Power hour rules
Power hour is the simplest party game there is: everyone takes a small drink once a minute, every minute, for an hour. Sixty minutes, sixty shots. The challenge isn't any one drink, it's keeping pace until the end.
Start a power hourFree · no sign-up · runs in your browser
The basic rules
- Everyone has a drink ready before the clock starts.
- When the minute is up, everyone drinks one "shot", usually a sip of beer.
- The next minute starts straight away. Repeat sixty times.
- Anyone who makes it through all sixty minutes has completed the power hour.
What counts as a shot?
Despite the name, a power hour "shot" is not a shot of spirits. Most groups take a sip of beer, around 30–40 ml (about 1–1.5 oz) each minute. Sixty of those add up to roughly two litres, or five to six cans of beer, over the hour.
Water, soft drinks and alcohol-free beer count just as much. Mixing them in is the easiest way to stay in the game.
How to set it up
- Pick a length: the classic is 60 minutes, the Century Club is 100, and a 30-minute sprint is a good warm-up.
- Open a power hour timer that the whole room can see. SixtyShots shows a giant countdown and a loud DRINK! alert every minute.
- Put the music on. Many groups switch songs every minute, so the change of song is the signal to drink.
- Add names if you want: events like Hot Seat call people out by name.
Popular variations
- Century Club: 100 minutes instead of 60.
- Random events: surprise mini-challenges like Bottoms Up, Categories or Floor is Lava keep things unpredictable.
- Song quiz: everyone adds songs to the playlist, and each minute you guess whose song is playing.
- Theme hour: one decade, one genre or one artist for the whole hour.
Tips to make it to the end
- Eat before you start, and keep water on the table.
- Keep the sips small. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
- Pause between rounds if you need to. In SixtyShots, tap the timer to pause.
- Turn your phone sideways and mirror it to the TV so everyone can see the countdown.
Questions
How much do you drink in a power hour?
About 30–40 ml (1–1.5 oz) a minute, so roughly two litres over the hour, around five to six cans of beer. Use smaller sips, or mix in water, to drink less.
Is a power hour safe?
Drinking a lot quickly is risky. Keep the sips small, eat first, drink water, look after each other and stop when you've had enough. Water and alcohol-free drinks count too, and never drink and drive.
Do I need an app for a power hour?
You need a clock everyone can follow. A power hour timer like SixtyShots makes it easy: a giant countdown, a DRINK! alert every minute, and it runs in any phone browser for free.
How is a power hour different from the Century Club?
A power hour lasts 60 minutes with 60 shots. The Century Club is the 100-minute, 100-shot version.
Free · no sign-up · runs in your browser