How to play I Like To Sketch

One player gets a secret word and a blank canvas. Everyone else tries to work out what on earth they are drawing. Here’s how to join in.

Let’s play!

Find your room

Choose a username, then pick a public category that takes your fancy. The room list shows who is playing and where there is space. You can join a game that is already underway.

Playing with people you know? Make a private room and share its invite. Public and private rooms use the same Classic rules.

Public drawing-game rooms with category names, player counts and join buttons. — Choose a category and join from the public room list. Select the image for a closer look.

Your turn with the pen

The current artist sees a secret word. Draw clues without writing letters, showing word blanks or using coded letter clues. A rough shape is often all it takes. The pen, colours and Undo are there to help.

A colourful house drawn in the room’s practice canvas, with pen tools and colours beside it. — Try the pens and colours while you wait for someone to join. In a game, only the artist sees the secret word. Select the image for a closer look.

Think you know it?

Type your answer in Guesses. Keep trying if it is wrong; the game tells you when you get it. Use Chat for a conversation instead of an answer. On a phone, switch between the two without losing what you were typing.

A guesser’s view of the drawing with recent answers, scores and the message box. — Guess from the picture while the timer and room scores keep moving. Select the image for a closer look.

Watch the clock

The countdown sits beside the word above the canvas. The first correct guess starts a final countdown of up to 20 seconds. The artist can keep drawing; when everyone has guessed correctly, the turn ends early. A quiet tick marks the last few seconds when game sounds are enabled.

A quick guide to points

The first correct guess earns 10 points, then 9, 8 and so on, down to 5. The artist earns 10 when someone gets the word, plus 1 for each of the next five correct guesses. Each hint costs the artist 2 points.

A Classic game has ten drawings. Rooms start automatically with at least two players, and show the final scores before another game begins. The in-room Rules control has the details while you play.

The end-of-game scorecard with the winner, player scores and next-game countdown. — A moment for the winners, then another game with the same room. Select the image for a closer look.

Stuck with your drawing?

Try the drawing tips for simple ways to make a word recognisable. You do not need an account or artistic talent to have a go.