Gartic Phone is a multiplayer drawing and guessing game built around turning short prompts into increasingly strange chains of pictures and descriptions. Each round starts with players writing a sentence, after which someone else receives that sentence and must draw it. The next player sees only the drawing and writes what they think it represents. This continues until the full chain is complete, often producing a result that is very different from the original idea.

Drawings and Guesses Alternate

The core mechanic is simple: text becomes a drawing, and the drawing becomes new text. Players do not need to be skilled artists because the humor comes from misunderstandings and unusual interpretations. A basic drawing may be read in several different ways, and each new guess can send the chain in another direction. At the end of the round, everyone can review how each prompt changed from one player to the next.

Different Modes Change the Rules

Gartic Phone includes several modes that modify how prompts, drawings, or timing work. Normal follows the standard sentence-and-drawing format, while other modes can emphasize animation, faster rounds, hidden information, cooperative play, or unusual drawing restrictions. This allows the same group to create very different sessions without changing the basic idea of passing content between players.

Players can:

• create short written prompts;
• draw pictures based on another player’s sentence;
• guess what another drawing represents;
• review complete drawing chains;
• play with different round formats;
• use drawing tools and colors;
• compare the original idea with the final result.

The Reveal Is the Main Reward

There are no traditional levels, enemies, or upgrade systems. The goal is not necessarily to produce the most accurate drawing. Much of the experience comes from the final reveal, where every stage of the chain is shown in order. Small mistakes can become major changes after several players reinterpret the same idea.

A typical session consists of several short rounds with everyone contributing both text and drawings. Players repeatedly switch between interpreting someone else’s work and creating something for the next person. Gartic Phone is mainly about creativity, communication, and seeing how quickly a simple sentence can transform when it passes through an entire group.