skribbl.io — Play Free Online

skribbl.io is a free online drawing and guessing game by ticedev, playable in the browser since early 2017. It works like Pictionary with a chat box: one player draws a secret word, everyone else types guesses, and points go to whoever works it out quickly. The game window on this page loads the real skribbl.io site, so you join the same public rooms as on the original.

Getting into a game

On the start screen you type a name, pick your language and build an avatar, then choose between two buttons. Play! drops you into a public room with strangers. Create Private Room gives you a room of your own and an invite link to copy and send to friends. The language list is long, from English and German to Japanese, Korean, Tagalog and Turkish, and each language has its own word pool.

How a round works

Each turn, one player becomes the artist and picks one word from a short list of options. The others see the word only as a row of blank dashes, one for each letter, so they know its length. The artist draws on the board with a palette of colours and a set of tools, including an undo button, while everyone else types guesses into the chat. Writing letters or the word itself on the board is against the spirit of the game, and other players tend to vote down artists who do it.

Guessing faster earns more points. The artist scores too, based on how many people guessed the word. If time runs out and no one has it, nobody scores for that turn. After the last round, the player with the most points is crowned the winner.

Private room settings

The room owner can change nearly everything before pressing Start:

• Players – how many can join the room.
• Language of the word list.
• Drawtime – the time allowed for each drawing.
• Rounds – the length of the game.
• Game Mode – Normal, Hidden or Combination.
• Word Count – how many words the artist picks from, between 1 and 5.
• Hints – the number of hints, or none at all.
• Custom words – add your own list, with an option to use only those words.

Moderation and settings

Room owners can kick and ban players. In any room you can start a votekick, mute someone or report them for inappropriate messages or drawings, spam, or botting and cheating. The settings menu has a volume slider, hotkeys you can change and reset, and several options for touch screens: an experimental mobile keyboard, the position of the chat input, chat bubbles on the drawing board, and brush pressure sensitivity for pressure-capable touch input. The site says it now supports mobile, so it can be played on a phone or tablet as well as with a mouse.

Tips

• When you draw, start with the most recognisable part of the object so guessers have something to go on right away.
• When you guess, type fast; a partial idea or a related word often points you in the right direction, and the dash count tells you how long the answer is.
• For a class or a group of friends, use a private room with custom words so the words fit your group.