How do you run a Pictionary-style drawing game?

How a basic drawing round works

A Pictionary-style game needs very little preparation. One person draws a secret prompt and their team tries to guess it from the pictures alone. Because the drawing has to carry the whole clue, the usual round rules don't allow letters, numbers, gestures, mouthing or spoken hints.

Here is one round. Show the prompt only to the artist and start the timer. The artist draws while their team calls out guesses. If the team names the prompt before time runs out, they get one point. Then the other team gets a new artist and a new prompt. Each turn, switch teams and choose a different artist so more people get a chance to draw.

These are house rules, not fixed rules. If your group wants something different, such as allowing a pass, agree on it before the first turn and use it for both teams.

• Show the prompt only to the artist.
• Draw only: no letters, numbers, gestures, mouthing or talking.
• The team guesses until time runs out.
• A correct answer earns one point. A missed answer earns nothing, but no points are lost.
• Alternate teams and change artists every turn.

A miss only means no point for that turn. The player stays in the game and keeps their place in the team and artist rotation, so they draw or guess again when their team's next turn comes. Explain this before you start and show one turn. For other games built the same way, see these party games with no elimination.

Setting the timer and deciding how long to play

Choose a time limit that matches the prompts. The suggested limit is 60 seconds for familiar prompts and 90 seconds for hard ones. Whichever you choose, use the same limit for both teams.

Plan the length of the whole game by the number of turns, not only the timer. Choosing prompts and switching artists takes time too.

Forming teams and keeping score

At the end, the team with the most points wins. In the hard-prompt rules, a tied score means the teams share the win. Decide how strict you'll be about answers before the first turn, because longer phrases leave room for argument.

Choosing prompts at the right difficulty

The difficulty depends mostly on what the artist has to show. A familiar object is quick to draw; actions, scenes and ideas need more pictures. The hard prompt set is split into four groups, and each calls for a slightly different way of drawing.

For an abstract prompt, draw a person or object first, then show the relationship that creates the idea. For example, for daydream you might draw someone looking out a window with a thought bubble showing a faraway place. For peer pressure, you might show one person hesitating while friends point toward an activity. A clock beside a doorway gives teammates more to work with than unconnected symbols: the clock suggests time and the doorway suggests a way to travel somewhere else. These are possible clues, not required drawings. Add one clue at a time so the team can follow how the pictures fit together.

Actions and scenes work the same way. For assembling furniture, draw the pieces beside a person holding a tool. For a detective following footprints, draw the trail first, then the detective looking where it leads.

If nobody is getting close, choose a more concrete prompt next time. If drawing doesn't suit the group, switch to an acting game such as charades.

• Tricky objects: start with the outline, then add the details that set the object apart.
• Difficult actions: show who is doing what and what makes the action unusual.
• Abstract ideas: connect people, objects and situations so teammates can follow the idea.
• Complicated scenes: draw the main person and setting first, then add the clue that explains what is happening.

Adapting the game for children, teens and adults

Each prompt set has its own suggested age. The general Pictionary words pack is marked family-clean and best for ages 8 and up, and the funny prompts are also rated best for ages 8 and up, using familiar objects, animals, jobs and actions. The hard prompts are family-clean and best for ages 12 and up. The carol drawing relay is planned for ages 5 and up, adjusted for the children's reading and carol knowledge.

If a child can't read a prompt yet, an adult can read it to them quietly without the guessers hearing. With younger players, start with familiar objects.

Reading the prompt for a child is one way to share jobs across reading abilities. These party games for a mixed-age crowd give children roles such as reader, finder and collector. In their charades game, a helper whispers the prompt to a nonreader, who then mimes it; for this drawing game, keep the no-talking, draw-only rules above.

Trying the Christmas carol drawing relay

The carol relay is a separate seasonal format with its own setup, so use the full instructions on the Christmas carol drawing relay page when you run it. The basic team rules above don't cover how its runners, relays and tiebreak work.

A few details help you plan. Artists draw carol titles, with no talking, mouthing or acting; after 30 seconds, the artist may point to objects in the room. A set has nine rounds of 90 seconds each, and an unscored picture round is available for younger children.

Example: a short game for two teams

This is an illustrative example using the suggested short-game rules. Eight guests split into two teams of four. The host picks familiar prompts, sets a 60-second timer and agrees on these rules before the first turn: draw only, the full answer or close wording earns one point, and there is one free pass per turn.

Turn 1: Team A's artist draws a prompt and the team guesses it in time, so they get one point. Turn 2: Team B's artist draws, nobody guesses, the host reveals the answer and the artist explains their clues. Team B gets no point and loses nothing. Turns 3 and 4 use new artists from each team.

That's four turns of up to 60 seconds, or at most 4 minutes of drawing, plus time to choose prompts and change artists. The team with more points after all four turns wins; a tie is a shared win. For everyone to draw once, the host would agree on four turns per team before starting. For a harder second game with teens or adults, switch to hard prompts with 90-second turns.

What to do when nobody guesses, and how to finish

End the game once every team has had the same number of turns, then add up the points. If the game isn't working for the group, switching to a word game or an acting game is a reasonable change.

If you switch to a word game, Scattergories is one option. These Scattergories categories come with their own scoring: a valid answer earns two points if no other player or team wrote the same thing. Start fresh with those rules rather than carrying the drawing points over.

• Choose a prompt set that suits the guests' ages
• Get paper or a whiteboard, something to draw with and a timer
• Keep the prompts out of the guessers' view
• Agree on the time limit, the number of turns, passes and how strict to be about answers
• Alternate teams and change artists each turn
• Give the same number of turns to each team, then total the points

Sources and further reading

• Hard Pictionary Words
• Funny Pictionary Words
• Christmas carol drawing relay
• Pictionary Words

Related questions

• What games work for a family Christmas or winter gathering?
• How do you play charades with children and mixed-age groups?
• How do I run fair team games and choose prizes?
• How can children of different ages play party games together?