Games like Heads Up: 8 forehead guessing games, honestly compared

Heads Up! is the game that made the phone-on-forehead format famous. But it is not the only way to play, and depending on who is in the room, it may not be the best one. Maybe you want more free content, a version for kids who cannot read, something that works offline, or a headband game for the coffee table. Full disclosure: we make Guessy, one of the apps on this list. We have tried to be fair to everyone, including the ones that are not ours.

What makes a game "like Heads Up"?

A forehead guessing game, sometimes called a headbands game, has three parts: the guesser cannot see their own word, everyone else can, and the group gives clues against a clock. Everything else (acting or describing, cards or a screen, teams or free-for-all) is a variation. That family of games includes charades, "Who Am I?", Hedbanz and every app that uses the phone’s motion sensor to score.

8 games like Heads Up

1. Heads Up! (the original)

The best-known forehead app. Its strength is a large catalog of themed decks and a polished experience. If your group already loves it, there is no need to switch. Some decks are paid add-ons, so check the App Store or Google Play for the current price before game night.

2. Guessy - Charades (iPhone and Android)

Our app, and the closest alternative in format: phone on the forehead, tilt down for correct, tilt up to pass. It has 27 topics and 3,900+ words in English, 8 of them free to play with no purchase (one topic per game, plus one premium topic free each week), works fully offline and is available in 25+ languages, which helps with international families. Premium adds every topic, longer rounds up to 120 seconds, extra time settings, mixing topics in one game, your own words and categories, and no ads. See all charades categories.

3. Guessy Kids (for pre-readers)

A separate app for children who cannot read yet. It shows pictures instead of words, so a four-year-old can play without an adult whispering the answer. If the main reason you are looking for an alternative is young kids, this is the one to try.

4. Hedbanz (the headband board game)

The classic headbands game: each player wears a plastic headband with a picture card they cannot see, and asks yes-or-no questions ("Am I an animal?") to work out what they are. It is slower and quieter than the app version, but it is screen-free and popular with families, which makes it a good pick for a kitchen table. You need the box, and once the card deck is familiar, it loses some surprise.

5. Sticky-note "Who Am I?"

The free, no-app Hedbanz. Everyone writes a famous name on a sticky note and sticks it on their neighbor’s forehead. Players take turns asking yes-or-no questions. It costs nothing, works for any group size and is great as an icebreaker where people mingle.

6. Classic charades with paper slips

Not a forehead game, but the ancestor of all of them. One player acts out a word silently while the team guesses. It needs only a bowl and a pen. The downside is prep, and you will run out of slips. Our charades ideas lists make writing them faster.

7. A browser charades generator

If you do not want to install anything, a word generator in the browser is the fastest start. Open our free charades generator on a phone, hold it to the guesser’s forehead, and have someone tap for the next word. You keep time and score yourself.

8. Reverse charades

The whole team acts and one person guesses. It plays especially well with the phone-on-forehead setup and is perfect for big groups and shy players. See reverse charades for rules and ideas.

Games like Heads Up compared

Headbands game vs. phone forehead game

The two formats look similar but play differently. In a headbands game like Hedbanz, the guesser asks questions and the group only answers yes or no, so it is a logic game at a calm pace. In the phone version, the group gives clues freely (acting, describing, humming) and the guesser races the clock, so it is a performance game and much louder. Families with younger kids often prefer the calmer version; parties usually prefer the loud one.

How to choose

• You want free and offline: Guessy, sticky-note Who Am I? or paper charades.
• You have kids under 6: Guessy Kids or Hedbanz, both work without reading.
• You hate installing apps: the charades generator in your browser.
• You have 15+ people: reverse charades or two phones running in parallel.
• You want your own inside jokes in the deck: an app with custom words (in Guessy, a premium feature), or paper slips.

Whichever you pick, the core charades rules are the same: never say the word, keep turns short, and switch things up before people get bored.

Try the forehead game free: 27 topics, 8 free, tilt to score, works offline. iPhone and Android.

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