ever Card Game Scoring
Never Have I Ever does not have any specific scoring. The game continues until one of the players accumulates ten blue cards in front of them, meaning that they admitted to ten awkward acts. This brave player becomes a winner.
How to Play Never Have I Ever – Video Tutorial
Never Have I Ever Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Never Have I Ever questions?
There are many hilarious questions in Never Have I Ever – it is guaranteed that some of them will make you laugh as you recall some of your failures or faux pas. Just beware that some of the questions are explicit – the game is not suitable for kids or conservative adults.
Can you lie in Never Have I Ever to keep your embarrassments secret?
Of course, if you don’t feel like admitting to the crazy things suggested on the play cards, you can deny them. However, you only score by confessing to these acts, so your chances of winning the game are getting slimmer with each denial.
Can you play Never Have I Ever without cards?
Yes! The Never Have I Ever card game is inspired by a popular party game originally played without any accessories. Players ask each other questions they make up without any cards and count their admitted failures on fingers until someone gets to ten.
Other Similar Games to Never Have I Ever (Our Guides)
Have you enjoyed Never Have I Ever? Here are our guides to some alternatives you should try next:
- Joking Hazard rules
- Outburst game rules
- What’s Yours Like rules
- Cards Against Humanity rules
- What Do You Meme rules
- Superfight rules
- Disturbed Friends rules
- These Cards Will Get You Drunk (guide coming soon)
- Don’t Fk With Cards (guide coming soon)
- 21 Questions Game rules
- Black Card Revoked rules
- Red Flags game rules
