Frequently asked questions
Is You Draw free?
Yes. You Draw is free to play in any modern browser on phones, tablets and computers. The site is supported by ads.
Is You Draw like Pictionary?
Yes, it's a Pictionary-style game you play online: one player draws a secret word and everyone else guesses it in the chat. The faster you guess, the more points you get. You don't need pens, paper or everyone in the same room.
Is You Draw like skribbl.io?
If you enjoy skribbl.io or Gartic, you'll feel at home: public games, private rooms with a code, custom words and a scoreboard. You Draw adds AI players so you never wait in an empty room, awards at the end of each game, a streamer mode and a design made for phones first. See how it compares.
Do I need an account?
No. You can play right away as a guest. A free account keeps your stats (games, wins, points, best score) across devices.
How do I play with my friends?
Tap Create room, pick the rounds, draw time and word difficulty, then share the room code (like CAKE42) or the invite link. Friends join with Join with code or by opening the link. It works great on a video call with Zoom, Teams, Discord or Google Meet.
Can I use my own words?
Yes. In a private room, add custom words separated by commas: inside jokes, names of friends, words from a school subject or your company. With 10 or more custom words you can play with only yours.
How many people can play together?
Up to 12 players per room. Public games start automatically once a few players are in.
Is it good for school, team building or a party?
Yes. Private rooms with custom words make it an easy classroom activity, ice breaker or team-building game for remote teams, and a fun party game for family and friends. Players must be 13 or older.
Are all players real people?
Public rooms can include AI players that keep games going when not enough people are online, so you never wait in an empty room. They draw and guess like everyone else and never count towards stats or leaderboards. If you ask one directly whether it is a bot, it will tell you. Private rooms only include AI players when the host turns on “Fill empty seats”.
Where do the drawings by AI players come from?
AI players redraw sketches from Google's Quick, Draw! dataset, which is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Someone is being rude or drawing something inappropriate. What can I do?
Use the 🚩 button on the canvas to report a drawing, or open the player list to vote to kick someone. Chat has a profanity filter, players who spam or swear get muted, and kicked players can't rejoin that room. You can also email us at hello@youdraw.io.
I stream or record my games. How do I keep the word secret?
Turn on 📺 Streamer mode (top-right corner, next to the sound button). On your screen only, it hides the secret word (hold 👁 Peek to see it), the room code and invite link (including the address bar), your custom word list, and other players' names (they show as “Player 1”, “Player 2”…). Copy invite link still works, so you can paste it somewhere private. Each option can be switched off, and other players see the game normally.
Why did my guess say “close”?
Your guess was one letter away from the answer (two for long words). Only you see that hint, so keep trying.
Does capitalisation or spelling matter?
Capitalisation, accents, hyphens, spaces and a leading “a”, “an” or “the” are ignored, and plurals count. “The Eiffel-Tower” and “eiffel tower” are both correct.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. The game is built for touch screens first and works in Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge. Adding it to your home screen makes it feel like an app. There is nothing to download.
How do I delete my account?
Sign in, tap your name in the top-left corner and choose Delete account. Your account and stats are removed immediately.
I found a bug or have an idea.
We would love to hear it: hello@youdraw.io.