A free Gartic Phone alternative: the telephone game on your phones, with bots
Gartic Phone is the drawing telephone game everyone knows. This is the same chain for a room of your own friends, and it plays with two.
The short version
Gartic Phone is the telephone game, drawn: everyone writes a quirky sentence, draws the one they are handed, describes the drawing they get next, and at the end the whole chain is played back to see what happened. It is free in the browser, nothing to install, and its site suggests a voice call so everyone can laugh together.
Doodle Roar is the same game, made for a room of friends with phones in their hands. Every player starts a book with a prompt; the books pass round, drawn then guessed then drawn again, until everyone has a page in every book. Then the books are read out, page by page, on every phone at once and on the TV if there is one, and the room votes for the funniest page. Bots fill empty seats, so two people have a game, and the room moves on to the site’s other games when the books are done.
Side by side
| Doodle Roar | Gartic Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, with ads. Optional Party Pass. | Free |
| Where it runs | Any browser; the host’s phone is enough. Installs from the browser if you want an icon | The browser, and apps for Android and iOS |
| Accounts | None. Press Play and you are in | Play anonymously with a nickname and a character, or sign in |
| Players | 3 or more, no set limit; bots fill seats up to three, so it plays with two or alone | Made for groups; the number is on its site |
| The round | Write a prompt, draw the one you are handed, guess the drawing, pass it on, until every book has a page from everyone | Write a quirky sentence, draw the one you receive, describe a drawing, see what happened |
| The reveal | On every phone at the same moment, and on the TV: each drawing draws itself again stroke by stroke, the host turns the pages | Watch the results together; its site recommends a voice call such as Discord or Zoom |
| A TV | Optional. While people draw it shows the pens moving, never the picture, so the reveal stays a surprise | Not part of the game as its site describes it |
| Scoring | A vote for the funniest page after each book; most votes wins. Or scores off and just read the books | Not something its home page describes |
| Drawing | Pinch to zoom up to six times for the details; drawings are lines, so they stay sharp. Nine colors, two pens, unlimited undo | Its own canvas |
| Languages | English | A language menu on its site |
| Afterwards | The room stays open and the host picks another game: trivia, word, arcade, cards | Another round of the telephone game |
How a round goes
- Write. Everyone writes a prompt: something odd and short, the worse the better. Stuck? Tap the dice.
- Draw. Your book moves one seat along. You get someone else’s prompt and draw it, pinching in for the details.
- Guess. The books move again. You get a drawing with no words attached and say what it is, in a few words.
- Round and round. Draw, guess, draw, guess, until every book has a page from everyone. You only ever see the page you are answering.
- The reveal. Book by book, page by page, each drawing drawing itself again. Everyone in the room touched every book, so everyone knows exactly where it went wrong.
- The vote. After each book, the funniest page gets the points, prompt, drawing or guess. Most votes at the end wins. Or turn scores off and just read.
When Gartic Phone is still the right pick
- You want its other modes. Doodle Roar is the classic chain and nothing else. Gartic Phone has more ways to play the telephone game than that; which ones is on its site.
- You are a very big group. Doodle Roar has no set limit, but the phones talk to the host’s, so a very large room leans on one connection. Gartic Phone is built for big groups.
- You are playing in another language. Gartic Phone has a language menu. Doodle Roar is in English.
- You want the app. Gartic Phone has apps for Android and iOS. Doodle Roar runs in the browser, and installs from it if you want an icon.
When Doodle Roar is the right pick
- You are three, or two, or one. Bots fill the seats, draw and guess, so a small table still has books to read.
- Everyone is in one room. The reveal plays on every phone at the same moment, so nobody has to crowd round one screen or set up a call. With a TV, any browser on it shows every page large.
- You want a winner. A vote per book, points for the author, a leader list at the end.
- Nobody wants to type a nickname. No account and no character to pick: open the site, share the code, play.
- You want something else afterwards. The room stays open; the host picks another game and nobody rejoins.
Questions
- Is there a free Gartic Phone alternative?
- Doodle Roar on Join Me Games is free: the same telephone game, where everyone writes a prompt, draws the one they are handed, guesses the drawing, and the books are read out at the end. Nothing to install, no account, and it runs in any browser.
- How many people do you need?
- Three or more, so every book has enough pages to go wrong, with no set limit: everyone in the room when the host starts plays. Bots fill the seats up to three, and they draw and guess like anyone else, so two people have a game and one person can try it alone.
- Do we need a voice call or a TV?
- Neither. Every phone shows the reveal page by page at the same moment, so a table of friends just looks up and laughs. If there is a TV, any browser on it shows the pens moving while people draw and every page large at the reveal. Friends far apart can play on a call if they like; the game does not need one.
- Can we write our own prompts?
- Every book starts with a prompt a player wrote, so the prompts are always your own. If you are stuck, tap the dice for one picked for you. Pasting in a list of prompts for the night is not there yet.
- How long does a round take?
- With timers on, a prompt gets 30 seconds, a drawing 90 and a guess 45, and a page ends early when everyone is done. A room of six is through the drawing and at the reveal in about ten minutes; the reveal is as long as the laughing. Timers can be turned off.
- Is it family-friendly?
- A room only opens to people with its code, so it is always your own friends, and what goes in the books is what they write and draw. Every game on the site is made for any table.
- Is this made by Gartic?
- No. Gartic Phone is a trademark of its owner. Join Me Games is an independent site by Be Apped, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Gartic Phone or its makers.
Try it
Open Doodle Roar, press Play, and share the code. For the drawing game where one draws and everyone races to guess, try Sketch Sprint. For the rest of the field, every free alternative compared.
Gartic Phone is a trademark of its owner; Join Me Games is not affiliated with it. Gartic Phone is as described on its own home page on 20 October 2026 and may change.