HOW TO PLAY DRAWING WITH FRIENDS: THE ONLINE DRAWING GAME

The idea

Drawing with Friends is a party game about drawing badly under pressure. Each game runs over a few rounds: every player gets a random prompt to draw, everyone's masterpieces go up for a vote, and the drawings with the most votes score the points. At the end, the highest total wins.

A round, step by step

• 1. Draw. You get a prompt and a canvas. The clock is short on purpose; overthinking is fatal and stick figures are a legitimate art style.
• 2. Vote. All drawings are shown and every player votes for their favourite (not their own, obviously).
• 3. Score. Votes become points. Repeat for the next round, and the totals decide the champion.

What actually wins votes

• Clarity beats beauty. A crude drawing that instantly reads as the prompt beats a lovely one nobody can decode.
• Commit to the bit. Funny wins votes. If your "horse" looks like a table, add a saddle to the table.
• Use the whole canvas. Tiny drawings in the corner get tiny vote counts.
• Draw the idea, not the object. For hard prompts, draw the scene around the thing: context does the explaining.

Good to know

It runs free in the browser on phones and laptops alike, which matters because a drawing game is only as good as how fast everyone can join. Setting up a lobby with your own crew takes about thirty seconds: here is how to host a game with friends.

Pencils ready? Start drawing.