7 Games Like Gartic Phone to Play with Friends

Gartic Phone is my go-to when a group needs to laugh, but after enough rounds you start craving new drawing games.

So I went looking for games like Gartic Phone that keep the same telephone game chaos. I've run all 7 below through real game nights, from browser draw-and-guess rooms to one you shout at on the TV, and most of them are free.

For each one I'll cover what it does well, where it falls short, and the kind of group it fits, so you can pick before your friends are already on the couch.

7 best games like Gartic Phone: TL;DR

1.     Sketchy AF on Weekend: Best for drawing and shouting at one TV together

2.     Skribbl.io: Best free draw-and-guess with your own word lists

3.     Drawception: Best free version of the telephone chain

4.     Gartic.io: Best for quick, competitive public rounds

5.     Sketchful.io: Best for very large groups

6.     Drawful 2: Best for funnier prompts and a voting round

7.     Telestrations: Best for in-person nights with no screens

Why look for games like Gartic Phone?

Gartic Phone is free, it runs in any browser, and it's hard to beat for a quick laugh, so I'm not telling anyone to quit it. I keep a few others nearby for 3 reasons.

The format gets familiar

Once your group has drawn a few hundred prompts, the write-draw-describe loop stops surprising anyone. A different game, or just a fresh word pool, brings the energy back for a night.

Everyone needs their own screen

Gartic Phone assumes every player is on a separate phone or laptop. When friends share a couch, I'd rather point the room at one screen and let people shout. That's what a TV game like Sketchy AF is for, and the idea behind our roundup of games to play on TV with friends.

There's no score to chase

Gartic Phone ends on the reveal, with no points and no winner. That's the charm for some groups. If yours plays to compete, a game that scores your guesses, like Skribbl.io or Sketchy AF, gives the night a finish line.

7 best games like Gartic Phone: at a glance

Note: Pricing and platforms are correct at the time of writing. Always verify costs and platforms with each game.

1. Sketchy AF on Weekend

Sketchy AF is the one I put on when everyone's in the same room and I don't want 6 people staring at their own phones. A drawing appears on the TV one stroke at a time, and you shout the answer before the pencil finishes.

Up to 4 players hold the button on their phone and call out guesses, so there's no typing and no laptop to pass around. It plays like a Gartic Phone reveal, out loud and on the big screen.

It's the paid pick here, part of the Weekend Games app, with a 7-day free trial. In return you get the couch, one shared screen, and a stack of other party games for when the drawing is done.

{{cta-sketchy}}

Key features

• Stroke-by-stroke reveal: The picture builds one line at a time, so guess early
• Shout to answer: Hold the button on your phone and call it out, no typing
• Speed scoring: The earlier you guess right, the more points you get

Pros

✅ Draw-and-guess on the TV for the whole room

✅ Phone as a buzzer, so no laptops to pass around

✅ Quick rounds that fit between other party games

Cons

❌ Subscription after the free trial

❌ Up to 4 players, smaller than big browser lobbies

Best for

• Game nights in one room
• Groups who want to shout their guesses
• Families mixing drawing with other party games

Pricing

7-day free trial, then $12.99/month through the Weekend app, which includes every supported game.

2. Skribbl.io

Skribbl.io is the free browser game I open first when people want to draw. One player draws a word while everyone else races to guess it in the chat, then the turn rotates. No account, nothing to install.

What keeps it in rotation for me is the custom word lists. You drop in your group's inside jokes, set the round timer, and suddenly it's your party's humor on screen. It handles up to 20 players.

It's closer to Pictionary than to Gartic Phone's telephone chain, but the laughing-at-bad-drawings part is identical, and it's the fastest one on this list to start.

Key features

• Draw and guess: One player draws, the rest guess in chat for points
• Custom word lists: Load your own words for inside-joke rounds
• Instant browser play: No account, up to 20 players

Pros

✅ Free and starts in seconds, no sign-up

✅ Custom words make each group's game its own

Cons

❌ It's Pictionary-style, so you miss the chain reveal

❌ Ad-supported

Best for

• Groups who want to start fast
• Inside-joke word lists
• Pictionary fans

Pricing

Free.

3. Drawception

Drawception is the closest thing to Gartic Phone's telephone chain that I've found free in a browser. You get a phrase, draw it, and pass it on. The next player describes your drawing, someone draws that, and around it goes until the reveal.

The twist is the scale. Your chain can pass through a big public pool of players rather than only your friends, so the final result is often stranger than it would be in a private game with friends. There's a friends mode too.

