How to play Charades
Take turns going up with the phone and acting out the word it shows — no talking. Everyone else shouts guesses, whoever gets it scores a point, and most points wins.
- Players2–30
- TimeDepends on the words — 6 players, 1 word each takes about 10 minutes
- You needThe host’s phone
How it works
- Set how many players and how many words each, then pick categories (animals, jobs, sports, everyday life, food, getting around, things, funny situations, idioms — as many as you like).
- Sit in a circle. The first player takes the phone and draws a word without letting anyone see.
- Tap “Start acting!” and act it out: no talking, no sounds, no mouthing, and no pointing at things in the room.
- Everyone shouts guesses until someone gets it; the first to guess scores a point and the actor taps “Got it!”. Can’t act it out? Tap “Another one” before you start.
- Once you start, the word is covered and only the number of letters shows — go back to see it if you forget. If everyone’s stuck, give a hint: “Show category” or “Reveal a letter”, then turn the phone around. When all the words are done, most points wins.
Hosting tips
Say thisLet’s play Charades! We take turns acting out the word on the phone — no talking, no sounds. Everyone else shouts guesses, and the first to get it scores a point, so keep track. You can skip a word you can’t do, and give a hint if we’re stuck. Most points wins!
- For a first round, try just “Animals” and “Everyday life”, then add “Idioms” and “Funny situations” once everyone’s warmed up.
- The actor decides who guessed first; if two people shout it at the same time, both score.
- The phone doesn’t keep score — just count. Want a forfeit? Have the lowest scorer draw from “Action cards” in Game night helpers.