Doodle Recall: Drawing and Memory Party Game Online
Everyone draws the same words against the clock. Then name your own drawings from memory.
Party · 2 to 16 players · about 8 minutes · free to host, nothing to download, TV optional
About the game
This one tests your memory as much as your drawing. Everyone gets the same word at the same moment and has 20 seconds, by default, to draw it. Nine words later your drawings come back to you, numbered and unlabelled, and you have to name each one.
It plays with 2 to 16 people in about 8 minutes, so it works for a couple on the sofa as well as a full party, and nobody waits for a turn. The TV shows the word being drawn and the big reveal at the end. No TV? Pick “Just this screen”; on a video call, everyone does that on their own device.
How to play
- Every player gets the same word on their own screen and on the TV. Draw it before the clock runs out, or tap Done. Nobody sees your drawing until the end.
- After the last word you get your drawings back, numbered, with the words hidden. Tap each one and type what it was. You can change answers until you tap I'm done.
- You score a point for every drawing you name right. Small typos and plurals still count. Most points wins, and naming them all is a perfect recall. The TV then shows every drawing with its word.
Open a room for Doodle Recall. No app, no accounts, free to host.
Tips to play well
- Draw for your future self, not for an audience. One detail you will recognise, like the stripes that make a zebra not a horse, is worth more than a tidy outline.
- The drawings come back numbered in the order you drew them. If you can remember the run of words, even a vague scribble can be placed.
- Answers are forgiving: capitals, a leading “a” or “the” and a plural never matter, and words of five letters or more allow one slip, such as a missing or swapped letter. Shorter words need the right letters.
- You can change any answer until you tap I’m done, so fill in the easy ones first and come back to the strange ones before the clock runs out.
Host settings
- Words: 9 words (the default) or 12 words. Everyone draws every word.
- Seconds per drawing: 15 to 30 seconds in steps of 5, default 20. The next word starts early once everyone has tapped Done.
- Seconds to remember: 60 to 180 seconds in steps of 15, default 90. Recall ends early once everyone has tapped I’m done.
Questions people ask
Can two people play?
Yes, it works from 2 players up to 16. Everyone draws the same words at the same time, so it plays as well for two as for a crowd.
Can I see other people’s drawings while we play?
No. Nobody sees anyone else’s drawings until the reveal, when the TV pages through every player’s sheet with the real word under each one.
Will we get the same words next game?
Unlikely. The room remembers the words it drew recently and picks fresh ones, so back to back games feel new.
Can we add computer players?
Yes, the host can add bots. They draw a few rough strokes per word and name about 60 percent of their drawings right, so a sharp memory will beat them.
Similar games
- Scrawl: Draw on your screen, it appears on the TV, everyone else guesses on theirs. 3 to 16 players, about 15 minutes.
- Spindoodle: Draw the word on a round sheet of paper that spins under your pen. Everyone else guesses on their own screen. 3 to 16 players, about 10 minutes.
- Chain Sketch: Pick a secret word, draw, guess, pass it on. Every book comes home and the TV replays it. 4 to 12 players, about 30 minutes.
Guides
- Birthday Party Games for Kids: 38 Indoor and Outdoor Games by Age (3 to 5, 6 to 8, 9 to 12): 38 birthday party games for kids aged 3 to 12, indoor and outdoor, with what you need, how long each takes, sample schedules and fair prizes.
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- 373 Pictionary Words and Ideas for Kids and Adults, by Difficulty and Theme (Plus a Dice Generator): 373 original Pictionary words and ideas by difficulty and theme, how to play with paper and a pen, and a way to pick random words with two dice.
- Party Games: 62 of the Best Party Games for Any Group, Room and Mood (With a Chooser): 62 of the best party games, sorted by group size, energy, setting and props, each with players, time, what you need and how to play.