Key features

• Telephone chain: Draw, describe, repeat until the reveal
• Public or private chains: Pass through strangers or just your group
• Big community pool: Thousands of players keep the chains moving

Pros

✅ The closest free telephone-chain to Gartic Phone

✅ Public chains get gloriously weird

Cons

❌ Public games can stall waiting on others

❌ Freemium, with some paid extras

Best for

• Fans of the telephone chain specifically
• Players who like public chaos
• Anyone after the reveal payoff

Pricing

Free, with optional paid extras.

If you like this kind of night, our reviews of games like Jackbox, games like Fibbage, and Jackbox games you can play with your phone cover even more.

4. Gartic.io

Gartic.io comes from the same studio as Gartic Phone, so if you like the art style you'll feel at home. This one drops the telephone chain for straight draw-and-guess in public rooms, closer to Skribbl.io in format.

It's built for competition. Each correct guess scores points, the best guesser and artist climb the leaderboard, and it runs in a pile of languages, so you land in rooms with players worldwide.

I reach for it when I want quick, competitive rounds with strangers over a private laugh with friends. Same family as Gartic Phone, different mood.

Key features

• Same studio as Gartic Phone: Familiar art and controls
• Public draw-and-guess: Competitive scoring in open rooms
• Many languages: Rooms with players from everywhere

Pros

✅ Familiar feel for Gartic Phone fans

✅ Fast, competitive public rounds

Cons

❌ Straight draw-and-guess; no chain to warp

❌ Public rooms mean playing with strangers

Best for

• Competitive players
• Fans of the Gartic art style
• Quick rounds with randoms

Pricing

Free.

5. Sketchful.io

Sketchful.io is the Skribbl.io-style game I bring out when the group is huge. It plays the same way, one person draws while everyone guesses, but its experimental rooms stretch to 256 players, far more than you’re ever likely to fill.

Small touches make it smoother for regulars, like hotkeys (B for brush, F for fill) and the option to save your best drawings. The word pool is different from Skribbl's, so it feels fresh if you've worn that one out.

It's another draw-and-guess rather than a telephone chain, but for big groups or a Skribbl palate-cleanser, it's the one I switch to.

Key features

• Huge rooms: Experimental lobbies up to 256 players
• Drawing hotkeys: B for brush, F for fill for faster art
• Save your drawings: Keep the best ones as a screenshot

Pros

✅ Handles far bigger groups than most

✅ Hotkeys and a fresh word pool

Cons

❌ Draw-and-guess, not the telephone chain

❌ Smaller crowd than Skribbl on a typical night

Best for

• Very large groups
• Skribbl fans wanting a change
• Players who like hotkeys

Pricing

Free.

6. Drawful 2

Drawful 2 is the Jackbox take, and it's the one I load when I want funnier prompts than the free games serve up. You draw an odd phrase like "a pitcher of nachos," then everyone writes a fake title and votes on which guess they believe.

Your phone or tablet is the controller and the sketchpad, so nobody needs a mouse. Only one person has to own it, and everyone else joins with a room code, the usual Jackbox setup.

It's paid, unlike most of this list, but the writing and voting layer on top of the drawing is what you're paying for. If Jackbox is already your group's thing, it slots right in.

Key features

• Funny prompts: Draw absurd phrases, then bluff fake titles
• Phone as controller: Draw and vote from your device
• One owner, many players: Others join with a room code

Pros

✅ Sharper prompts and a bluffing layer

✅ Easy phone controls for everyone

Cons

❌ Paid, unlike most alternatives here

❌ One person still needs to own it

Best for

• Groups who already own Jackbox
• Fans of bluffing and voting
• Phone-first parties

Pricing

Drawful 2 costs around $10 on Steam, often discounted.

7. Telestrations

Telestrations popularized the whole format for games like Gartic Phone, and it's the pick for a night with no screens at all. Gartic Phone brings the same idea online.

Everyone sketches a word, passes the pad, and the next person guesses in a drawing, on and on around the table.

Because it's on paper, the misreads land differently, and flipping through the finished pads together is the same payoff as a Gartic Phone reveal. The base game handles up to 8, and Telestrations After Dark is the game for adults.

It's the one to buy if your group is after the Gartic Phone experience in person, with no Wi-Fi, no sign-ins, just pens and bad drawings.

Key features

• A game-night staple: The board game that made this telephone-with-drawings format a party classic
• On paper: Sketch, pass, and guess around the table
• After Dark edition: An adults-only version exists

Pros

✅ The Gartic Phone experience with no screens

✅ Physical pads make the reveal its own moment

Cons

❌ You pay for it once up front

❌ Needs everyone in the same room

Best for

• In-person game nights
• Groups avoiding screens
• Fans of the classic paper format

Pricing

One-time purchase, around $25 for the base game.

