Draw Telephone: the telephone game with drawings
Everyone writes a sentence. The next player draws it, the one after that guesses from the drawing what it was, and so on. Drawing and guessing take turns until every chain has gone around the table. Then you look at them together and find out what became of "Grandma rides a skateboard".
How to play
- Write a sentence. Everyone secretly comes up with one. Short and visual works best: "A dog orders pizza." Stuck? Take a suggestion.
- Draw. You get someone else's sentence and draw it. No letters, no numbers, just a picture. Time is short, and whatever is done gets passed on.
- Guess. You get someone else's drawing without the sentence and write down what you think it shows.
- Keep alternating. The guess becomes a drawing, the drawing becomes a guess. Keep going until every chain has been to everyone.
- The reveal. The best part. Go through each chain step by step, from the first sentence to the last guess. Whoever started the chain reads it out.
There is no winner. If you like, vote for the favorite moment of the round at the end.
Playing on paper
Everyone needs a small notepad with as many pages as there are players. Write your sentence on page one and pass the pad to the left. The next player reads only the top page, flips it and draws. Pass again: the next player sees only the drawing, flips the page and writes a guess. Always flip, or people see what came before. A 60-second timer for drawing and 30 seconds for guessing keeps the pace up.
Playing with phones
With phones, nobody has to flip pages or keep track. In GameClique the host opens a room with a code and a QR code. Everyone else scans it, types a nickname in the free app and starts drawing. The app sends each sentence and drawing to the right person, counts down the time and plays every chain as a slideshow on all phones at the end. A great chain can be shared as an image or as a vertical video.
If you are looking for a Gartic Phone alternative for a night around the table, this is the same idea built for one room: everyone sits together, laughs at the same pictures, and nobody has to sign up.
20 sentences to start with
A good sentence has a character, an action and a twist. These work almost every time:
- A penguin sells ice cream on the beach.
- Grandpa dances on the kitchen table.
- The cat drives a tractor.
- A snowman sweats in the sauna.
- Two cows play tennis.
- The moon eats a banana.
- A knight waits at the bus stop.
- A giraffe washes windows on the third floor.
- A shark is scared of a goldfish.
- Santa goes on vacation at the beach.
- A snail wins a race.
- The dog orders pizza.
- A robot waters the flowers.
- Three ducks wait outside the movie theater.
- A dragon blows out birthday candles.
- The baker bakes a loaf as big as a house.
- A frog learns to ride a bike.
- Grandma floats away on her umbrella.
- A hedgehog gets a haircut.
- The couch runs away.
Tips for funny chains
- Keep it short. Sentences longer than eight words rarely survive the first drawing.
- Keep it concrete. "Freedom" is hard to draw. "A bird flies out of its cage" is not.
- Guess what you see. Write what is on the screen, not what you think was meant. That is where the best twists come from.
- Leave people out of it. Sentences about someone at the table sound funny at first, but not everyone enjoys them.
Questions people ask
How many players do you need?
Two is enough, then each chain goes back and forth between you. It gets really good with five to ten. More players mean longer, stranger chains. In the app, up to 8 phones play for free, and up to 12 with Plus.
Do guests need to install an app?
Yes, everyone plays with the free GameClique app. The host opens a room, everyone else scans the QR code and draws on their own phone. Anyone without the app gets it from the store and taps the link again. Joining costs nothing and nobody needs an account.
What if I can't draw?
Even better. The game lives on wobbly drawings. Stick figures are fine, and when time runs out, whatever is on the screen gets passed on. The funniest chains start with the worst pictures.
Is it free?
The first game each day is free with up to 8 phones. With GameClique Plus you play as often as you like with up to 12 phones. Guests never pay.
Play it with GameClique
The host opens a room, everyone else draws along in the free app.
- Guests scan the QR code and play in the free app, no account needed.
- The app passes every sentence and drawing to the right person and keeps the time.
- At the end the host flips through every chain, everyone sees it on their phone and votes for a favorite moment.
- Share a chain as an image or a vertical video. One free game a day with up to 8 phones, unlimited and up to 12 with Plus.
Coming soon
The tools are free and ad-free. Everyone plays with the free app. One person pays, everyone plays.
Scan with your phone to get the app