Gartic Phone Guide: How to Play, Game Modes, Tips & Fun Ideas

What happens when you mix the classic childhood games of Telephone and Pictionary, then give it a digital twist? You get Gartic Phone, the browser-based party game that has taken the internet by storm. It’s a hilarious journey of misinterpretation, questionable artistic skills, and surprising creativity that guarantees laughter. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or can barely draw a stick figure, this game is for you.

This ultimate Gartic Phone guide will walk you through everything you need to know. We’ll cover how to set up your first game, explain the different modes, and provide expert tips to make your game nights unforgettable. Prepare to see your carefully crafted sentences turn into bizarre drawings and back again in the most amusing ways possible.

What is Gartic Phone?

Gartic Phone is a free-to-play, browser-based drawing and guessing game that can be played with 4 to 30 players. The core concept is simple: one person writes a sentence, the next person draws it, the person after that describes the drawing, and so on. This chain of drawing and describing continues until everyone has had a turn, at which point the game reveals the hilarious and often nonsensical evolution of the original idea.

The beauty of Gartic Phone lies in its simplicity and accessibility. There’s no download required; you just create a room, share a link with your friends, and start playing. It’s the perfect game for virtual hangouts, parties, or any time you need a good laugh.

How to Play Gartic Phone: A Step-by-Step Guide

Getting started with Gartic Phone is incredibly easy. Follow these simple steps to launch your first game in minutes.

Step 1: Setting Up the Game

1. Go to the Website: Open your web browser and navigate to garticphone.com.
2. Choose Your Name: Enter a nickname for yourself. This is the name that will appear to other players.
3. Create a Room: Click the “Create Room” button. This will make you the host of the game. Alternatively, if a friend has already created a room, you can click “Join Room” and enter their invite link.
4. Invite Your Friends: Once you’re in the game lobby, you’ll see an “Invite” button. Click it to copy a unique link to your clipboard. Share this link with anyone you want to play with. Friends simply need to click the link to join your lobby.

Step 2: Customizing Your Game Settings

As the host, you have control over the game’s rules. This is where you can tailor the experience to your group’s preferences.

• Game Mode: Gartic Phone offers more than a dozen modes. For your first time, it’s best to stick with “Normal.” We’ll explore the other modes later in this guide.
• Time: You can set the time limit for both drawing and writing. “Normal” is a good starting point, but you can increase it for more detailed work or decrease it for a chaotic, fast-paced game.
• Turns: This setting determines how many rounds each player will participate in before the album is complete. The default is usually perfect.
• Secret Sentences: Enabling this hides the written prompts while players are writing, preventing them from seeing what others have written.

Step 3: Writing the First Prompt

Once everyone is in the lobby and you’ve finalized the settings, click “Start.” The first phase begins.

• Every player will be prompted to write a sentence. This will be the starting point for one of the game’s albums.
• Be creative! Your sentence can be anything from “A cat riding a skateboard” to something complex and absurd like “A sad astronaut eats spaghetti on the moon.” These initial prompts set the tone for the entire game.

Step 4: The Drawing and Guessing Cycle

This is the core loop of Gartic Phone.

1. Drawing Phase: After the initial prompts are written, you will receive a sentence written by another player. Your job is to draw it as accurately as possible within the time limit. Don’t worry about being a great artist; clarity is more important than artistic talent.
2. Describing Phase: After the drawing round, you will be shown a drawing made by another player. Your task is to describe what you see in a sentence. Try to be as descriptive as you can, as your sentence will be passed to the next player to draw.
3. Repeat: This cycle of drawing a sentence and describing a drawing continues until every original prompt has gone through every player in the chain.

Step 5: The Grand Reveal

The final phase is the most rewarding. The game will present each “album,” showing the hilarious transformation from the original sentence to the final description. You can watch as “A dog wearing a top hat” slowly morphs into “A cylinder on a furry table.” The game allows you to save your favorite transformations as GIFs to share later.

Mastering the Game: Tips and Strategies for Maximum Fun

While Gartic Phone is more about fun than winning, a few strategies can enhance the experience for everyone.

• Keep Prompts Simple (At First): When writing your first sentences, stick to clear, visual ideas. This gives the artists a fighting chance. As your group gets more experienced, you can introduce more abstract or complex concepts.
• Embrace Your Inner Stick Figure Artist: You do not need to be Picasso. Simple shapes, arrows, and labels (if you’re feeling cheeky) can communicate an idea far better than a messy, overly ambitious masterpiece. Focus on conveying the key elements of the sentence.
• Don’t Overthink Your Descriptions: When describing a drawing, write down your first impression. Often, the most literal and straightforward description leads to the funniest results down the line.
• Use the Tools: Gartic Phone provides a simple but effective set of drawing tools. You have different brush sizes, a color palette, an undo button, and an eraser. Use varying brush sizes to add detail and the fill tool to quickly color large areas.
• Communicate with Your Friends: Using a voice chat service like Discord or Zoom alongside Gartic Phone elevates the experience. Hearing everyone’s live reactions during the reveal is priceless.

Exploring All Gartic Phone Game Modes

Once you’ve mastered the Normal mode, it’s time to explore the other hilarious variations Gartic Phone has to offer.

• Knock-Off: Instead of describing a drawing, players must try to replicate it from memory after seeing it for a short time. This tests memory and drawing skill under pressure.
• Secret: The classic mode, but all drawings and sentences are hidden until the final reveal, adding to the surprise.
• Animation: Players draw consecutive frames to create a short, collaborative animation. The results are often chaotic and jerky in the best way possible.
• Icebreaker: Players answer fun “get to know you” questions with drawings, which are then shared with the group.
• Complement: One player starts a drawing, and the next has to finish it. This mode tests creative collaboration and often leads to surreal works of art.
• Score: A points-based mode where players get points for accurately guessing what the original prompt was. This adds a competitive edge.
• Solo: A practice mode where you receive a random prompt and can take your time drawing it, perfect for honing your skills.

Common Questions About Gartic Phone (FAQ)

Can I play Gartic Phone on my mobile device?

Yes! Gartic Phone is browser-based and works well on most modern smartphones and tablets. While drawing with a finger can be more challenging than with a mouse, it’s fully functional and just as fun on the go.

Is Gartic Phone free?

Yes, Gartic Phone is completely free to play. There are no hidden costs or subscriptions required to enjoy all of its features and game modes.

What’s the best number of players for a game?

Gartic Phone works well with a wide range of player counts.

• 4-6 Players: Ideal for a quick, focused game. The albums are shorter, so you get to the reveal faster.
• 7-12 Players: This is often considered the sweet spot. The chains are long enough for hilarious misinterpretations to occur without the game dragging on for too long.
• 13+ Players: Perfect for large parties. These games are chaotic and produce incredibly long and bizarre evolution chains.

How can I save the results?

During the reveal, each album has a “Save GIF” button. Clicking this will generate a short animated GIF of the album’s progression that you can download and share with friends or on social media.

Conclusion: Your Next Favorite Party Game Awaits

Gartic Phone is more than just a drawing game; it’s a social experience that thrives on creativity, miscommunication, and laughter. Its accessible design and simple rules make it the perfect activity for almost any group, breaking the ice and creating shared memories. By following this Gartic Phone guide, you’re now equipped to host a game night that your friends will be talking about for weeks.

So gather your friends, set up a voice call, and dive into the wonderful, wacky world of Gartic Phone. Experiment with the different game modes, challenge your artistic abilities, and most importantly, prepare to laugh until you cry.