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.

  1. Lion
  2. Harry Potter
  3. Titanic
  4. Airplane pilot
  5. Guitar solo
  6. Mount Everest
  7. Chocolate fountain
  8. Detective
  9. Olympic sprint
  10. 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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Loved by players

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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

Download Showem on the App StoreGet Showem on Google Play
Showem gameplay screen with a charades prompt, timer, and score colors

See how Showem works

Screens from the latest app - from setup to the word on the card.

1
Showem new game settings for time, points, categories, and difficulty

Fully customizable game rules

2
Showem players and teams screen with name entry and active player list

Add your friends in seconds

3
Showem teams overview with blue and red groups and player avatars

Automatic team shuffling

4
Showem game start screen with team scores and start button

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.