At a glance
| The box game | On Table Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | Two teams, any size | 4–12 |
| What you need | Slips of paper, a hat or bowl, a timer | A phone each; the words come from the app |
| Winning | Most titles guessed | Most words guessed |
The goal
Get your team to guess as many words or titles as you can, acting them out in silence.
Setup
- Split into two teams.
- Each team writes films, books, songs, TV shows or sayings on slips of paper for the other team to act.
- Fold the slips into two piles, one per team, and agree how long each turn lasts.
How a turn works
- An actor from the first team draws a slip from the other team’s pile.
- Start the timer. The actor mimes the title with no words, sounds or mouthing.
- Their team calls out guesses, and the actor nods, points or gestures to steer them.
- The turn ends when the team gets it or time runs out. Then the other team plays.
Scoring and winning
- Score a point for each title guessed in time.
- Some groups time each turn instead and add up the seconds: the lower total wins.
- Play until everyone has acted, then compare scores.
The standard gestures
The category
Crank an old film camera for a film, open your palms like a book, mime singing for a song, draw a box in the air for TV.
Words and syllables
Hold up fingers for the number of words, then for which word you’re acting. Lay fingers on your forearm for syllables.
Sounds like
Tug your earlobe, then act out a word that rhymes with the one you mean.
That’s it
Tap your nose and point at whoever said it.
Playing Charades on Table Party
Charades is Table Party’s version: free in the browser, with everyone on their own phone. A round goes like this.
- Two teams. One actor takes the stage while their team guesses.
- The word appears only on the actor’s phone — everyone else’s shows the category.
- No talking, no sounds, no mouthing words. Just act.
- Tap They got it to score, Skip to try another. A point per word before the buzzer.
- Teams alternate until everyone has acted. Most words wins.
What’s different here
- The words come from Table Party’s own bank, so nobody writes slips.
- Only the actor’s phone shows the word; everyone else sees the category.
- Tap “They got it” to score or Skip to move on, and the app keeps time and score.
The fiddly bits on Table Party
The deck
Five packs of 230 — Movies, TV Shows, Famous People, Objects and Random. The host can switch any of them off, but never the last one.
What each phone shows
The word goes to the actor alone. Everybody else sees the category it came from, which is public on purpose.
The clock
Forty-five, sixty or ninety seconds a turn. A late “They got it” does not score, and any phone whose countdown has run out may close the turn.
Skips
Unlimited, and a skipped word drops to the bottom of the deck rather than leaving the game.
Ending
Each player takes the stage one, two or three times, with both teams always given equal turns. Most words wins; a dead heat is a draw.
Questions about Charades
Can you talk in charades?
No words, no sounds and no mouthing. Gestures and pointing are allowed.
How do you show “sounds like” in charades?
Tug your earlobe, then act out something that rhymes with the word.
What if nobody guesses in time?
The turn ends with no point, and the other team plays.
Is Charades free?
Yes. Every game on Table Party is free, with no accounts, no adverts and nothing to buy.
How many people do you need for Charades?
Between 4 and 12. Below 4 there are not enough of you for the game to work.
Do we need to download anything?
No. One person opens the site and starts a room; everybody else joins by typing the room code on their own phone. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
Can we play Charades over a video call?
Yes. Share the room code in the chat and play with the call running — everything private stays on each player’s own phone.
Play Charades online
Free, in the browser, with everyone on their own phone.