Charades game

Everything a charades game needs

A game of charades needs four things: something to act, a way to keep time, a way to keep score and a way to make sure nobody draws the same slip twice. With paper, that means writing slips, finding a hat, setting a stopwatch and keeping a tally on the back of an envelope. The hat above does all four on one phone. Tap it to start a turn, act, and press Got it each time your team guesses.

Quick rules

1. Split into two or more teams. Teams take turns.
2. One player from the team whose turn it is takes the phone and taps the hat. Only that player looks at the slip.
3. The player acts the slip out with no words and no sounds. Teammates shout guesses.
4. When they guess it, the player presses Got it and the next slip appears. A slip that is not working can be passed.
5. When time is up, the phone goes to the next team. Each slip guessed is 1 point.
6. Play an agreed number of turns, or until everyone has acted at least once. Highest score wins.

These are the common modern rules described in the history of the game: teams take turns, the actor stays silent, a clock limits each turn and a sheet tallies the points. Many families add their own twists, so agree on yours before you start. The full guide covers the details and the hand signals most groups use.

Picking teams and turns

For 4 to 10 players, two teams is simplest. For a big family gathering or a class, use three or four teams so people do not wait too long between turns. Name the teams in the hat and the score board shows whose turn is next, which saves the usual argument. Pick a turn length that suits the room: 30 seconds is frantic and fun for teens, 60 seconds suits most groups, 90 seconds helps younger players and harder slips.

The three round version

Once a group knows charades, many move on to the bowl game, also called Fishbowl or Celebrity. Everyone writes a few slips, the slips go in a bowl and the same slips are played three times: first described in words, then acted out, then with a single word. One player described it as "a hell of a lot of fun" with good friends. Switch the hat to Bowl, fold in your own slips and the hat runs all three rounds for you. The bowl game guide has the full rules.

Charades for kids, classrooms and parties

For young children, choose Little kids and Animals, switch the timer off and let the whole room guess together instead of in teams. Teachers can project the hat from a laptop and use the keyboard: Space for Got it and the left arrow to pass. At a party, a share link lets you set up the hat with your own slips before the guests arrive and open it on any phone.

Why play on a phone instead of an app?

Charades apps are fun, but reviewers keep running into the same problems: decks that disappear after they paid for them, pop ups in the middle of a turn, crashes and cards that repeat. This game is a web page. It loads in a second, has no account, no paid decks and no ads in the middle of your turn, and it keeps your own slips on your own phone.