What is Categories?
Grab pens and paper. The screen draws a letter and five categories — a country, an animal, a food, a movie, a job — and starts the timer. Everyone writes one answer per category starting with that letter. When time is up, compare: answers nobody else wrote score a point, duplicates score nothing.
The compare screen makes scoring painless: for each category, tap the players who had a unique valid answer and the game adds the points. Classic, Kids and Party category sets keep it fresh, and the letter pool avoids the impossible ones.
Game setup
How to play Categories
- Everyone draws the categories on their paper.
- Tap Draw a letter, then Start writing.
- Fill every category with a word starting with that letter before time is up.
- Compare answers: tap the players whose answer was unique.
- Tap Add points & next letter.
What the screen does for you
Categories on AllPartyGames.com is the referee, not the whole game: it gives the host Draw a letter, Start / stop the timer, Award points, Finish game, while you bring paper and a pen for each player and this screen for the letter and timer. Tap the ? button inside the game for these rules at any time, or 📺 for TV mode on a big screen.
How many players?
Categories works with 2–12 players and a typical round takes about 15–40 min. Recommended age: 8+.
Best occasions
Variations
Tips
- Landscape mode gives the biggest text when the phone is passed around.
- Turn sound on: the countdown ticks and buzzers keep everyone honest.
- Mixed category keeps things fresh — play again for new prompts.
Categories FAQ
How do you score in Categories?
One point for every answer that is valid and that no other player wrote. If two players write the same answer, neither scores for it.
Which letters are used?
A to W without the impossible ones (no Q, X, Y or Z), and a letter is not repeated until every other letter has been used.
How many prompts does Categories have?
Hundreds, hand-written and shuffled so replays feel new. Every category is family-safe unless labelled otherwise.
Can we play in teams?
Yes — enter team names instead of players and the game keeps a team scoreboard.
Does it work offline?
Once the page has loaded, the whole game runs in your browser; a brief connection drop will not stop it.