What this article covers:
What is Sketch Heads?
Sketch Heads is an Activity that we've developed here at Discord. In Sketch Heads, players sketch pictures of a word prompt to get others to guess the prompt correctly.
Note: ⚠There is no way to moderate drawings, so be sure to establish boundaries with your fellow players.
Starting Sketch Heads in Discord
There are many different ways you can launch Sketch Heads in the Discord app for you and your friends! Whether in a server’s voice channel, in a direct message (DM), or a group message you can check out Activities on Discord for instructions on how to start any Activity.
Before starting any Discord Activity on the desktop app, please make sure to turn on Hardware Acceleration in User Settings > Advanced.
How to Play Sketch Heads
These instructions may look slightly different on mobile devices.
Game Modes
After launching the game, you can choose between 3 different game modes. Here is a breakdown of each game mode:
- Classic: A competitive battle against your friends where you take turns choosing a secret word to draw while everyone else competes to guess it as fast as possible!
- Blitz: A chaotic, cooperative race against the clock where you split into two teams, Drawers and Guessers. Drawers share a canvas and rapidly draw words while the Guessers guess as many as possible before the time runs out.
- Free Draw: A canvas where you can sketch freely with friends or solo. You can share these drawings outside the Activity!
If you have decided to play either Classic or Blitz, the Game Setup menu will appear and allow you to select the length and theme of the game.
In Sketch Heads, the first person to start the activity becomes the host and has the ability to select the game mode.
After you have decided on which game mode to play, press Start. For this example, we’ll be playing Blitz.
Drawers and Guessers
1. To get started, choose a role you would like to play by selecting the plus button (+) on either side. You can choose between being a Drawer or a Guesser.
2. Once the game begins, the Drawers will be given a series of secret words where they will have to do their best to sketch.
While drawing, you can use the following tools to help sketch your creation:
- Color Picker: Choose a color from the list or open the color picker by selecting the multi-colored sphere.
- Brush size: Choose which brush size you would like to use by selecting one of the size options located to the left of the color list.
- Eraser: Select the pencil to enable the eraser function. Then, press-and-drag to erase specific areas you would like to remove.
- Clear: Clear the board by selecting the purple bomb and confirming you would like to clear the drawing.
3. While Drawers are sketching, Guessers can type their guesses in the text box located in the lower right-hand corner. As a Guesser, you can guess as many times as you would like until you have discovered the secret word or time has run out.
4. Once the round is over, the Guessers points will be tallied to show your team’s score!
6. Need a refresher of how to play the game while in a match? Press the hamburger icon in the top right corner and then tap on the question mark icon for instructions.
Sketch Heads FAQ
Q: Why is Discord adding games into voice channels?
A: We started Discord because we are all about bringing people together around gaming. As Discord has grown, we've seen more and more people use Discord to come together around games. For instance, we’ve seen people use Discord to not only play League but also to hang out and play more casual, social games with friends like Jackbox and Among Us.
For more information about Activities on Discord, go here!
Q: Is there an age requirement?
A: There is no age requirement for Sketch Heads.
Q: How do I play?
A: To start a game, first join one of the voice channels. Once there, you should see the Activity Launcher (it looks like a rocket ship) in the voice channel controls. Click the Activity Launcher to open the Activity Shelf, " and then select "Sketch Heads".'
Q: How many players can play Sketch Heads?
A: There can be more than 20 players within a game. However, you may experience some technical issues. We recommend games up to 16 players for the best experience.
Q: Where can I report bugs and problems with the game?
A: You'll be able to submit a bug report by going to https://dis.gd/bugreport
For instructions on how bug reports should be submitted, please see our Help Center article: https://dis.gd/bugs
Q: How do I view/delete my Activities on Discord data? What data is tracked?
A: You can view data for Discord-developed Activities like Sketch Heads through the Discord Privacy and Safety settings. To enhance the gameplay experience, Sketch Heads accesses and temporarily stores the following user data once a user joins the Activity:
- Discord ID
- Avatar
- Username
User data is stored so long as the Activity remains active, even if the user leaves the Activity.
Once all users leave the Activity and it is determined the Activity has ended, the user data is deleted and no longer retained by Sketch Heads.
Q: Didn’t Sketch Heads used to have a different name?
A: Sketch Heads used to be listed in Activities on Discord as Doodle Crew. As part of our regular updates to Activities on Discord, we gave Sketch Heads a glow-up and the name change was part of that effort.
Q: My question isn't listed, what do I do?
A: If all is lost, please submit a ticket to our support team at https://dis.gd/contact