The difference between a flat online game night and a brilliant one is rarely the game. It is the hosting. Here is what we have learned from running dozens of them.
Choose the game to fit the guest list
Start with who is coming, not with what you want to play. A group of four old friends who share years of jokes will thrive on skribbl.io with a custom word list. A group of eight people who barely know each other will warm up faster with Gartic Phone, because nobody has to perform under pressure and the replay gives everyone something to laugh about together.
Think about devices too. If half your guests will join from phones, avoid desktop-only games such as Drawasaurus. If everyone has a laptop, you have more freedom. And if your group includes people who dread drawing, consider opening with a word game such as Codenames Online, then switching to sketching once the room is relaxed and laughing.
Numbers matter more than people expect. Telephone-style games need at least five players to produce a satisfying chain. Codenames wants four or more for two proper teams. skribbl.io works with almost any number, from two to twenty. Match the game to your headcount and you avoid the slow, awkward rounds that can deflate an evening before it gets going.
Build a word list with your group in mind
If your chosen game supports custom words, use them. A custom list is the single biggest upgrade you can make to a drawing night. Instead of generic nouns, players sketch the office kettle, the nickname of a friend’s car, or that terrible holiday from three summers ago. Every correct guess becomes a shared memory, and the laughter changes character entirely.
Aim for a mix. Include easy, concrete words that anyone could draw, a handful of trickier abstract ones, and a few genuine in-jokes. Twenty to forty words is plenty for an evening. Avoid anything that only one person would understand; the best custom words are ones the whole group shares, so nobody feels left out when they come up.
For family events, a custom list also gives you control over content. You can make sure nothing inappropriate appears for younger players and that the words suit the ages present. Spend ten minutes on the list before guests arrive, and keep it saved somewhere so you can reuse and improve it next time.
Set the pace before you start
Timings shape the mood of a drawing game more than any other setting. Short timers, around thirty seconds, produce frantic stick figures and lots of shouting. Longer timers, around a minute or more, give people time to draw properly and make the game feel calmer. Neither is right; it depends on your crowd and the energy you want.
Our default for a mixed group is about sixty seconds per drawing, with a couple of letter hints if the game offers them. That gives nervous drawers enough time to produce something recognisable while keeping the pace lively. Once the group is confident, shorten the timer and turn hints off for a more competitive second half.
Keep an eye on the total length too. Plan for a few rounds rather than one marathon, and build in natural breaks for drinks and chat. An evening that ends with people wanting more is far better than one that drags past the point of fun. Two or three short games beat one long one almost every time.
Keep everyone in the conversation
Run a voice or video call alongside the game, even if the game has a text chat. Hearing people react, groan and laugh in real time is what turns a browser tab into a party. Many of the best moments in our test nights came from the commentary rather than the game itself, especially during Gartic Phone replays.
Watch for quiet players. Some people need encouragement to draw in front of others, and some will drift off if they are knocked out early. Praise terrible drawings generously, celebrate brave guesses, and switch games if someone has been sitting out too long. A good host notices who has gone quiet and finds a way to bring them back in.
Finally, be ready to laugh at yourself. If the host draws badly and enjoys it, everyone else relaxes. The point is never artistic quality; it is the shared experience of trying, failing and laughing together. Set that tone early, with a deliberately awful first drawing if necessary, and the whole evening becomes easier and warmer.
Wrap up while the room is still buzzing
End on a high. When the energy is at its peak, announce one final round, and make it a good one: perhaps a custom list of the evening’s best in-jokes, or a Gartic Phone chain seeded with prompts about the night itself. Finishing strong leaves people with a happy memory and makes them keen to come back.
Save the best moments. Screenshots of brilliant drawings or a hilarious replay give the group something to share in the days that follow. These little souvenirs keep the evening alive and often become in-jokes for the next game night, which in turn feed your next custom word list. A good game night tends to start the next one.
Lastly, ask people what they enjoyed. Perhaps they loved Codenames and want more next time, or perhaps the short timer was too much for some. Use that feedback when you plan the next evening. Over a few sessions, you will learn exactly what your group loves, and your nights will only get better.
Keep a little notebook, paper or digital, of what each session taught you: the timer that suited your aunt, the word that caused a ten-minute argument, the game that flopped. After a season of game nights it becomes the most useful hosting tool you own, far more reliable than memory on a busy Friday.