Halloween Pictionary Game – Quik Draw

This Halloween pictionary game will have players trying to quickly draw Halloween characters and items faster than their opponents! It’s the perfect Halloween game to play virtually or in person!

Man drawing a picture in front of a computer with people on zoom

This Halloween is going to look a little different than years in the past. People are having to come up with new fun Halloween games , doing neighborhood Halloween scavenger hunts , and swapping trick or treating with the candy bar game or Halloween egg hunts .

This Halloween Quik Draw game is the perfect game for this Halloween because you can do it either in person or virtually via Zoom or another similar program. It’s one of my favorite new Halloween party ideas !

We just played it this past weekend with my family via Zoom, and it may be even better via Zoom because then you can’t see what other people are drawing!

If you need another fun virtual game option, this Ghoulish Recall game or these Halloween would you rather questions work great!

The general idea of the game is that players are going to draw Halloween characters based on clues they’re given and win points for drawing quick and drawing well. People will love this game because it’s not just drawing like pictionary but also figuring out who you’re drawing from the clues you’re given!

People on a zoom call holding up pictures of a werewolf

Supplies:

You really don’t need much at all to play, just:

Drawing tools for each player (I recommend some color!)
Drawing pad or notebook for each player
List of clues – download them at the bottom of this post
Paper to keep score or a big dry erase scorecard
3 minute timer

How to Play

The basic rules of the game are the same, there are just different types of clues you can give, and I’ve explained those below.

Okay so here’s generally how to play.

First, make sure everyone has a pad of paper and drawing tools available to them and make sure everyone has a good connection (if you’re playing via Zoom).

As the host, you’ll be responsible for pretty much everything other than actually drawing in this game. You’ll give the clues, judge the pictures, and keep score.

Start your Zoom call and explain how the game works to everyone before playing. Here’s a quick walk-through that should help explain.

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Players will be given 10 different subjects to draw, such as mummy. Clues will be given either directly (e.g., mummy), via who I am riddles, or via a clue tied to a song.
Once a clue is given and players think they know who the subject is, they should begin drawing the subject as quickly as they can.
The first player to show the host a recognizable, non-stick figure, of the subject wins one point.
The other players keep drawing and have three minutes to finish their drawings. At the end of the three minutes, all players show their pictures and the one with the best picture (as judged by the host) wins.
At the end of the 10 rounds, the person with the most total points wins.

Four people on zoom with a picture of a skeleton

The first person to put up a recognizable picture wins a point.

People on zoom holding up pictures of a skeleton

the best picture also wins a point so if you’re not first, keep drawing!

Once you’ve read the rules to the players, I recommend doing a practice round with a simple subject to make sure everyone understands how it works.

Then you’re ready to play!

Give the first subject clue and start the game. One point for first drawing, one point for best drawing each round.

Keep score, ideally on a master scorecard, and show it to the group at periodic times during the game.

Keep playing until you’ve gone through all ten rounds and have a winner!

Subject Clues

I mentioned that there were three different types of subject clues you can give to players. Depending on the group that is playing, you can either do all of one type of clue or mix it up and do a variety of clues to keep people on their toes.

1 – Direct Clues

Direct clues are by far the easiest clues to both give and figure out. You’re literally just going to tell people who the subject is they need to draw, so it’s more about the speed and fun of drawing the characters.

Direct clues might be things like spider, werewolf, and ghost for young kids or witch on a broomstick, Frankenstein, and Headless Horseman (one of my favorite parts of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party! ) for older players.

The direct clues are going to be best if you’re playing with young kids who may or may not be able to get the who am I or song clues, although you may be surprised.

2 – Who Am I Clues

The next option is who am I clues that are a series of riddles that hint toward the subject without giving it away. I’ve written out a handful of sets of who am I clues that you can use for the game or you can create your own.

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If you’re creating your own, I recommend starting with the hardest clues first and moving to easier ones so that people can get the clues at some point! And after you’ve read off the clues, if you want, just tell them directly who it is so everyone can at least try to draw it.

I’ve included an example of a who am I clue below!

This would be a set of clues for a child trying to get them to draw a vampire.

Disney Jr. has a show about a young girl who is a ballerina and also one of us.
Another one of us runs Hotel Transylvania.
We like to sleep in coffins.
We have been known to transform ourselves into bats.
The most famous of our kind was named Dracula (until Edward came along).

And then a more challenging set of clues for adults playing. Can you come up with Godzilla from the clues below?

There are 36 films about me but only 4 produced in America.
My skin was inspired by the scars seen on Hiroshima survivors.
My signature weapon is my atomic heat breath.
I vacillate between being a hero and a villain.
I have attacked Tokyo a total of 13 times.

3 – Song Clue

The final clues will be related to songs played that represent a Halloween subject of some sort. You’ll read the clue, play the song, and let people keep drawing until the song is over (or until the three minutes is up), quickest one to draw the subject still wins a point.

I’ve included a list of songs and clues to use at the bottom in the free download as well so you don’t have to start from scratch. I also created an Apple Music playlist that you can use if you have Apple Music to make it even easier to play!

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Here’s an example of a song and a clue that might go with the song.

Clue – This song is about what character?
Song – Purple People Eater
Subject – One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater

three people holding up pictures of a purple people eater on zoom

Looking for more Fun Halloween Games?

GET THE HALLOWEEN GAMES BUNDLE!

Expert Tips

Make a playlist of the songs before you start playing so people don’t have to wait on you finding each of the songs to share.

Keep Zoom on gallery view so you can see everyone’s screens and see who gets their drawing up first.

Record the screen with your phone if you’re worried about fighting who got the picture up first. That way you can quickly go back and do a replay to see who it actually was.

Have a fun prize for the winner that you can send virtually like a gift card and make sure people know a prize is involved. People get more excited when there are prizes!

Tell the group that you have the final answer and no arguing will be tolerated on who has the best drawing. As the host, you may need to point out why you chose the picture you did, but I recommend being clear up front that it’s not a debate.

Put the timer where people can see it on their screen and announce when time is up. If people don’t have their pictures on screen within 5 seconds, their picture is disqualified. This will keep people honest and moving.

Make sure people know their characters have to be recognizable to count. If you’re worried about the recognizable part, have a host partner who wears sound blocking headphones or leaves the rooms for the clues and they have to be able to recognize the subject for it to count.

Three people on zoom call in Halloween costumes

This is an example of an unrecognizable character that wouldn’t score a point.

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Download the Clues

Enter your first name and email address in the form below to get the printable PDF full of clues for the game. You will receive a link to download the PDF to your email within minutes.

If you do not see the form, click here to get to it .

The PDF will include: