Pictionary is perfect if you’re looking for a big group game to play with your pals, and games like Pictionary also fit into this category perfectly as well.
The Pictionary rules are easy enough to follow to bust out whenever you’re hosting a game night, just as long as you have ample space and enough players.
Starting from small beginnings, Pictionary was created by student Ron Angel in the 1980s until Mattel took over the small-time operation in 2001.
Usually, the art and creative skills of players aren’t necessary when playing Pictionary.
But it’s a good idea to have a variety of similar games if you’re looking to play something else and you’re drawing a blank.
That’s where we come in, as we’ve researched and played 15 games like Pictionary that we’ve loved to help you out when looking for your next team-based board game fun.
15 Games like Pictionary
GOOGLY EYES
Players: 4 – 16 players.
Playing Time: 30 – 60 minutes.
Age: Ages 7+.
Game Type: Party, Family
Publisher(s): Goliath.
Game Overview:
Googly Eyes is played in much of the same way as Pictionary, except for one major difference. Players need to be wearing a pair of vision-impairing glasses while they draw. Divided into 2 teams, players draw a card and then draw what’s on their card for their team to guess. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
RELATED: Googly Eyes rules
CREATIONARY
Players: 3 – 8 players.
Playing Time: 20 – 40 minutes.
Age: Ages 7+.
Game Type: Party, Family.
Publisher(s): Lego.
Game Overview:
Just like Pictionary, but rather than drawing pictures, in Creationary, players need to build lego sculptures instead. Divide players into 2 teams, a player needs to draw a card that tells them what they have to build. Guessing the sculpture in the time limit earns the team 1 point; most points at the end win.
PICTOMANIA
Players: 3 – 6 players.
Playing Time: 25 minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Party, Family
Publisher(s): Czech Games Edition.
Game Overview:
Played similar to Pictomania except not in teams, Pictomania requires players to draw 2 cards, a symbol card and a number card, which tells the player what they need to draw. Then, the group needs to guess what has been drawn; whoever has the most correct guesses across 5 rounds wins.
RELATED VIDEO: How to play Pictomania
PASS THE PEN
Players: 3+ players.
Playing Time: 10 – 20 minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Party, Family.
Publisher(s): Pressman.
Game Overview:
If Pictionary is too slow-paced for you and your pals then Pass The Pen is an ideal alternative. Players gather in a circle, and the first player gets 10 seconds to draw a picture of what’s written on the card. If no one guesses it within 10 seconds, the pen moves to the next person in the circle.
Both the drawer and the guesser gain 1 point if they correctly guess the drawing. Most points at the end win.
RELATED: Pass the Pen rules
GUESSTURES
Players: 4+ players.
Playing Time: 20 – 60 minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Party, Family.
Publisher(s): Hasbro.
Game Overview:
A fast-paced, interactive board game is Guesstures, a game in which players need to act out the word using typical charades techniques before the timer runs out and ‘swallows’ the card.
Played in teams, players pick either an easy, medium, or hard difficulty card. They then place it in the Action Timer and attempt to act it out within a strict time limit. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
RELATED: Guesstures rules
RAPIDOUGH
Players: 4+ players.
Playing Time: 30 – 60 minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Party, Family.
Publisher(s): TOMY.
Game Overview:
Rapidough is another art-based board game similar to Pictionary, with play dough used instead of drawings. In teams, players compete to guess what is being made, but if players run out of time before they correctly guess, the other team takes away some dough. This makes it harder to play as the game progresses as teams have less dough to use.
TELESTRATIONS
Players: 4 – 8 players.
Playing Time: 20 – 30 minutes.
Age: Ages 12+.
Game Type: Party, Family
Publisher(s): USAopoly.
Game Overview:
Telestrations is a game in which players get given a picture to draw by picking a card, then drawing it within a time limit. Players then pass their drawing to the person to the left of them, who then guesses what was drawn.
The picture is passed again to the left, where the player must draw what the previous player guess way. This continues until the original player receives their drawing back, with a point given for every correct guess. The player with the most points at the end wins.
RELATED: Telestrations Rules
RELATED VIDEO: How to Play: Telestrations
DUPLIK
Players: 3 – 10 players.