How to evaluate games like Gartic Phone

Do you want the telephone chain or draw-and-guess?

Choose the telephone chain for a drawing that gets passed and warped down a line, or draw-and-guess for a race to name one person's sketch. Drawception and Telestrations are the telephone chain. Skribbl.io, Gartic.io, and Sketchful.io are draw-and-guess.

Is everyone in one room or spread out?

Spread out, a browser game everyone joins by link is easiest. All in one room, a TV game like Sketchy AF works better than passing a laptop or putting 6 people on separate phones.

Free, paid, or on paper?

Most of these are free, including Skribbl.io, Drawception, Gartic.io, and Sketchful.io. Drawful 2 is a one-time Jackbox buy, Telestrations is a board game you own, and Sketchy AF comes with the Weekend subscription after its free trial.

How big is your group?

Match the game to your headcount. Sketchy AF handles up to 4 players, Skribbl.io up to 20, and Telestrations up to 8 on paper, while Sketchful.io's experimental rooms stretch to 256.

Which games like Gartic Phone should you choose?

Choose Sketchy AF on Weekend if you want the group drawing and shouting at one TV instead of 6 separate phones. Skip it if you need a free option or a big lobby.

Choose Skribbl.io if you want the fastest free draw-and-guess with your own word lists. Skip it if it's the telephone chain you're really after.

Choose Drawception if the telephone chain specifically is what you miss. Skip it if you'd rather not wait on public players between turns.

Choose Gartic.io if you want quick, competitive rounds from the same studio. Skip it if you'd rather keep the game to your own friends.

Choose Sketchful.io if your group is big enough to need the extra room. Skip it if you only ever play with a handful of people.

Choose Drawful 2 if you already own Jackbox and want funnier prompts. Skip it if you'd rather not pay.

Choose Telestrations if you'd rather play in person with pens and paper. Skip it if half your group is remote.

Stick with Gartic Phone if the free browser telephone chain is exactly what your group is after and everyone's happy on their own screen. It's still the quickest route to a room full of terrible drawings.

Bring the drawing to the big screen with Weekend

Free browser games like Gartic Phone are perfect when everyone's on their own laptop. When I've got a group in one room, though, I'd rather point them all at the TV, so I open the Weekend Games app and let the room shout at the screen instead of typing.

Sketchy AF is the drawing pick, and there's a full shelf of party games for when the sketches wrap up.

Games you can start on Weekend:

• Sketchy AF builds a drawing one stroke at a time, and the earlier you guess, the more you score.
• Guess the Emoji has the room decoding emoji strings into a phrase, first right answer wins.
• Meme Supreme is the grown-up party pick, up to 8 players answering an absurd scenario with the funniest meme, then voting on the winner.
• Song Quiz plays a short clip and you shout the song and artist, with half points for each.
• Jeopardy! brings real show clues and categories, and you answer in the form of a question.
• Wheel of Fortune has players calling letters and solving the puzzle together.
• Spot On has players racing to drop the closest pin to a city or landmark on a globe.
• Wit's End builds a fresh, chaotic fantasy quest each time, guided by an AI game master.

Start with the 7-day free trial, get everyone drawing on Sketchy AF, and see which game they ask for next.

FAQs

What is the best free alternative to Gartic Phone?

The best free alternative to Gartic Phone for most groups is Skribbl.io, since it runs in any browser with custom word lists and no account. If it's the telephone chain you miss specifically, Drawception is the closest free match.

Can I play games like Gartic Phone on my TV?

Yes, you can play a game like Gartic Phone on your TV with Sketchy AF on the Weekend Games app. A drawing appears one stroke at a time, and up to 4 players shout the answer from their phones, so the whole room plays on one screen instead of separate laptops.

Is Gartic Phone free?

Yes, Gartic Phone is free to play in a browser, with optional apps on iOS and Android. Most of the alternatives here are free too, though Drawful 2 is a paid Jackbox game and Telestrations is a physical board game you buy once.

What games like Gartic Phone can I play with friends online?

For games like Gartic Phone with friends online, Skribbl.io and Sketchful.io run private draw-and-guess rooms, and Drawception handles the telephone chain. Everyone joins from a browser, so I usually drop a room link in the group chat and go.

Do I need to draw well to enjoy games like Gartic Phone?

No, you don't need to draw well to enjoy games like Gartic Phone. The bad drawings are the point, since the laughs come from the misreads and wild guesses. In Sketchy AF on Weekend, you don't draw at all. The game sketches while you shout out your guess, and the earlier you call it, the more you score.