What you need
A group sitting in a circle, a drink each and a little mental arithmetic. No cards or equipment. Three or more players; the more people, the harder it is to see your turn coming.
Buzz is far older than drinking games: Farmer’s Slang and Its Analogues (1890s) describes it as a parlour game in which “whoever breaks the rule pays a fine”, and a “quiet game of Buzz” is played in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (1868). Fizz Buzz, the same idea with 3 and 5, is used to teach children division.
The drinking version is for adults only. Play it only with people of legal drinking age (21 in the United States), never pressure anyone to drink, keep each “drink” to a small sip, have water on the table between rounds, and never drive afterwards. Buzz started as a game with forfeits instead of drinks, and it still works best that way for many groups: a point per mistake, or a silly forfeit.
Setup
Sit in a circle and choose who starts. Agree the house rules in advance: which numbers buzz, whether buzz reverses the direction, and whether the count restarts after a mistake.
How to play
- The first player says “one”, the next “two”, and so on round the circle.
- Any number that contains a 7 (7, 17, 27…) or is a multiple of 7 (14, 21, 28…) must be replaced by the word “buzz”.
- Each time someone says “buzz”, the direction of play reverses: the count goes back the other way round the circle.
- A player who says a forbidden number, forgets to buzz or buzzes on the wrong number has made a mistake and takes a sip (or a point). The count then usually starts again from one.
So a correct count runs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, buzz, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, buzz, 15, 16, buzz, 18, 19, 20, buzz…
Up to three numbers at a time
In one popular drinking version, each player may say one, two or three numbers in a row on their turn (“eight, nine, ten”). It lets you steer who will land on the next buzz.
Scoring and winning
There is no winner in the drinking version. With points, the player with the fewest mistakes when you stop wins. The classic children’s version eliminates a player at each mistake until one is left.
Common variants
- Fizz Buzz. Say “fizz” for multiples of 3, “buzz” for multiples of 5 and “fizz buzz” for multiples of both (15, 30…).
- Bizz Buzz. Two forbidden numbers at once, such as “bizz” for 5 and “buzz” for 7, with “bizz buzz” for 35.
- Digits count too. In Fizz Buzz, a number that contains the digit also triggers the word (52 is “buzz” because it contains a 5).
- No reversal. The count keeps going the same way; easier for beginners.
- Alcohol-free. Points or forfeits instead of sips. This is the original parlour game.
Tips for first games
- Start without the reversal rule for a round or two, then add it.
- Count the 70s carefully: every number from 70 to 79 contains a 7, so it is buzz after buzz.
- Keep sips tiny, and switch to points whenever someone would rather not drink.
Frequently asked questions
Which numbers are buzz? Every number with a 7 in it and every multiple of 7: 7, 14, 17, 21, 27, 28, 35, 37 and so on.
Does buzz change direction? In most drinking versions, yes. Some groups play without the reversal.
What happens after a mistake? The player takes a sip or a point. Agree beforehand whether the count then restarts from one.
Can kids play Buzz? The counting game itself, without any drinks, is a classic classroom game under the name Fizz Buzz. This page describes the adult drinking version.
