Pictionary is a classic drawing game that has been enjoyed by so many over the years. We’ve been really excited about all the related games that have popped up in the last couple of years. If you enjoy the concept of drawing games, here are our recommendations for other games similar to Pictionary that you are sure to love, regardless of drawing ability (not all of us are artists). We’ve included some party games, some family friendly games and some adult ones so that there’s something for everyone. These games are incredibly clever, strategic and downright hilarious!
In MonsDRAWsity, players take turns describing and drawing crazy bizarre monsters. Each round, one player draws a card that has an illustration of a unique monster. They have a limited amount of time to get a good look, after which they have to verbally describe the monster from memory to the rest of the players who will attempt to draw it. Players can ask as many questions as they like to try to get their drawing to look as close as possible to how they think the original monster on the card looked. At the end of the round, the card is revealed and players vote on which drawing they think looks most like the real monster card.
Age: 8+
Number of players: 3-8 players
Play time: 20 mins
As the name suggests, Doodle Rush is meant to be a fast game. In fact, it takes a total of only 6 mins to play, making it a great filler game to play between other games. The concept is super simple: Each player gets 60 seconds to draw 6 cards and another 60 minutes to guess other players’ drawings. At the end of 3 rounds, whoever has the most points wins.
Age: 10+
Number of players: 3-6 players
Play time: 6 mins
11. Bob Ross: Happy Little Accidents
In this game inspired by painter Bob Ross, players turn mistakes into works of art. Each player starts off by drawing some doodles on a some sheets of paper. Everyone’s doodles are then assembled and placed faced down.
A word/phrase is selected from a set of prompt cards. Each player randomly selects one of the doodle sheets and attempts to transform the doodle into a drawing that represents the word/phrase. At the end of the round, everyone reveals their drawings and tokens are used to vote for favorites and score points.
Age: 10+
Number of Players: 3-6 players
Play Time: 15 mins
Cranium is a fun game where teams attempt to successfully complete activities that include drawing, word play, sleuthing, acting, and more. Completing an activity before the time runs out allows you to move forward on the board. The first team to reach the Cranium Central space and complete one last challenge wins!
Age: 16+
Number of Players: 4+ players
Artsy Fartsy is a drawing game similar to Pictionary, but with family-friendly toilet humor sprinkled throughout. Players select a card and draw the prompt while their team attempts to guess. There are a few additional twists to make it even more fun such as cards that have to be drawn with the wrong hand, and cards that have to be drawn blind. There are also “steal” cards that let you steal points from the opposing team. If you enjoy Pictionary, Artsy Fartsy is sure to be a hit!
Age: 10+
Play Time: 30+ mins
Number of Players: 4-12 players
Drawing Without Dignity is an adult drawing game that has been described as the love child of Pictionary and Cards Against Humanity. Players pick cards with prompts and draw as their team tries to guess. There are also a few twists like the ability for opposing teams to block and steal points. Be sure to play this with friends who don’t mind the adult humor!
Age: 17+
Number of Players: 4-12 players
Play Time: 30+ mins
Googly Eyes is a drawing board game where one player from each side wears funny, vision-distorting glasses and draws while their team tries to guess what they’re drawing. Players take turns drawing and guessing, so everyone gets a chance to wear the glasses. The glasses come with six sets of lenses that range from mildly distorted to completely distorted for hours of fun regardless of drawing ability!
Teams progress forward on the board as they successfully guess the drawings. Special spaces can be used to slow down your opponents by making them draw with their opposite hand or with the lens color of your choice.
Age: 7+
Number of Players: 4-16 players
This game is very similar to most of the drawing party games out there. One person from the team will select a card with an “over the line” word or phrase which they will draw or act out. The rest of their team must try to guess the word/phrase before the time runs out. If Pictionary is too tame, but Drawing Without Dignity is too raunchy, this game might be the one for you!
Age: 17+
Number of Players: 4-unlimited players
Play time: 30 mins
Artbox is one of the more unique drawing board games out there. As with many other drawing games, the goal is to get other player to guess what you drew. The twist? You can only draw using 4 different shapes, square/rectangle, triangle, line, and circle/oval. At the start of each round one player rolls 4 dice with different shapes on each side of the dice. This determines how many of each shape players will be able to use in their drawings. For example, if the dice roll produced 2 triangles, a circle and a line, those would be the only shapes and quantities of each that players are allowed to work with for their masterpiece. This is a simple but brilliant concept that leaves you searching for creative ways to draw your prompt.
At the end of the round, all drawings and prompts are revealed and the goal is to match the drawings to their original card. One of the nice things about this board game is that having good drawing skills doesn’t necessarily give you an unfair advantage, unlike in most drawing games. What you end up with is some very modern looking “masterpieces” and balanced fun regardless of drawing abilities!
Age: 14+
Number of players: 3-8 players
Play time: 30 mins
A Fake Artist Goes to New York is a game similar to Chameleon but in drawing form. All players get a card and each card has the same word, except for one person whose card will say “fake”. One at a time, each player will add a new element to the drawing.
The goal is to contribute something that lets the others know that you know the prompt, but not so obvious that the fake artist guesses the word. On their turn, the fake artist will try their best to blend in and add something to the drawing that doesn’t give them away.
Once the time is up, players discuss and vote for who they think was the fake. If they guess incorrectly, the fake artist wins. If the team guesses the fake, that player will get a chance to guess the prompt. If they guess correctly then they still get the point. This is a really fun and clever concept that really pushes you to use your creativity and social deduction skills!
Sketchy Stories is an adult board game that is sure to result in laughter. It’s much like the game Telestratioins (which is like the game Telephone in drawing form). Players get a phrase to draw then pass on their drawing to the next person who tries to guess and write down what they think the prompt was. They then pass it on to the next person who draws based on the guessed caption. Keep passing it around, until it comes back to the original player. At the end the original prompt is revealed and compared to the final caption.
If the final caption is close to the original, the initial artist of that caption gets 3 points. That player also gets to choose their favorite drawing or caption from the set and award a bonus point to the player who drew/wrote it.
This game has the same concept as the next game in this list, but is a slightly more mild in terms of adult humor, although it is still considered an adult game.
Scrawl is a more adult version of the previous game in this list. The concept and rules are the same. Players draw based on a given phrase/word. They then pass on their drawing to the next person who tries to guess what the prompt was and writes it down. They then pass it on to the next person who draws based on the guessed caption. Keep passing it around until it comes back to the original player. Reveal the prompt and compare it to the final caption.
When played with the right people, Scrawl is sure to bring on hours of laughter!
Age: 17+
Number of Players: 4-8 players
Play Time: 30+ mins
Telestrations is like the game Telephone where you pass on a “secret” from one person to the next, but in drawing form.
Each round players gets a random prompt which they have to draw on the dry-erase board provided. They then pass their board to the next person, who has to write down what they think the drawing represents. Players then pass on the board again and the next person draws what the person before them wrote. The result is a hilarious chain of misinterpretations and the most random funny drawings!
Age: 8+
Play time: 30 minutes
Number of Players: 4-8 players ( 12-player version also exists)
There is also an adult version of this game called Telestrations after Dark, which is essentially the same concept but includes adult prompts.
