San Diego · 21+ · Always Free

A free party game night in San Diego. Three games, and the teams keep moving so you actually meet people. No cover, no signup, no reason not to. Come alone. I'll handle the rest.

First night Thursday, November 5 · 6:30 PM

Get notified See the games →

First night Nov 5 ·Come alone, leave with people ·Leave with a group chat ·No cover, ever ·21+ ·Three games ·The wheel picks the games ·The Scramble picks your table ·
Night one

Thursday, November 5.

Doors at 6:30 PM, Ballast Point Little Italy. Put your email in and you'll get a reminder before it starts.

One email when the first night is locked in, then about one a week before each night. Unsubscribe any time. I don't sell or share your info, and I never hand the list to a venue.

Where · Little Italy

Ballast Point, Little Italy.

2215 India St, San Diego, CA 92101. Thursdays on the patio, starting Thursday, November 5. Brewery, fire pits, string lights, long tables. Plenty of room to meet people.

ballastpoint.com → Get directions →

  • The Ballast Point Little Italy patio at dusk: string lights, bar tables and stools under canvas shades
  • Friends laughing around a fire pit with drinks on the patio
  • A flight of four Ballast Point beers on a wooden paddle

Photos: Ballast Point Brewing

So far

1,250+

people signed up for a game night that hasn't happened yet.

The test night. 9 people, one headband game.
The name tag

Everybody writes two things.

Your name, and the answer to that week's question. It changes every week. Somebody reads your tag and has a sentence instead of nothing, which is the cheapest conversation starter ever invented, and it works every single time.

There is one small box on it that says came alone. Tick it. That is the number I care about most.

This week's question is a surprise. Yes, people do argue about the animal one.

Hello my name is

your least favorite animal

The house rules
  1. House Rule #1

    You don't pick your team. The Scramble does.

  2. House Rule #2

    Everybody plays.

  3. House Rule #3

    If you came alone, you're not staying alone.

There are more than three
  1. No phones during the accusation round
  2. The reshuffle is not optional
  3. Losing is funnier than winning
  4. You have to learn one person's name before you leave
  5. Nobody sits out because they got eliminated
  6. First-timers get a shoutout, whether they want it or not
  7. Cheating is allowed if it's entertaining
  8. The person who came alone picks the tiebreaker
  9. We reset every week, so nothing carries over
  10. You are allowed to be bad at this
  11. The bar is why this is free
  12. If you're standing by yourself, that's my fault, come find me
The lineup

15 games. Three a night. Picked at random.

Party games off the shelf, plus a few house games you can only play here. Any of them can come up on any night. You find out which three the day before, on Instagram.

See all 15 games →

Why this exists

Technology keeps getting better at everything except putting people in the same room. I think we're short on that right now, and I don't think that fixes itself.

There's no shortage of things to do in San Diego. There is a shortage of things you can walk into by yourself, on a weeknight, without a plan, and come out of knowing people. Something that happens every week, that's different every week, and that's actually built for the person who showed up alone.

So I'm building one. Come alone. That's the ideal way to do this.

Chase, founder and the guy holding the mic

Questions people actually ask
Is it really free?

Yes. No cover, no ticket, no signup. The bar pays for it, which is House Rule #14. You buy your own drinks, or you don't, and nobody checks.

When is the first one?

Thursday, November 5. Doors at 6:30 PM, on the patio at Ballast Point Little Italy, 2215 India St. Get notified and you get a reminder the week of.

Do I need a team?

No, and you don't get to pick one either. Everybody scans in at the door, and when the host taps Scramble the roster deals the whole room into tables. It happens again before every game. Come alone and you are at a table with a game on it inside a minute, and on a team at the first Scramble. That is House Rule #1 and it is the entire point.

Can I come alone?

That's the ideal way to do this. It's the entire reason this exists. If you walk in alone you are at a table with a game on it within about a minute, and the Scramble puts you on a team before game one.

Do I have to sign up?

Never. Walk in. The email form on this page is only so I can tell you when and where the next one is.

Is this trivia?

No. There are 15 games in rotation and they're different every week. Not one of them has an answer you could have studied for.

Am I going to get put on the spot?

Not alone. Nearly all of it is on a team, the rest is you and one stranger at a time, and House Rule #13 is that you're allowed to be bad at this. The people who are worst at these games have the best nights.

What if I show up late?

Doesn't matter. The first half hour is open play, boxed games on the tables, and there is nothing to catch up on. Check in whenever you land. You are on a table at the next Scramble.

Is there an age limit?

21+. It's in a bar.

Can I bring seven friends?

Bring them. Everybody checks in on their own and the Scramble deals the tables, so you'll spend most of the night at different ones. If your group really wants to stay together, tick the box at check-in and you'll be seated together. We'd rather you didn't: you came together, you leave together, and in between you each meet twenty people.

Come alone. Leave with a group chat.

One email when the first night is locked in, then about one a week before each night. Unsubscribe any time. I don't sell or share your info, and I never hand the list to a venue.

Or just show up. That's always allowed.