The definitive ranked list of the best drawing art board games. This is about titles where you have to use some kind of skill to draw something. Do not confuse this with games like Railroad Ink or Captain Sonar where you draw lines to accomplish things, this is not that kind of drawing game. Art is subjective, but the intention to be art is at least there. Bad art can be just as fun as good art, you just need to be willing to give it a shot. These are our top 10 best drawing art board games.
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#10 | Doodle Quest
Doodle Quest makes the list of the best drawing art board games because it is a great mix of a drawing game a strategic adventure you and your fellow players are going on. You have to draw something well enough that it lines up with other players and that will direct you what to do next.
Dive under the deep blue sea where you’ll find fish to gobble, treasure to discover, and divers to save. In this line-drawing game, players study challenging quest cards, then try to replicate the depicted path(s) on their separate transparent doodle sheets. Once finished, the players place their doodle sheets on top of the quest card to see whether the drawings line up. For 1 – 4 players, games last about 15 minutes.
FOR MORE: Buy Doodle Quest on Amazon
#09 | Skribble
Skribble makes the list of the best drawing art board games because you have to draw masterpieces, but with the giant hurdle of not getting information about what you are drawing like you are used to. You need to implement your skill, but you have to do it while completely relearning how to draw and use information.
When you play, you don’t know what you’re drawing. Another player attempts to instruct you on what to draw…while you try to guess what it is. The challenge is that the instructor can only describe geometric shapes, not anything which specifically describes the object. For example, when drawing “house,” words like roof, window or door can’t be mentioned. For 3 or more players, games run about 30 minutes.
FOR MORE: Buy Skribble on Amazon
#08 | Sketchy Tales Disney
Sketchy Tales Disney makes the list of the best drawing art board games because it gives you a blank canvas and fun guidance all within the Disney universe. You get to draw your favorite characters doing fun things. Not only do you have to draw in this game, but you have to interpret what your neighbor does and then draw again.
This is a drawing and guessing game full of Disney magic and it plays like Telephone. You each begin your story with a Disney character doing something a little unusual. One player starts a chain of drawing something, which leads to clue giving and more drawing. After a long string, funny stories and mishaps are told. For 4 – 8 players, games run a quick 20 minutes each.
FOR MORE: Sketchy Tales Disney Page | How To Play Sketchy Tales Disney | Sketchy Tales Disney Review | Buy Sketchy Tales Disney on Amazon
#07 | Pictomania
Pictomania makes the list of the best drawing art board games because it is your classic draw the clue and guess game but jam-packed into a quick and exciting experience. That is because everyone is both drawing and guessing at the same time. There are no crazy mechanics here, just a good game with good old fashion trying to draw your best art.
A game lasts five rounds, and at the start of each round, you set up six randomly drawn cards on card racks visible to all players. Cards are double-sided, come in four levels of difficulty, and include seven related words on a single side. In addition to a set of guessing cards, scoring tokens, marker and drawing board, each player receives one symbol card and one number card, which together indicate which word or phrase on the revealed cards that player must draw. Bonus tokens equal to one less than the number of players are placed in the center of the table. For 3 – 6 players, games go for 25 minutes.
FOR MORE: Buy Pictomania on Amazon
#06 | Duplik
Duplik makes the list of the best drawing art board games because how closely you can draw within parameters is harshly judged by your peers. If you are able to take criticism about you “work” than this is a fun one to dive into with friends at the same skill level. You do not have to be great (though it helps) you need to be able to convey the right thing.
In each round, one player (the Art Director) describes a unique and utterly bizarre image while the other players (the Artists) attempt to draw the image based solely on the Art Director’s description. Once time is up, Artists trade drawings and the ten hidden criteria for the image are uncovered. It’s up to each Artist to decide whether the drawing he or she is judging meets the criteria and receives points. For 3 – 10 players, games run about 45 minutes.
FOR MORE: Buy Duplik on Amazon
#05 | A Fake Artist Goes To New York
A Fake Artist makes the list of the best drawing art board games because the creative and drawing mechanisms make for such a great experience. You have to be good at drawing but you also have to be good at stretching the truth. If you are the fake artist you will have to use both sides of your brain to take in information and to spit it out.
Players take turns being the Question Master, whose role is to set a category, write a word within that category on dry erase cards, and hand those out to other players as artists. At the same time, one player will have only an “X” written on his card: they are the fake artist. Players will then go around the table twice, drawing one contiguous stroke each on a paper to draw the word established by the Question Master, then guess who the fake artist is. For 5 – 10 players, games last about 20 minutes.
FOR MORE: Buy A Fake Artist Goes to New York on Amazon
#04 | Scrawl
Scrawl makes the list of the best drawing art board games because it is a fun party game that will put your skills to the test in real-time. You are basically set up to fail, which makes things funny, and as clues continue around the circle they get more and more out there. It will really put you to the test of how well you can interpret and draw a clue.
Someone starts out with a phrase and draws it, the idea is that the clues you start with are very loaded and bound to create mishaps and plenty of smiles. It goes all the way around the circle until it gets back to you. Points are awarded for the most disastrous doodles and godawful guesses. For 4 – 8 players, games run roughly 30 minutes.
FOR MORE: Games Like Scrawl | Buy Scrawl on Amazon
#03 | Telestrations
Telestrations makes the list of the best drawing art board games because it takes your skills into a lively party atmosphere. There is a wide scope of things for you to draw and to keep things exciting, this game adds in aspects of the classic game Telephone where the game is a series of drawing and interpreting.
Each player begins by sketching a word dictated by the roll of a die. Time is limited by the old fashioned sand timer. When time is up all players, all at the same time, pass their sketch to the next player, who must guess what’s been drawn. Players then simultaneously pass their guess — which hopefully matches the original word — to the next player who must try to draw the word they see — and so on. For 4 – 8 players, games last about 30 minutes.
FOR MORE: Telestrations Page | How To Play Telestrations | Games Like Telestrations | Buy Telestrations on Amazon
#02 | Artbox
Artbox makes the list of the best drawing art board games because it is one of the most innovatively played titles, that still tests your drawing skills, to come out in a long time. You aren’t getting just a clue, you are rolling a variety of shapes and using them. When you play it seems so genius, it feels odd that no one has done anything like it until now.
This is a game where each player becomes a modern artist. Each game round is a competition of trying to depict your word using just several shapes. Players will also have to challenge their deduction, trying to guess what their opponents tried to depict. You get a clue, your shapes and you draw. It is as simple as that. For 3 – 8 players, games last 25 – 40 minutes.
FOR MORE: Buy Artbox on Amazon
#01 | Pictionary
Pictionary takes the top spot on the list of the best drawing art board games because it is the gold standard classic that still holds up today. It has been around since 1985 and is still around because it boils down to the pure mechanic of the drawing party game. You draw and you guess, that is it. How can you beat a game that just gets right to it. If you like drawing, this game gives you exactly what you want.
Clues are given and one player on a team at any given time must convey that clue through drawing. Players gain an edge if they have a good imagination when guessing, empathy for their teammates, and/or a general ability to communicate in restricted circumstances. A board is provided, just to keep score on, which focuses on the competition. For 3 – 16 players, games last roughly 90 minutes.
My kids would love a few of these! I think they are also great gift ideas for familys with kids who love to play games together!