Sketch Impostor: the drawing impostor game to play online

What is Sketch Impostor?

It mixes two kinds of party game: drawing, and bluffing games where one player is hiding something from the rest. Here the hidden player is a fake artist. Everyone else knows the word; the impostor only knows that they don't, and has to work it out from the other drawings while making their own.

The fun is on both sides. Regular players want to show they know the word without making it too easy to copy. The impostor wants to look as if they knew it all along. Then everyone gets to argue about whose cat looks suspiciously like a dog.

How to play Sketch Impostor

1. Each turn, one player is the seed player and types the secret word or phrase, up to 60 characters. They have 60 seconds; if time runs out, the next player becomes the seed instead.
2. At the same moment, the server secretly picks the impostor at random from everyone except the seed player. The impostor is told they are the impostor and never receives the word.
3. Everyone draws at the same time, the seed player included. Regular players see only their own canvas. The impostor sees everyone else's drawings as they are drawn, and has to come up with something plausible.
4. Press Done drawing when you're finished. Once everyone is done, or the clock runs out, all the drawings are revealed together.
5. A few seconds later, voting opens. Vote for the player you think is the impostor. You have one vote, you can't vote for yourself, and votes stay secret until the results. The impostor votes too.
6. Voting ends when everyone has voted, or after 5 minutes. If an impostor is among the most-voted players, the impostor is caught and the regular players win the turn. Otherwise the impostor escapes.
7. The results show the word, the impostor, every vote and every drawing. Then the next seed player chooses a word. After the last round, the highest total score wins the game.

How many impostors?

There is one impostor for every 5 players, and always at least one: 1 impostor with 3 to 9 players, 2 with 10 to 14, 3 with 15 to 19, and 4 with 20. The voting screen tells everyone how many impostors there are, but the results are the first time anyone sees who they were. With several impostors, each one knows only their own role.

Ties and empty votes

If several players tie for the most votes, the impostor is caught as long as one of them is an impostor. If nobody votes at all, the impostor escapes.

The drawing tools

You draw on a white canvas with 16 colors, 5 brush sizes, Undo, Clear, and a Lock that lets you scroll on a phone without drawing by accident. A mouse, a stylus or a finger all work.

Sketch Impostor settings

Pick Sketch Impostor under Game mode in Scribbly's Game settings. The host can also set:

• Rounds: 1 to 10. A round lasts until every player has been the impostor at least once.
• Turn time: how long everyone has to draw, from 15 to 120 seconds in steps of 5. The default is 60.
• No timer for first round: the first round's drawings have no clock and are revealed once everyone has pressed Done drawing. Good for teaching new players.
• Auto-start next turn: on by default. The next turn starts 30 seconds after the results unless the host pauses the countdown.

Scoring on Ping44

Points are decided by the vote:

• Impostor caught: every regular player who voted for an impostor scores 100 points. The impostor scores nothing.
• Impostor escaped: each impostor scores 150 points, plus 25 for every vote a regular player cast for an innocent player. Regular players score nothing that turn.
• Impostors' votes: impostors vote like everyone else and their votes count in the tally, but they never earn points from their own votes.

For example, if the impostor escapes and three regular players voted for innocent people, the impostor scores 150 + 3 × 25 = 225 points.

At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins. Points also go on the room's scoreboard, which carries over to the next game you play in the room.

Tips and strategy

For regular players:

• The impostor is watching your canvas as you draw. Add a detail only someone who knows the word would think of, but don't draw the one thing that gives the word away.
• Look for drawings that are vague, generic, or a near copy of someone else's.
• Remember the impostor votes too. A loud, early accusation can come from the impostor.

For the impostor:

• Watch the first strokes of several players and look for what they have in common before you commit.
• Draw something broad that fits many words, and don't copy one drawing too closely.
• Don't hold back for too long. The others can see how many players are done, and taking far longer than everyone else draws attention.

For the seed player:

• Choose a word specific enough that a vague drawing stands out, but not so distinctive that a single glance at another canvas gives it away.

How to start a game of Sketch Impostor on Ping44

1. Go to ping44.com, sign in for free with email or Google, and create a room. Only the host needs an account.
2. Share the invite link, the 6-character room code or the QR code. Friends join as guests by picking a name. You need at least 3 players.
3. In the lobby, choose Scribbly, then select Sketch Impostor under Game mode in Game settings.
4. Set the rounds and turn time, then start the game.

Why play Sketch Impostor on Ping44

• The secret really stays secret. The server never sends the word to the impostor or to spectators before the results, and never reveals who the impostor is before the results, not even through a stat.
• The impostor is picked with a cryptographically secure random shuffle, so nobody can predict it from earlier turns.
• Votes stay secret until everyone has voted or the time runs out.
• Up to 20 players, with up to 4 impostors in a big group.
• Built-in voice chat when the host turns it on, which makes the accusations much louder. Text chat with emote reactions too.
• Free, with no ads and no download. It plays in the browser on phones, tablets and computers.

If your group likes the drawing but not the bluffing, try Sketch & Draw or Sketch Battle. For more ideas, see the drawing games guide or the video call games guide.

Frequently asked questions