Playing Time: 45 minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Party, Family
Publisher(s): Asmodee.
Game Overview:
In Duplik, players compete to draw the same picture. The unanimously best picture that matches the description takes the point. Players take turns drawing a card that has a picture and 5 descriptions of the picture. That player reads the descriptions out one by one as players draw their images based on the description.
A FAKE ARTIST GOES TO NEW YORK
Players: 5 – 10 players.
Playing Time: 20 minutes per round.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Party.
Publisher(s): Oink Games.
Game Overview:
In each round, 1 player acts as the Fake Artist, whose goal is to disrupt and deceive the other players. In A Fake Artist Goes To New York. 1 player starts as the question master and picks a word and gives players the category of that word.
A bit of paper goes around the circle and each player gets 2 chances to draw 2 strokes to try to spell the word. 1 player in the circle is the Fake Artist who’s trying to disrupt the word. Players need to decide who was the Fake Artist at the end of the round.
CRANIUM
Players: 4 – 16 players.
Playing Time: 30 – 60 minutes.
Age: Ages 13+.
Game Type: Party.
Publisher(s): Hasbro.
Game Overview:
Cranium is a game that is not just Pictionary, but Charades and Trivia as well. There are 4 sections to the game which test different skills one of which is an art round with the player the person who accumulates the most points across all rounds. Ideal for playing with those who like variety in their board games.
RELATED: Cranium Cadoo Rules
RELATED VIDEO: How To Play Cranium
CODENAMES
Players: 4 – 8 players.
Playing Time: 15 minutes.
Age: Ages 14+.
Game Type: Strategy, Party, Family.
Publisher(s): Czech Games Edition.
Game Overview:
Although players won’t need art skills to play Codenames, it’s still a viable alternative as players need to use description cards to encourage teammates to guess their words. The other team has deployed an assassin who’s trying to crack the code first, though, with the game continuing until one team’s code gets cracked by the opposing team.
RELATED: Codenames Rules.
RELATED VIDEO: How To Play Codenames.
BACKSEAT DRAWING
Players: 4 – 10 players.
Playing Time: 20 – 40 minutes.
Age: 12+ years.
Game Type: Party, Family.
Publisher(s): Out Of The Box.
Game Overview:
Backseat Drawing starts by dividing players up into 2 teams. Whoever is drawing gets given a list of descriptions by their team but can only hear each description once and cannot ask any questions about it. The rest of the team or the drawer must then must guess what has been drawn, and points get awarded if they are successful.
DRAWING WITHOUT DIGNITY
Players: 4 – 12 players.
Playing Time: 30 – 90 minutes.
Age: Ages 17+.
Game Type: Adult Party Game.
Publisher(s): Drawing Without Dignity.
Game Overview:
If it’s Adult Party Games that you love, like Cards Against Humanity, then take a look at this grown-up answer to Pictionary. The key difference between the 2 games is that in Drawing Without Dignity, players pick cards that they have to draw instead of using sentences; whoever has the most universally approved drawings when the game ends wins.
RELATED: Drawing Without Dignity rules
MONIKERS
Players: 4 – 16 players.
Playing Time: 30 – 60 minutes.
Age: Ages 17+.
Game Type: Adult Party Game.
Publisher(s): Monikers.
Game Overview:
Monikers is another adult-only version game like Pictionary in which the winning player or team is the one with the most points at the end.
Players get given a card with a score on the bottom, which dictates how many points the card is worth. It also has a description that players read out, and their team must guess the person, famous animal, or object based on the description.
RELATED: Monikers Game Rules.
RELATED VIDEO: Monikers Video Tutorial.
SCRAWL
Players: Up to 8.
Playing Time: 45 – 90 minutes.
Age: Ages 17+.
Game Type: Adult, Party.
Publisher(s): Big Potato Games.
Game Overview:
An adult game that requires drawing, Scrawl is a party game in which players start by gathering in a circle. A player draws a card with a risque word or phrase on it, and they must draw their interpretation of what they’ve drawn.
They then pass the drawing around the circle, with players drawing what they think the initial phrase/word is. The person at the end guesses based on the pictures; whoever has the most correct guess wins.
