Charades: the no-talking party game

How a rapid-fire turn works

This is not the traditional parlour game in which one person acts out a single film title at leisure: in Charades every turn is against the clock, and the person miming tries to get as many cards guessed as possible before time is up. That pace is what sets it apart.

1. The app announces whose turn it is to mime: hand them the phone, which they hold facing themselves.
2. Tap Go!: the timer starts and the first card appears, with the category at the top (Actions, Animals, Jobs…) and the word in the middle. The mime looks at it without showing anyone, and from that moment cannot speak or make any noises.
3. Everyone else shouts out as many answers as they like, with no taking turns and no penalty for wrong guesses.
4. As soon as someone says the right word, the mime taps Correct!: one point, and the next card appears straight away.
5. If a card is impossible, the mime taps Pass: no point and no penalty, but the clock keeps running.
6. When the timer runs out, the turn ends by itself. The summary shows how many cards were guessed and passed, with the list of words.

Without teams the points go to the mime, and everyone takes a turn at miming. In team mode the mime rotates within the team and the points go to the team. The game ends after a set number of rounds (everyone mimes the same number of times) or at a target score: in that case, when someone reaches the target, the app completes the current round before announcing the winner.

What to prepare before you start

You need at least three people, one phone and a bit of clear space in front of the mime: no coffee table in the way, no glasses within arm’s reach. On the group screen, type in the names and choose:

• How to play: Everyone (each player for themselves) or In teams, from 2 to 4. In team mode each team needs at least two players.
• Turn duration: 30, 60, 90 or 120 seconds; the default is 60.
• End of game: after a set number of turns, from 1 to 6 each (2 by default), or at a target score between 5 and 40 (20 by default).
• Deck: Mixed is the default and draws from actions, animals, jobs, objects, sport, situations and emotions.
• Your own word list: words you have written yourselves, handy for children or for a themed party.

A practical tip: decide before you start whether the “conventional” gestures are allowed, such as showing the number of words on your fingers or tugging your ear for “sounds like”. The app does not forbid them, but it is better if everyone plays by the same rule.

Sixty seconds with Sophie: a turn as it happened

Sophie, Jack, Emma, Tom and little Lily are playing without teams, 60 seconds per turn, Mixed deck. It is Sophie’s turn.

1. First card: Fishing. Sophie perches on the arm of the sofa, casts an imaginary line and waits. “Fishing!” shouts Jack after a few seconds. Correct.
2. Second card: Blowing up a balloon. Puffed-out cheeks, hands spreading round an ever bigger sphere. Lily gets there first. Correct.
3. Third card: Traffic warden. Sophie writes on an imaginary pad, sticks something on an imaginary windscreen, wags a finger. “Policeman!” “Parking!” With twenty seconds to go she cuts her losses and taps Pass.
4. Fourth card: Chef. She stirs a pot and tastes from a ladle. “Chef!” says Emma, just in time. Correct.
5. The timer runs out while Sophie is miming the fifth card: the turn ends by itself.

The summary shows 3 correct and 1 passed: Sophie takes 3 points. The list of words sparks a debate about how on earth you mime a traffic warden, then the phone passes to Jack.

One phone passed around, or a room

With one phone the mime holds it facing themselves and taps the outcomes: they are the only one who sees the screen. The phone changes hands every turn; a turn always ends when time runs out.

In a room the host creates it and the others join with a code or a QR code. The card reaches only the mime’s phone, with the Correct and Pass buttons; everyone else sees on their own screen the timer, who is miming and how many cards have been guessed or passed. The way you play hardly changes, but nobody has to hand their phone to anyone.

• The turn starts when the mime taps “I’m ready” or when the host starts it.
• The host can end a turn early with the button to finish the turn, and moves the game on to the next mime.
• In a room you play without teams: the points always go to the mime. The durations are the same (30 to 120 seconds) and the target score is chosen from 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40.

Tricks for miming better (and guessing faster)

If you are miming

• Look at the category before the word: for a job, mime the tools of the trade; for an emotion, put everything into your face.
• Use your whole body and make your gestures bigger: a timid movement from the sofa is lost on everyone.
• When someone is getting close, point at them and beckon them on; when they are completely off, shake your head and change tack.
• Do not get attached to a card: after fifteen or twenty seconds without progress, Pass buys you time.

If you are guessing

• Say out loud what you see, even if it seems obvious: “Pot! Stirring! Cooking!” often leads to the right word.
• Try close variations: verb and noun, synonyms, singular and plural.

The most common fouls

• Making noises: miaowing for “cat” or blowing a whistle for “referee” is not allowed.
• Writing letters in the air or mouthing the word.
• Pointing at a real object in the room, such as the phone or an umbrella propped up nearby.

From children to grandparents: who it suits

Charades is one of the easiest games to suggest to a mixed group: guessing does not require good reading or a big vocabulary, and to mime, a child who cannot read yet only needs an adult to whisper the word. With children from 4 or 5 the “child mimes, adult reads” pairing works well, with 90- or 120-second turns; you can also play in teams that mix ages, so nobody gets left behind. A word list of your own with animals and everyday actions makes the first games simpler.

The ideal number is four to ten people: you can play with three, but with more voices the answers come sooner; beyond ten it gets hard to tell who said the right word, and it is worth switching to teams. It is perfect for birthday parties, family gatherings at Christmas and evenings when the group fancies getting up and moving. For more ideas, see the guide to games that need no equipment; and for anyone who would rather draw than mime, there is Doodle Guess.