Family game night, on your TV

A picture, a phrase, and everyone else guessing. Put FlickerTale on the TV, hand round nothing but the phones you already have, and play.

The table is laid, the plates are cleared, and someone says “shall we play something?” FlickerTale is a storytelling game for everyone in the room, from the youngest who can hold a phone to the grandparent who insists they are no good at games (they will be the best bluffer). The TV is the table. Every phone is a hand of cards. There is nothing to buy, download or sign up for.

Ready in two minutes

1. Open flickertale.com on the TV’s web browser, or on a laptop plugged into the TV, and choose Set the table.
2. Everyone opens flickertale.com on their phone and types the five-letter code from the TV.
3. Pick a name and a little companion, and tap Take my seat.
4. Start. The first storyteller picks a painting and says a clue; everyone else slips in a card that could fit; then the whole room guesses which one told the story.

Why it works for a family

• Nobody needs to be good with words. A clue can be a sound, a song, a face you pull, or a single word. The best clues are the ones only half the room gets.
• Bluffs score too. Even the youngest player scores when someone falls for their card.
• Three to sixteen players. Big families, small ones, the neighbours who dropped by. Someone arriving late can watch, then sit down at the next round.
• Nobody is left waiting. The clocks keep the game moving, and if someone wanders off to the kitchen, the game plays a card for them.
• Want it gentler? Before you start, choose Relaxed in Change the rules: no clock on the storyteller or the cards, up to five minutes to guess, and each part of the reveal waits up to a minute for everyone to tap Next.
• Short of players? Add a house player or two. They play along like anyone, and never see your hand.

Family far away?

Aunts on the other side of the country, a cousin at university: bring them in on a video call. Share the TV’s table in the call, and they join with their own phones. See playing over a video call.

The cards

Every card is a wordless painting with a twist: a rhinoceros in a pink tutu at the ballet barre, a tiny kayak paddling down the stream of tea from a kettle, a fish holding its own fishing rod. They are painted for a general audience, and made to be talked about. See credits for how they were made.

Good to know

• There are no accounts, no adverts and nothing to buy.
• Nobody is asked for an email address, including children.
• A game is gone from our server two hours after the last move. See privacy.

Set the table now, or read how to play first.

Last changed on 29 September 2026.