How to play Dictate — free online blind drawing game
Only one of you can see it. Describe it. The rest draw blind. Chaos.
- Players
- 3–4
- Length
- ~10 min
- Type
- Draw
- Price
- Free
Dictate is a communication game disguised as a drawing game. One player sees a picture. Everyone else sees nothing but the words that player types.
The comedy is entirely in the gap. The director knows exactly what they meant by 'a round thing near the top'; four people produce four completely different interpretations of it, and then the room votes on which one came closest.
The director's picture is on their screen only — painters must not see it.
Free, no app and no sign-up to join — players hop in with a 4-letter code on their own phone.
How to play Dictate
The host picks the round count
Six rounds is the default, so the director role gets around the room more than once.
One player becomes the director
The role rotates. They secretly see a pixel picture that nobody else can see.
The director writes instructions
No drawing, no gestures — just typed instructions. This is the whole of their turn.
Everyone else paints blind
The other players read the brief and paint what they think it describes, with no reference image at all.
The room votes on the best attempt
All the drawings go up and the room votes for whichever nailed it. Then the picture is revealed and everyone finds out how far off they were.
What Dictate looks like
How scoring works
Painters score by votes — whoever's drawing the room judges closest to the brief banks the round.
The director has a stake in it too: a brief that produces recognisable drawings pays them, which is what stops directors from writing deliberately cryptic instructions.
The role rotates every round, so everyone spends equal time directing and painting, and the scoreboard reflects both jobs.
Tips for winning Dictate
- As director, give the layout before the detail. 'A big circle in the middle' orients everyone; 'it has a friendly expression' orients nobody.
- Use sizes and positions, not names. Saying what the object IS is usually against the spirit and often impossible anyway.
- As a painter, follow the brief literally rather than guessing what it 'must' be. The votes go to the drawing that matches the words.
- Don't over-detail. A clean, readable shape beats an ambitious mess when four drawings go up side by side.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Dictate?
Three to four — one director plus at least two painters.
Do I need to be able to draw?
No. Everyone is working blind from the same words, so the field is level and the results are supposed to be bad.
Do we need voice chat?
No — the brief is typed on purpose. The one rule is that the director's picture stays on their screen only.
Is it free?
Yes, free to play and free to host, and joining needs only the 4-letter code.
Free, no app and no sign-up to join — players hop in with a 4-letter code on their own phone.