Charades time limit: how long should a round be?

Most groups play with a 60-second charades time limit. Here is how to pick the right window for your crowd and why too long or too short changes the game.

20 quick prompts to test your timer

Short enough for 60-second rounds, varied enough to keep the game moving.

  1. Riding a bicycle
  2. Climbing a ladder
  3. Brushing teeth
  4. Serving tennis
  5. Playing drums
  6. Catching a ball
  7. Driving a car
  8. Skateboarding
  9. Swimming
  10. Painting a wall
  11. Cooking pasta
  12. Tying shoelaces
  13. Texting a friend
  14. Singing on stage
  15. Dancing salsa
  16. Building a tent
  17. Fishing
  18. Boxing
  19. Crossing a street
  20. Washing a car

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.

Loved by players

Loved by players

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App Store and 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

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!

Why 60 seconds is the default

A minute is long enough for the actor to try two or three angles and short enough to keep the audience focused. Under 30 seconds and the actor gives up; over 90 seconds and momentum dies.

Adjusting for group size and difficulty

Bigger teams can use 90 seconds because more people are guessing. Harder categories (idioms, song lyrics) earn 75 seconds. Mixed ages tighten to 45 seconds to keep turns snappy.

Showem has a built-in timer

Showem runs a 60-second round timer by default and lets you switch to 30, 45 or 90 seconds per game mode, so nobody has to track a stopwatch.

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