Scrawl: Online Drawing and Guessing Game
Draw on your screen, it appears on the TV, everyone else guesses on theirs.
Party · 3 to 16 players · about 15 minutes · free to host, nothing to download, TV optional
About the game
One person draws, everyone else races to type the answer. Scrawl takes 3 to 16 players and about 15 minutes, and it is at its best with 5 to 10: enough guessers to make the points race tense, few enough that every drawer gets a proper turn. The drawer picks from three words and has a minute by default to get the idea across with the pens on their own screen.
With a TV, the drawing grows live on the shared screen while the room squints at it. Without one, everyone picks “Just this screen” and watches it on their own device, which is also how you play on a video call.
How to play
- When it is your turn, choose one of three words and draw it on your screen. Your drawing appears live for everyone.
- Everyone else types guesses on their own screen. Correct guesses score 10, 8, 6, then 4 points in arrival order; later correct guesses earn 3. The drawer earns 10 points for each player who gets it.
- The answer appears when everyone has guessed or time runs out. Everyone draws once per round. Highest total after the last round wins. You can save the drawings afterwards.
Open a room for Scrawl. No app, no accounts, free to host.
Tips to play well
- Speed is worth more than certainty. The first right answer scores 10 and the fifth only 3, and a wrong guess costs nothing, so type your hunch the moment you have one.
- As the drawer you earn 10 for every player who gets it, so a clear, plain drawing beats a clever one. Start with the outline anyone would draw, then add the one detail that separates a cat from a fox.
- Watch the blanks. The screens show how many letters the word has, word by word, so “7 + 5” tells you it is a two-word phrase.
- Spelling is forgiving on longer words: from five letters up, an extra s or a single wrong letter still counts. You get 15 seconds to choose your word; let it run out and you draw the first of the three.
Host settings
- Seconds to draw: 30 to 120 seconds in steps of 10. The default is 60.
- Rounds: From 1 to 5, and everyone draws once per round. The default is 2, or 1 when 8 or more are playing so a big group is not waiting all evening.
- Words: Easy, Medium, Hard or Mixed (the default). Easy is one simple object; Hard needs a clever picture of a word everyone still knows.
Questions people ask
How is Scrawl different from Pictionary?
It is our own take on the draw and guess style, like Pictionary, with no board, easel or sand timer. Guesses are typed, so the fastest right answer takes the points rather than the loudest voice.
Can we add computer players?
Yes, the host can add bots. A bot drawer sketches a simple doodle of its word stroke by stroke; a bot guesser usually tries a wrong word or two first and sometimes never gets there.
Can kids play?
Yes. The words are everyday things, animals, food and places, with nothing scary or unkind, and the Easy list suits younger players. There are no custom words.
Can we play over a video call?
Yes. Everyone joins the room on their own device and picks “Just this screen”, so the drawing appears for each person and nobody has to share their screen. Talk on your usual call app.
Similar games
- 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.
- Doodle Recall: Everyone draws the same words against the clock. Then name your own drawings from memory. 2 to 16 players, about 8 minutes.
- Act It Out: Charades where the other team picks your word. Only your screen shows it. 4 to 16 players, about 15 minutes.
Guides
- 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.
- skribbl.io Word Lists: 600 Custom Words Ready to Paste, by Theme: 15 skribbl.io custom word lists of 40 words each, comma separated and ready to paste: funny, kids, adults, office, hard and more, plus setup tips.
- Holi Games: 30 Ideas for Kids, Adults, Office and Kitty Parties, Indoor, Outdoor and Online: 30 Holi games for kids, adults, office and kitty parties, indoor, outdoor and online, a Holi quiz with answers, safe colour tips and the Holi 2027 date.
- 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.
Pictionary is a trademark of its owner. Rondovo is not affiliated with it.