Games Like Jackbox That Use Your Phone (Free): 10 Picks by Setup

The best free games like Jackbox that use your phone are Gartic Phone and skribbl.io (drawing and guessing in the browser), Codenames Online (word teams), Kahoot! (quiz with phones as buzzers) and AirConsole (phones as controllers on a TV). All of them have a free way to play with no console and no game to buy. They differ in one thing that matters more than the game itself: whether everyone needs their own phone, whether you need a TV or laptop, or whether one phone passed around is enough. This guide sorts them by that.

How Jackbox works, and what "free" changes

Jackbox Party Packs run on one screen (a TV, a laptop, a console) and everyone joins from their own phone's browser at jackbox.tv with a room code. Only the host has to buy the game; players join free. So if one friend already owns a pack, that is the cheapest Jackbox night there is. If nobody does, the games below give you the same "everyone plays from their phone" feel without buying anything.

Free games where everyone uses their own phone

1. Gartic Phone

The drawing version of the telephone game: everyone writes a sentence, the next person draws it, the next describes the drawing, and the chain goes wrong in the funniest possible way. It runs free in the browser, works on phones and handles big groups, which makes it the closest free match to Jackbox's drawing games. A shared screen is nice for the final reveal, but not required.

2. skribbl.io

One player draws a word while everyone else races to type the answer. Free in the browser, with private rooms and custom word lists, so you can fill it with your group's in-jokes. Drawing with a finger on a phone works; a laptop is easier for the drawer.

3. Codenames Online

The official free browser version of the board game, at codenames.game. Two teams, one spymaster each giving one-word clues. Everyone can join from a phone, and it is just as good on a video call as in a room.

4. Drawphone

A free, open-source take on the same drawing-telephone idea as Gartic Phone, made for phones. Worth knowing if your group plays Gartic Phone a lot and wants a change.

5. Among Us

Free on Android and iPhone (with ads). Everyone on their own phone, one or two impostors, and a lot of arguing. Best with 6 or more players who all have it installed.

Free games with phones as controllers and a TV

6. Kahoot!

The host shows the questions on a TV or laptop and everyone answers from their phone with a game PIN, the same flow as Jackbox. You can write your own quiz about the group. The free plan caps how many players can join (about 10 on a personal plan), which is fine for most game nights.

7. AirConsole

Turns a browser, smart TV or tablet into a console and every phone into a controller. There are free games with ads, but the free version limits players and games; the paid Hero subscription unlocks the full library for everyone in the room. Good for racing and arcade games rather than the talky, writing-based fun of Jackbox.

Free games where one phone is enough

Sometimes not everyone has battery, data or the patience to join a room. These need only one phone, passed round or read aloud.

8. Party Roulette (18+)

Our own drinking and dare game. Party Roulette spins a wheel that lands on truth, dare or drink, and you pass the phone round. It has 15 modes; Warm-Up and Truth or Drink are free, and the other 13 (Most Likely To, Never Have I Ever, Hot Seat, Drunk Trivia, Karaoke Roulette, the after-dark modes and your own custom mode) come with Party Roulette Plus. No app? There is a free wheel you can spin in the browser. Adults only.

9. Never Have I Ever

The classic, with no setup at all: one phone reads the statement, everyone who has done it owns up. Our Never Have I Ever app has hundreds of statements in categories and works offline.

10. Heads-up style charades

One player holds the phone to their forehead and guesses the word from everyone's clues. Plenty of free charades apps do this, and it needs nothing else in the room.

Which one should you pick?

• Big group, everyone has a phone: Gartic Phone.
• Competitive group: skribbl.io or Codenames Online.
• There is a TV and someone likes hosting: Kahoot! with a quiz about the group.
• Pre-drinks, adults only, no setup: Party Roulette on one phone.
• Family or mixed ages: Codenames Online or charades. For more, see games to play with family on phone.

For games that use the TV more, read party games on phone and TV; for more one-phone ideas, see group phone games.

Common questions

Is there a free version of Jackbox?
The Party Packs are paid, but only the host needs to own one; everyone else joins free from their phone's browser at jackbox.tv. Without a host copy, Gartic Phone, skribbl.io and Codenames Online are the closest free alternatives.

What games are like Jackbox but free?
Gartic Phone, skribbl.io, Codenames Online, Drawphone and Kahoot!'s free plan all let a group play from their phones without buying anything.

Can you play Jackbox-style games on just phones, with no TV?
Yes. Gartic Phone, skribbl.io, Codenames Online and Among Us all work with only phones, and one-phone games like Party Roulette or Never Have I Ever do not need a second device at all.

What are free games like Jackbox for 2 players?
skribbl.io and Codenames Online work with small groups, and Kahoot! quizzes work with two. Most Jackbox-style games are funnier with 4 or more.

Do these games work over a video call?
Yes. Codenames Online, Gartic Phone and skribbl.io are browser games, so everyone can join from their own home with a room link.