It's classic charades, minus the slips of paper and the hourglass: the phone splits up the teams, draws the cards and tells you when the minute's up. All you have to do is wave your arms around and shout answers.
With 4 to 12 people, add the names in the order you're sitting: the game alternates them into Team Cherry and Team Lemon, so teams are mixed around the room and everyone has a rival next to them. If there are 2 or 3 of you, you all play on the same team against the clock.
Choose the cards: Mild (actions, animals, jobs, sports and objects), Party (movies, TV shows, songs, characters and party moments) or Spicy 18+ (flirting and dating). Before the first minute, the first actor picks whether you play to 8, 12 or 16 points; after that it's locked in.
The game says whose turn it is. Their team can't see the screen; the other team can watch to make sure it's all fair. When you're ready, tap Start the minute and the one-minute countdown begins.
The card shows the category and what to act out. Start with the category sign. Movie sign: crank an old-fashioned camera next to your face. Song sign: pretend to sing into a mic. TV sign: draw a rectangle (a screen) in the air. Then go for it. No talking and no sounds.
Your team shouts answers nonstop. If they get it, tap Got it!: one point and a new card. If one gets stuck, Skip throws it out with no penalty, but the clock keeps running.
When the minute ends you see a summary of guesses and skips. If the team didn't get a single one, a sip (or water) for the whole team. Then the other team goes and, within each team, a different person acts every time.
At the end of each lap (when both teams have played the same number of minutes), if a team has reached the target and is ahead, it wins the game and the other team takes a sip (or water). If it's a tie, you keep playing until someone pulls ahead. With a Rematch, the score goes back to zero and you can pick 8, 12 or 16 points again.
All 183 cards in the game, split into 10 categories. Use them to play without a phone (someone on the other team shows the card to the actor), hit “Random” to use this page as a charades generator, or warm up before the game.
183cards · tap one to copy it
Blockbusters and classics everyone knows. Movie sign: crank an old-fashioned camera next to your face.
Songs that have played at every party, across a few generations. Song sign: pretend to sing into a mic.
From the sitcoms everyone grew up with to the biggest streaming hits. TV sign: draw a rectangle (a screen) in the air.
Superheroes, storybook classics and movie icons: each one has a move that gives them away.
Scenes everyone has lived through on a night out. Act them out from start to finish, like a tiny play.
For the first round or for first-timers: two moves and everyone gets it.
Pretend you're working or playing: the most typical move is usually enough.
Don't draw them in the air: use them. Pretend you're holding one.
Flirting, dates, exes and famous charmers. Suggestive and hilarious, never explicit.
Two teams and one minute per turn, but this time you describe it out loud… without saying any of the four forbidden words on each card.
Charades is the game of acting something out without talking so your team can guess it. One person draws a card, acts it out with gestures only, and their teammates shout answers until someone gets it. It's been a staple of holiday get-togethers, summer camps and game nights forever.
The fun part is that everyone thinks they'll be great at it until it's their turn. Acting out “Ironing a shirt” is easy; “Back to the Future,” with the clock running and your team yelling nonsense, is a whole other story.
This version is an online charades game for teams: the phone is your charades generator, timer and scoreboard. There are 10 categories and three levels, so it works for a chill dinner party and for a pregame where everyone's ready to look a little ridiculous.
The best charades words are things you can do with your body: actions, animals, jobs and sports. If a card can only be explained by talking, it doesn't work. That's why the Mild cards are things you can see, use or do, like a penguin, a plumber or an umbrella.
Movies for charades work better the more famous they are and the more iconic scenes they have: the arms-out moment at the front of the ship in Titanic, the lion cub held up on the rock or the music from Jaws (which you can't hum here). Same with songs: if they come with their own dance, like the Macarena or YMCA, they're basically a gift.
If you're playing on paper, mix levels: a couple of easy ones to get going, then harder titles. And stick to titles every generation at the table knows, so nobody's left out.
The Spicy level has 42 charades for adults cards: first dates, flirting at a bar, running into your ex at the same party, terrible pickup lines and movie-level charmers like Casanova or James Bond.
They're suggestive and good for a lot of laughs, but none of them are explicit: the idea is for the actor to look ridiculous in a fun way, not for anyone to feel uncomfortable. If the group is close, mix them in with the Party cards; if not, save them for later.
Like everything on this site, it's for adults only. If you're in the mood for more flirty games, try juicy Never Have I Ever.
With one phone, the actor holds it and their team doesn't look at the screen. If you'd rather everyone play on their own phone, create a room: the card only shows up for the actor and the other team, who keeps it fair, while the actor's teammates just see that it's their turn to guess.
That way you can also play long-distance: start a video call, have everyone join the room from their phone and make sure the actor stands right in front of the camera.
Without alcohol, absolutely: every sip can be swapped for water, or you can just play for the score, which gets competitive enough on its own. The game works exactly the same.
That said, this site is made for adults (18+). Charades is a classic for all ages, but this version, with sips and a Spicy level, is for grown-ups. For more games with friends that need nothing but a phone, check out all our games.
Category first, then the card. Doing the movie, song or TV sign saves your team a lot of seconds. Then go for the most recognizable thing: the most famous scene, the dance, the character's signature move. When your team gets close, point at them and nod like crazy.
Divide and conquer. For long titles, hold up fingers for the number of words and go for the easiest one; tap fingers on your forearm for syllables and tug your ear for “sounds like.” If nobody's getting close after a few seconds, skip: there's no penalty and a minute is enough for several cards.
If you're guessing, say everything that comes to mind out loud, even if it's silly: it helps the actor know if they're on the right track. And if you're on the other team, look at the card and make sure nobody lets out even a whisper.
You play in two teams. Taking turns, one person has one minute to act out as many cards as they can without talking, and their team shouts answers; each correct guess is a point. The team that reaches the target score and is ahead wins.
2 to 12. With four or more, you play in two teams, which the game builds by alternating the order you're sitting in. If there are 2 or 3 of you, you play together: take turns acting and try to reach the target score in as few turns as possible.
You choose before the first minute: 8, 12 or 16 points. The team that reaches it and is ahead once both teams have played the same number of minutes wins; if it's a tie, you keep playing.
Tap “Skip”: it's thrown out with no penalty and a new one comes up. Just remember the minute keeps running.
If a team ends its minute without a single correct guess, a sip (or water) for the whole team. At the end, the team that loses the game takes another sip (or water).
183 cards in 10 categories: actions, animals, jobs, sports and objects (Mild); movies, TV shows, songs, characters and party moments (Party); and flirting and dating (Spicy 18+). They're all on this page.
No: no words and no sounds, not even humming. Gestures only. The other team can see the card to make sure.
Yes. In the game, every card is drawn at random from the level you pick, and on this page the “Random” button picks a random card from the list, so you can play on paper too.
Yes. In a room, only the actor and the other team see the card; the actor's teammates just see that it's their turn to guess. With a video call open, it works just the same long-distance.
You don't have to drink: every sip can be swapped for water, or you can just play for points. It's free and runs in your phone's browser, with no download and no sign-up. This site is for adults only (18+ and of legal drinking age where you live).