Back

Guessing

Emoji Pictionary

Also called Guess the Emoji, Emoji Quiz

A string of emojis appears on the screen; teams race to work out the movie, song or saying it spells.

people
6–120
time
15 min
energy
Medium
materials
Needs prep
Kids-safeHR-safeChurch-safe
Watch it played
What you need3
How to play4

Before you start

Build a slide deck with one emoji puzzle per slide and the answer on the next slide. Split the room into teams of 3–6, each with one answer sheet.

  1. 1The host shows one emoji puzzle at a time with a 30-second timer.
  2. 2Teams quietly write down what they think it spells.
  3. 3Reveal the answer after each slide, or every five slides to keep the pace up.
  4. 4One point per correct answer; most points wins.
Cards for this game29

Edit them now. Host mode deals them one at a time, big enough for the room.

29 cards
  • 🦁👑→ The Lion King
  • ❄️👸→ Frozen
  • 🕷️🧑→ Spider-Man
  • 🚢🧊→ Titanic
  • 🐠🔍→ Finding Nemo
  • 🧙⚡→ Harry Potter
  • 🦇👨→ Batman
  • 🤠🚀→ Toy Story
  • 🏠👦😱→ Home Alone
  • 🐼🥋→ Kung Fu Panda
  • 🌹👸👹→ Beauty and the Beast
  • 🧞🪔→ Aladdin
  • 🍰→ Piece of cake
  • 🌧️🐱🐶→ Raining cats and dogs
  • 🔥🥔→ Hot potato
  • 🌅🐦→ Early bird
  • 🦵💥→ Break a leg
  • 🏠🥬→ Bahay Kubo
  • 🍧🥄→ Halo-halo
  • 🎄⭐→ Christmas
  • 🍗🍚→ Adobo
  • 🚐🇵🇭→ Jeepney
  • 🥭🏝️→ Boracay
  • 🍌🔥→ Banana cue
  • 🧊🧊🍦→ Ice cream
  • ☀️🌊🏖️→ Summer at the beach
  • 🎤🎶🏠→ Karaoke night
  • 🐢🐇🏁→ The Tortoise and the Hare
  • 🌙⭐🛏️→ Goodnight
What to say3
  1. 1“These little faces are hiding a movie title. Thirty seconds — go!”
  2. 2“Write it down, don't shout it out! The other teams can hear you!”
  3. 3“The answer is… Finding Nemo! Fish plus magnifying glass, people!”
Host tips3
  • Test every puzzle on someone who has not seen it. Half of what seems obvious to the person who made it is unreadable to anyone else.
  • Emojis look different on different phones and projectors — check the deck on the actual screen before the party, especially newer emojis that may show up as empty boxes.
  • Match the references to the room. A deck of 2020s memes dies in front of lolos and lolas; mix in older films and classic songs.
Variants2

  • Themed deck

    Christmas carols for December, Disney films for a kids' birthday, love songs for a wedding, company jargon for the office.

  • Make your own

    Each team builds three puzzles on a phone and the other teams have to crack them. Great second half once people get the hang of it.

Good for

Occasions

ChristmasTeam buildingBirthdaySchoolReunionBaby showerWedding

Venues

Indoor, smallIndoor, largeOfficeChurch hallOnline