Charades categories that work for most groups
A great category is easy to mime, broad enough for variety, and hard enough to be funny. The wrong category is either impossible or solved in two seconds.
10 mixed-category examples
One pick per pillar - animals, films, books, jobs, food, sports - so your bag feels balanced.
- Lion
- Harry Potter
- Titanic
- Airplane pilot
- Guitar solo
- Mount Everest
- Chocolate fountain
- Detective
- Olympic sprint
- Smartphone
These ideas are starters. Download Showem free for more words, teams and timers, and same-phone play on one device - from the App Store or Google Play.
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What players say
Set up teams in under a minute and laughed for an hour.
No installs for my friends - just pass the phone.
The AI keeps throwing new prompts so nobody gets bored.
Free - iOS & Android
Play now - Get Showem
Choose categories and round rules, run teams and timers, and keep scores on one phone - built for in-room charades on iOS and Android.
Fully customizable game rules
Add your friends in seconds
Automatic team shuffling
Ready, set, Showem!
Download Showem free

See how Showem works
Screens from the latest app - from setup to the word on the card.

Fully customizable game rules

Add your friends in seconds

Automatic team shuffling

Ready, set, Showem!
Safe defaults for mixed groups
Movies, books, famous people, animals, and occupations are classic for a reason: people share enough context to guess without needing expert knowledge.
Spicy vs. workplace-appropriate
If you’re at work, bias toward objects, hobbies, and brands people know. At home with friends, you can loosen up - just still avoid anything that could embarrass someone on purpose.
Rotate categories between rounds
Variety keeps energy up. With Showem you can generate prompts across categories so the night doesn’t flatten into one repetitive theme.
