How to : How to Play Pictionary

Shuffle the deck of cards and place it in the holder. Each card in the Pictionary deck has a list of different words to use as drawing prompts. Shuffle all of the cards so they’re thoroughly mixed together, and set them in the holder so they all face the same direction.^[2]

Split the players into even teams. You can play with up to 4 separate teams, but you’ll have more fun if you split into fewer teams that have more people. Split up your group of friends as evenly as possible to keep the game fair.^[4]

Give each team a pencil, pad of paper, and reference card. You only need 1 pencil and pad of paper for the team since there’s only 1 person drawing each turn. Set the reference card somewhere where all your team members can reach it. The card lists the colors and categories for the spaces on the board and other cards so you have an idea of what you’ll have to draw.^[5]

Put the teams’ pawns on the Start space on the board. Find the space labeled “Start” on the board and choose a pawn color for your team. All the members of your team will use the same pawn since you’re working together to win.^[6]

Clarify how precise an answer should be before you start. Chat with your friends about house rules right away so you don’t get into a dispute later in the game. Discuss if players need to say the full prompt to win a round or if you’ll accept shortened or partial answers.^[7]

Objects (yellow) Objects are things that can be touched or seen, like “apple” or “table.”^[8]

Person/Place/Animal (blue) This includes regular nouns, such as “construction worker,” “bedroom,” or “camel.” This category could also include proper nouns, like “Abraham Lincoln” or “The United States.”^[9]

Action (orange) Actions are usually verbs and something that can be performed, such as “skydiving” or “singing.”^[10]

Difficult or challenging words (green) These words are more complex, so they’re harder to draw, like “stained glass” or “frozen food.”^[11]

Miscellaneous (red) Miscellaneous can be any word from any of the existing categories.^[12]

Wild (multicolor) The wild category lets you choose any word on a card that you draw.^[13]

Roll a die to choose the starting team. Each team picks a member to roll the game die. Whatever team gets the higher number gets to go first.^[14]

Choose the first person sketching for your team. You can pick any player on your team to be the first “Picturist,” or the person who’s drawing for the round. All the other team members will try to guess what the Picturist is drawing so they can move around the board on their turn.^[15]

The Picturist draws a card and uses the word matching the space’s color. The Picturist chooses a random card from the holder. The Picturist secretly looks at the word without telling any of the other players.^[16]

The Picturist flips the sand timer and starts sketching their word. After getting a good look at the prompt, the Picturist picks up their pencil. Quickly flip the sand timer so the Picturist can start drawing. If you’re drawing, try to quickly sketch the prompt on your pad of paper while the sand timer is running.^[17]

The Picturist’s team tries to guess the word before the timer runs out. As a member of the team, shout out your guesses for what you think the Picturist is drawing. It’s okay if you say the wrong answer, but try to pay close attention to the new details the Picturist adds to help narrow down your guesses. If you’re able to guess the prompt within 1 minute before the timer runs out, your team wins the round.^[18]

The guessing team rolls the die and moves if they get the word right. If you got the word right or were the first team to guess correctly during an “All Play”, you get to advance your pawn. Move your team’s pawn a number of spaces forward equal to your dice roll.^[19]

The guessing team switches Picturists and takes another turn. Switch Picturists for each new turn so every player has an equal opportunity to sketch. The new Picturist draws another card and finds the word matching the color of the new board space. If the team is able to guess the prompt, they’ll continue taking turns.^[20]

The next team takes a turn if no one guesses the prompt correctly. If the guessing team doesn’t figure out what the Picturist is drawing before time runs out, then they lose their turn and don’t get to move. The next team clockwise chooses their Picturist and starts their turn.^[21]