How to play
Rules take a minute to learn; the fun lasts all night.
Create or join a room
Create a public or private room on the home page and share the link or 6-character code, or use Quick join to enter a public room. 2–8 players; the host starts the game.
Drawer picks a word
The drawer sees 2 words (2–5 in private rooms, set by the host) and has 15 seconds to choose. If time runs out, the first word is picked automatically.
Draw against the clock
The drawer has up to 80 seconds. No letters, numbers or saying the answer. If nothing is drawn in the first 20 seconds, the turn is skipped.
Race to guess
Everyone else types guesses; wrong guesses cost nothing. A correct guess is not shown in chat — others only see that you got it — so they can keep trying. The turn ends early once every connected guesser has it.
Scoring
A correct guess scores 100 points plus up to 100 for speed, in proportion to the drawing time left. The drawer scores 40 points for each correct guesser.
Rotation & results
After each turn the answer and points are shown for 8 seconds. Players draw in the order they joined, and a round ends when everyone has drawn once. After the last round the highest total wins, and the host can start a rematch.
Drawing Tips for Artists
Keep it Simple & Iconic
Don’t draw detailed sketches — you have 80 seconds at most. Focus on the defining feature of the object (long ears for a rabbit, a leaf on an apple) so it is easy to recognise.
Use Colors for Context
Use the six crayon colors: a yellow sun, green grass, red fire. The right colors help people guess faster.
No Letters or Numbers
Never write the word, letters or numbers on the canvas. Other players can report the drawing, and a majority report removes you from the room.
Clear and Start Over Quickly
If a drawing goes wrong, don’t spend time fixing it. Undo or Clear and start again — it is often faster.
Guessing Strategies
Watch the Blanks & Category
The top bar shows the category (e.g. Animals, Food) and one blank per letter or character, so you know the length. Letters are not revealed over time — the drawing is your main clue.
Speed is Points
A correct guess is worth 100 points plus up to 100 bonus points the faster you answer. Even a late correct guess still scores well.
Guess Often, Guess Wildly
There is no penalty for wrong guesses. Type whatever comes to mind — a near miss can point the others in the right direction.
Lobby Configurations
Best Player Count
Rooms hold 2 to 8 players. Two players works, but 4–6 usually gives a good balance between waiting for your turn and competing to guess.
Private Room Settings
When creating a private room, the host sets the rounds (1–6, default 3) and word choices (2–5). They are fixed once the room is created, so check them before pressing “Create and enter”.
Custom Word Lists
Paste up to 100 words (each up to 24 characters) separated by commas or new lines when creating a private room. Add a hint in brackets, e.g. “bubble tea (drink)”: guessers see the hint, and it is not part of the answer. The list cannot be edited after the room is created.
Removing Players
In private rooms the host can remove a player at any time. In public rooms the host can only remove players before the game starts.
Smart AFK Protections
20-Second Idle Drawer Skip
If the canvas is still empty 20 seconds into a turn, the turn is skipped so nobody waits for nothing.
3-Turn Inactivity Removal (public rooms)
In public rooms, a player who does nothing — no guess, message, reaction or drawing — for 3 turns in a row is removed. A warning appears one turn before. Private rooms never remove players automatically.
Host Handover
If the host disconnects, the next connected player becomes host. In a public room with enough players, if the host does not start within 60 seconds, host rights pass to the next player.
Full rules reference
The numbers on this page come from the same settings the game server uses.
- Public vs private rooms
- Public: listed in Quick join, official words only, 2 word choices, rounds set by player count, inactive players removed, and drawings that someone guesses may be shared to the Gallery. Private: link or code only, host settings, optional custom words, and never shared to the Gallery.
- Number of rounds
- Public rooms: 2–3 players play 3 rounds, 4–5 players play 2 and 6–8 players play 1. Private rooms: 1–6 rounds, default 3. In one round every player draws once.
- Joining a running game
- New players can join until the room is full. They see the current drawing and are added to the end of the drawing order.
- Disconnecting and reconnecting
- If your connection drops, keep the page open: the game reconnects automatically and you keep your score. Closing or reloading the page makes you join again as a new player. If you are still disconnected when the current turn ends, you leave the game. If the drawer disconnects, the turn ends at once. If everyone leaves, the room is kept for 2 minutes and then deleted.
- When a room expires
- A room that nobody joins is deleted after 24 hours. After that, its link and code no longer work.
- How answers are checked
- Capital letters, spaces and hyphens are ignored. Official words are accepted in all nine supported languages. Custom words must match what the host typed; text in brackets is only a hint.
- Chat and nicknames
- Messages and guesses are limited to 100 characters and nicknames to 20. Common offensive words are masked automatically. The drawer, and players who already guessed, cannot send messages containing the answer.
- Reporting a drawing
- Guessers can report the current drawing. When at least half of them, and at least 2, report it, the turn is cancelled, the drawing is discarded and the drawer is removed from the room.
- Breaking the rules
- Writing the answer, offensive drawings, sharing personal information or harassing other players can get you reported or removed by the host. Gallery drawings are hidden after 3 reports. There are no accounts, so there is no ban system yet; serious problems can be emailed to hello@doodleguesser.com.