Drawing Telephone: Rules and How to Play
Drawing Telephone is a 3–30 player drawing party game (about 20 minutes): prompts pass along as drawings and guesses, then everyone watches how they changed. Free in your browser.
Setup
- For 3–30 players, each on their own device.
- The host picks the mode (drawings and words, or drawings only) and the input time, then taps Start. Everyone else sees the chosen settings.
- Each booklet visits at most 10 players. With 11 or more players, 10 people add to each booklet.
How to play
- First, everyone writes one prompt. Pick one of the suggestions or write your own (up to 40 characters).
- Booklets then pass to the next player in turn. Nobody ever gets the same booklet twice.
- In Drawings and words mode, you draw the words you receive, and the next player looks at your drawing and writes what it shows. These alternate.
- In Drawings only mode, the first player draws the prompt, and everyone after that sees only the previous drawing and draws the same thing.
- You only see the one entry right before yours. The prompt and the other drawings stay hidden until the reveal.
- Drawing tools: pen, eraser, fill, 24 colours, sizes, see-through, undo, redo and clear.
- When everyone has tapped Done, the game moves on. With a time limit, whatever you have drawn or written is sent automatically when time runs out. With no limit, the host taps Next.
- If someone doesn't finish in time, their entry is left blank and the next player works from the entry before it. Anyone who doesn't write a prompt gets one picked from the suggestions.
Winning and scoring
- When all booklets are complete, the reveal begins. The host flips the pages, and every screen changes at the same time.
- For each booklet you see what one player made next to how the next player took it. At the end of each booklet, the first prompt and the last entry appear side by side.
- There are no points and no winner. After the reveal the host picks Play again (same settings) or Settings.
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 3–30 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Drawings and words alternates between the two; Drawings only has each player copy the previous drawing. For a first game, try Drawings and words. | Drawings and words | Can be changed |
| Input time | Time for each drawing or guess. When it runs out, whatever you have is sent. Longer times make a longer game (8 players at 45 s: about 15 minutes; at 90 s: about 20 minutes). With no limit, the host taps Next. | 45 s | Can be changed |
Terms
- Booklet
- A chain of drawings and words that starts from one player's prompt and grows as it passes around. There is one per player.
- Prompt
- The words written at the start of a booklet, picked from the suggestions or made up.
- Drawings and words
- The mode where words become drawings and drawings become words, in turn.
- Drawings only
- The mode where each player copies the previous drawing.
- Reveal
- The part where the host flips through the booklets and everyone watches together.
FAQ
Can I see anything besides the entry before mine?
No. You only see the one entry right before yours in the booklet you receive. The prompt and other drawings stay hidden until the reveal.
Can others see my drawing while I draw?
No. Only the drawing you finish with Done is passed on.
What happens when time runs out?
Whatever you have drawn or written is sent. If you entered nothing, your entry is blank and the next player works from the entry before it.
What if someone leaves mid-game?
The game carries on without waiting. Their entries are left blank and skipped in the reveal.
How does it work with lots of players?
Each booklet visits at most 10 players. With 11 or more, 10 people add to each booklet, so a game doesn't get much longer as more people join.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-26 · Run by Qdan, Inc.