Simple but intense! A quick-and-easy penalty game that hypes everyone up
Many people probably like to play games when getting together with friends, or at year-end and New Year parties.
And when it comes to games with winners and losers, punishments are a must! A little something scary that awaits the person who loses.
In this article, we’ll introduce some of the heavier punishment-game ideas.
We’ve gathered a variety—from absolutely mortifying ones you’d never want to do to those that pack a psychological punch.
Be mindful of your relationships and choose ideas that, while heavy, still let everyone end with a laugh!
- A simple punishment game you can do anywhere without any props—even at school or outdoors.
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- A fun penalty game recommended for men
- With friends or couples! A set of questions perfect for penalty games
- [Easy] Punishments that will get middle schoolers excited
- [Punishment Game] A collection of romance-themed prompts. Punishment games that get men and women excited
- [Doable at School!] Fun Punishment Game Ideas That Will Hype Up High Schoolers
- A party forfeit that gets everyone hyped
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- For Couples: Fun and Exciting Punishment Game Ideas
- A fun punishment game recommended for women
- [For Couples] Fun Punishments You’d Want Your Girlfriend to Do
- A forfeit/punishment game for couples to get hyped (from girlfriend to boyfriend)
Painful & Harsh Punishment Games: Physical & Sensory Challenge Collection (1–10)
Catching a live blade with bare hands
It’s a game with a punishment-game element added: seeing whether you can successfully catch a stick being swung down toward you.
Because you don’t know when it’ll come, each person’s reflexes are tested, and if you fail, the simple result is getting tapped on the head.
To make it work as a punishment game, you need tricks that make the stick harder to catch; let’s think about ways to break their concentration.
For example, you can ask casual questions to make them think and then swing through while they’re distracted, or use feints to lure them into letting their guard down—both are recommended approaches.
Painful/Harsh Punishment Games and Physical & Sensory Challenge Collection (11–20)
Waxing with duct tape
When it comes to simple yet thrilling punishments, duct-tape hair removal takes the cake.
The rules are straightforward: participants stick duct tape to their skin and rip it off in one swift motion—but the real highlight is their reaction in that instant.
Because pain and surprise hit at the same time, the laughter never stops.
When the person taking the punishment shows a look of steely resolve, the anticipation builds even more.
Choosing skin-friendly tape or materials that reduce pain lets everyone enjoy it more safely.
This never-gets-old game is perfect for hyping up the whole venue.
[Right or Left?] Three Punishments All at Once
![[Right or Left?] Three Punishments All at Once](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lDzE9kt_dMg/sddefault.jpg)
The idea is to have them choose whether to take the punishment on the right or the left, and then administer the chosen punishment at the same time.
The punishments use props like a paper fan or a bat to the butt, and the level of pain varies depending on the prop.
The key point is that you hold the props up behind them and have them choose, so the target can’t see the props—and even if you swap them after they choose, they won’t notice.
The more you pair things so the target suffers, the more exciting the moment will likely be.
air chair
The so-called wall sit is said to deliver effective training in a short time, but for people who don’t usually exercise, it might feel like a punishing endurance test.
The position—back against the wall, hips lifted, and knees bent at a right angle—will feel tough for many.
If you do it after each game, the person who keeps losing might end up building muscle.
However, if you’re not used to it and do it for too long, you could injure your joints, so keep it in moderation.
Drink an extremely bitter beverage
For the losers of the game, punish them with an ultra-bitter drink! Many of you might be familiar with traditional TV show penalties like senburi tea, kuding tea, or bitter melon tea.
These days, there are even party-ready bitter teas sold specifically for punishment games.
Have some ready for your year-end party and your games are sure to get even more heated! Just be sure not to do anything dangerous, like adding bitterness with condiments that shouldn’t be consumed in large quantities.
flick on the forehead from everyone
“Shippe,” the classic punishment game where you get flicked if you lose at rock-paper-scissors or slip up in shiritori.
Its origin is said to lie in a Zen Buddhist implement called “shippei,” used to instruct monks in training.
It may seem simple—just press your index and middle fingers together and bring them down with a snap—but in fact, if you use too much or too little force, you won’t deal any damage, making it a surprisingly tricky punishment.
If you mess it up, the person doing the flick might end up hurting themselves, so be careful!
smell socks
It’s a simple penalty game where someone has to smell socks—something most people would associate with a bad odor.
If your own socks are used, it can serve as a penalty not only for the person who has to smell them but also for the person whose socks are being smelled.
If you use it as a penalty in sports, the sweat could make the smell stronger, which adds to the fun.
Since odors vary from person to person, it’s also recommended to prepare intentionally smelly socks in case the smell is too weak.
rubber band snap
A classic of game punishments, known as the “rubber band snap.” You’ve probably seen it used in games at parties or wedding after-parties.
The person receiving the punishment just holds a long, thick rubber band in their mouth and waits.
When the person holding the other end lets go, the band snaps back and hits the recipient’s face, turning the moment into big laughs.
It’s a simple forfeit, but it really gets the crowd going.
Rubber bands made specifically for this gag are sold online as party goods.
Eat extremely spicy, extremely bitter, and extremely sweet foods
It’s a modern forfeiture game where you have to eat or drink something that focuses on one specific taste.
In recent years, many ultra-spicy options—even cup noodles—have hit the market, which are irresistible for spice lovers but can be a brutal punishment for those who can’t handle heat.
Besides the popular super-spicy items, choosing something extremely bitter, very sweet, or very sour—depending on what members are likely to dislike—can add an element of surprise and fun.
However, since these are things you put in your mouth, be careful not to waste food and don’t force anyone to go through with it if it could genuinely make them unwell.
shave my eyebrows
If it’s a casual drinking party among friends, a slightly extreme penalty game like shaving off someone’s eyebrows might be acceptable.
However, eyebrows have a huge impact on one’s facial impression, so it’s very risky for people in sales or customer-facing roles to shave them off! Even if you draw them back in with eyebrow makeup, it’ll be noticeable.
They won’t grow back in just a few days either, so don’t force it just because it’s a penalty game—make sure to get the person’s permission first.
Personally, I recommend not actually shaving them: use a shaver without batteries and a sound effect of shaving to give them a scare instead!