How to play charades
Choose a category and a mode
Pick everyday actions, animals, objects, jobs, sports or movie scenes. Use the prompt generator if you already have your own rules. For a scored game, divide into two teams and choose turns of 60, 90 or 120 seconds.
Show the prompt to the actor only
Keep the device out of sight of the people guessing. Read the prompt, then use gestures and movement to act it out without speech or sound effects. You do not need props. Adapt movements to your space and comfort, or skip a prompt that does not suit you.
Guess, score and swap teams
In a timed round, press Got it for a correct guess or Skip to move on without a point. Each correct prompt adds one point. A round ends when the timer or deck runs out. Pass the device for the next team’s turn and compare the session totals.
Make your gestures easy to guess
Start with the main action before adding details. For a chef tossing a pancake, show the pan first, then the flip. Repeat one clear motion and watch which guesses get close. Nod when your team finds part of the answer, then act out the missing part. If a scene is going nowhere, skip and use the remaining time on a fresh idea.
Agree on a fair game before you start
Give both teams the same category and round length. Decide whether a close description counts: “a dog bringing back a stick” can mean the same thing as “a dog fetching a stick.” Choose the same number of turns for each team and rotate actors. Got it adds one point, Skip adds none, and the highest total after your agreed turns wins.
Adapt charades to your group
For children or first-time players, begin with everyday actions or animals and choose 90 or 120 seconds. Mime seated if that is more comfortable; small hand movements and facial expressions can tell a whole story. Let a helper who can see the prompt handle the buttons. For relaxed play with your own rules, switch to Prompt generator.
Pick charades words everyone can recognise
An enjoyable prompt gives the actor something clear to do and the audience something familiar to recognise. Everyday actions work well for a first round; animals add movement, and objects encourage players to imitate how something works. Jobs combine a person with a task. Sports suit a group that knows the movements, while movie scenes are imaginary situations rather than film-title trivia. The 480 prompts are split into six decks of 80, so you can stay with a favourite category for longer.
Run a short charades game night
Divide into two teams and agree on an equal number of turns before starting. Choose 60 seconds for a brisk game or 90 or 120 seconds for more thinking time. Alternate actors so the same confident player does not take every turn. One teammate can operate the device while another performs. Keep the screen facing away from the guessing team. After each round, review the correct and skipped prompts, then hand over to the other team.
Use the random generator with your own rules
Prompt generator is useful when you already have a scoreboard or simply want acting ideas without a clock. Draw a card, read it privately and hide it before showing the device to anyone else. The remaining count tracks the current deck; a skipped card is still used. A new deck or a category change can bring familiar ideas back. You can also use your own video call, keeping the prompt on the actor’s device and the camera focused on their gestures.
Make harder charades fair and fun
A longer prompt is not automatically a better challenge. First make sure everyone understands the vocabulary, then agree how precise an answer must be. For an accountant checking receipts, you might accept counting expenses if both teams agreed to recognise the main idea. Do not change the standard midway through a match. Let players skip an unfamiliar word without embarrassment, and mime a movement instead of attempting a real stunt. The game awards points when you press Got it; your group judges the guesses.