One person gets the word. Everyone else has to guess from the flailing. You run the whole thing from one phone, and the scores keep themselves.
You have played this with folded-up bits of paper in a bowl. Neegma handles the words, the clock, and the scores, so you can play it with the people in your living room or with friends spread across three countries.
Only you can see this
GIRAFFE
Act it out. No talking, no pointing at things in the room.
What actually happens
The performer picks up the phone and sees the word. They put the phone face down. The clock starts. They mime something that looks suspiciously like a giraffe wearing sunglasses.
Their team is shouting at them from the sofa. Someone gets it. They tap Got it, the next word appears, the scoreboard moves on the TV. Someone else mimes a pineapple and the room goes.
Three rounds in, nobody has looked at their phone, and one of your quieter friends has given the performance of their life.
The rules
The performer sees a word on their phone and acts it out without speaking.
Their teammates, or the rest of the group in individual mode, guess aloud.
The performer taps Correct after a successful guess or Skip for another word. Keep going until the timer ends.
The host reviews the results, then the next performer takes a turn. After everyone has played, start another round or finish.
Correctly guessed words earn points for the performer or team. The value per word depends on the chosen turn length. Highest total score wins.
Classic party game everyone loves
Only the performer sees the words on their device
Everyone else watches the performer and guesses aloud
Fast-paced
Keep the energy high!
Words are organised by category for variety
While you host
The host starts each turn, checks its results and decides when the group has played enough.
Leaderboard
After round 3
Example final podium
The Loud Ones
4,655
Sofa Squad
5,320
Team Pineapple
3,990
Example team totals with 60-second turns
After a turn, tap any word in the review to mark it Correct or Skipped. Your reviewed list determines the result before you advance.
The actor's player view shows the current word. Your host screen shows the turn score and recent words, so the group can follow without seeing the next answer.
After everyone has taken a turn, compare the running totals. Choose Next Round to keep playing or Finish Game to carry the result into the session standings.
Leave a clear area in front of the shared screen. Keep the actor's phone within reach for marking guesses and reading the next word.
Share the host tab and pin the performer's camera. Ask them to frame their hands and upper body before starting the clock.
Aim the room camera at the acting area and use a room microphone so remote performers can hear the guesses coming back.
Use cases
The same acting turn can open a workshop, bring wedding tables together or centre a birthday game.
Team offsites
Mix colleagues into teams for a break between workshop sessions. With one actor and several guessers, people can contribute in different ways. Start with 60-second turns, then use the round leaderboard as a natural point to return to the agenda.
Plan a team sessionWedding receptions
Between courses, invite a guest from each table to perform for their team. Their word stays on their own phone while everyone watches the acting. The MC starts each turn when the guest is ready and can finish the round before the next speech.
Plan wedding gamesBirthdays and house parties
Build a word set around the birthday guest's favourite films, hobbies and shared memories, then arrange teams around the sofa. A familiar reference still has to work as a mime. Review any disputed guesses together before passing the acting turn to someone else.
Plan birthday gamesBuild a set around your subject, guests or occasion in the Playground.
Customise CharadesPlay format
There is one performer at a time in either format.
Act for your teammates.
Teams take turns. One member acts while their teammates guess, and successful words count towards the team's score. The performer rotates each round.
Best for
groups who want to guess together.
Take your own turn.
Each player acts for the group. Correctly guessed words count towards the performer's score, then the next player takes over.
Best for
smaller groups with a score for each performer.
Before you start
More about hosting? Visit the help center.
Case studies
Ready to run
Choose a prepared game lineup and review its settings before you host.
