Gartic Phone: What Is It & How Do You Play?

Social games are a great way to kill time and have fun in the company of your friends. With the rise of remote experiences, it’s great to have a social gaming activity to keep you occupied even without the physical presence of people around you. Onrizon Social Games‘ Gartic Phone, popularised by Kameto on Twitch, is a phenomenal social gaming experience that has all the bells and whistles necessary to create an enjoyable experience for everyone playing.

The rules of Gartic Phone are simple. In fact, the rules are pretty much a combination of two party games: Pictionary (the drawing game) and Broken Telephone (that telephone game where the first player whispers something into someone’s ear, and the next person has to pass on the original phrase until the whisper reaches the turn of the original speaker) — also known as Chinese Whispers. However, there’s a level of visual guidance that is available to help everyone follow the rules of the game.

In Gartic Phone, players will have to sketch a word/words and guess what those crazy drawings represent. The game works by having the first player propose a sentence, and the second player will have to try their best to create a drawing of the first sentence. The next player will then need to guess what the sentence was. Following this, the subsequent player will follow the loop until the end where the players will have to compare the final sentence to the original starting sentence.

It is an interesting concept because it mainly relies on the illustrative skills of players, and their interpretations of these drawings to create an experience. Gartic Phone simply provides rules, and the players are entirely left in charge of controlling how fun the experience is.

How to play Gartic Phone

1. Head over to Gartic Phone’s website [https://garticphone.com/]
2. Play as an anonymous player or log in using Twitch or Discord
3. Select the number of players you want to add to the game
4. Choose one of the game modes (maybe start with normal mode) or create a custom mode
5. Click on the invite option and copy your game’s id and send it to your friends.
6. Once they’ve joined, click on Start to begin.

Interesting modes to keep players engaged

Gartic Phone features eleven game modes with varying levels of interest and participation required. So, if you and your friends are looking to up the ante of this mysterious word, you can play the ‘Secret’ mode (arguably the best game mode). There are also ‘No Rush’ and ‘Speedrun’ modes for players looking to take their time with drawings (without a time limit), or looking to create the most illustrative images within a short span of time. The different variations are all equally fun and offer a great time.

The preset game mode consists of 12 Presets you can choose from:

1. Normal: The basis of Gartic Phone, where you write and draw alternately until you reach the end of the round.
2. Knock-Off: Replicate drawings while the clock gets faster.
3. Secret: Your creations are hidden during the game.
4. Animation: Create animations in collaboration with others.
5. Icebreaker: As the name suggests, you can ask questions and have fun with drawings.
6. Complement: You start with basic lines and see the other players’ interpretation.
7. Score: Attempt to gain the highest score.
8. Speedrun: The clock becomes your enemy in this game mode.
9. Sandwich: Here, you start writing and drawing until the end.
10. Crowd: Played with 15 or more players.
11. Background: Create a fixed background for your animations.
12. Solo: Make animations in just five frames.

If you want something completely unique to your group of friends, Gartic Phone also has the option to create a custom mode. The custom mode is something that allows you to change certain settings such as the time requirement, task flows, turns, secrecy and a few other things. The final result is a game more suited to your playing style.

Gartic Phone is available on PC and Mobile in different languages (including Hebrew, Persian, Korean, and Vietnamese). As a browser-based online game, there are no limits regarding where the experience can be found. The only real requirement is an internet connection.