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How to play Heads Up: the forehead guessing game

Heads Up is reverse charades: instead of one person acting for a guessing crowd,one person guesses while the whole crowd gives clues. The guesser holds a phone against their forehead showing a word everyone can see but them. Here are the rules, scoring, clue etiquette, and how to play free on any phone.

Heads Up rules, step by step

  1. Pick a category — animals, movies, famous people, food…
  2. The guesser holds the phone on their forehead, screen facing out, so friends can see the word.
  3. Start the timer (60 seconds is standard).
  4. Friends give clues — describe it, act it out, make sounds — without saying the word itself.
  5. Got it? Tilt the phone down. The app scores it and shows the next word.
  6. Stuck? Tilt up to pass and move on — no penalty.
  7. When the timer ends, count the correct guesses and pass the phone to the next player. Highest total wins.
AI Charades heads-up gameplay showing the word Barber Shop, a 60-second timer and tilt-to-score instructions
Heads-up round in AI Charades: word front and center, timer and score in the corners.

Clue rules your group should agree on

  • Never say the word or any part of it ("shop" for "Barber Shop" is out).
  • No spelling and no rhyming — that's the classic house rule.
  • Everything else goes: descriptions, impressions, acting, sound effects.
  • For a harder game, switch to act-only clues — full charades mode, no talking.

How to set it up free in AI Charades

Heads Up party mode setup in AI Charades: players, round length of 30, 60 or 90 seconds, tilt or tap scoring
Add players, set round length, choose tilt or tap-only scoring.
  1. Open the Heads Up! tab — it's marked offline because it needs no connection.
  2. Add every player by name. The app keeps a live leaderboard across rounds.
  3. Set the rules: 30, 60 or 90-second rounds; tilt scoring or tap-only (great for playing flat on a table).
  4. Pick word packs from 40+ options, or generate your own with AI.
  5. Follow the on-screen prompt — "phone on forehead" — and play. At the end you get a winner screen plus every word you hit or missed.

Winning tips

  • Clue-givers: divide and conquer. One person describes the category, another the details.
  • Guessers: think in categories. Say the type ("a place? an animal?") to steer the clues.
  • Pass fast. Ten seconds stuck on one word costs more than a pass ever will.

Prefer classic acting-only rules? Readhow to play charades. Playing in the car? See the best road trip games.

Frequently asked questions

What are the basic rules of Heads Up?

One player holds a phone on their forehead showing a word they can't see. Everyone else gives clues — acting, describing, or shouting hints. The guesser tilts the phone down for a correct guess and up to pass. Most correct guesses when the timer ends wins.

Can you say the word in Heads Up?

No — clue-givers can't say the word itself, spell it, or use rhymes ('sounds like cat'). Everything else — describing, acting, pointing at things — is fair game unless your group decides otherwise.

Do you need internet to play Heads Up-style games?

Not necessarily. The heads-up party mode in AI Charades runs fully offline, so it works on planes, road trips and anywhere without signal.

How many players do you need for Heads Up?

Two is the minimum (one guesser, one clue-giver), but it's best from three up. Pass-the-phone apps track scores for as many players as you add.

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