Heads Up — how to play the forehead word game
Heads Up is a fast-paced guessing game for 2–20 players where one player holds a phone against their forehead showing a word they cannot see, their friends shout clues, and the holder tilts the phone down to score or up to pass before the timer runs out.
- Players
- 2–20 players
- Length
- ~10 minutes
- Type
- High energy
- Type
- Team-based
Runs in your browser · no download · no account
Heads Up is the loudest sixty seconds in party games. You hold the phone flat against your forehead, screen facing out, and a word appears that everyone can see except you. Your friends scream clues. You guess. When you get it, you tilt the phone down and the next word appears. When you are stuck, you tilt up and lose precious seconds.
It works because the pressure is entirely social. The clue-givers are as panicked as the guesser — they can see the word, they know exactly what they want to say, and they are not allowed to say it. What comes out instead is usually incoherent and always funny.
This version ships 7,300+ cards across twenty-eight decks, including Act It Out (mime only), Accents & Impressions, and a Dubai Edition. Tilt detection works on any phone with a motion sensor, and there is a full tap fallback if tilting is not an option.
What you need
- One phone with a screen bright enough for the room
- 2 to 20 players — works with two, sings with eight
- 60, 90, or 120 seconds per turn
- Enough space that nobody gets elbowed
How to play Heads Up
Pick your decks and your crew. Go free-for-all, or split into 🔥 Team Fire vs 🧊 Team Ice.
On your turn, hold the phone on your forehead with the screen facing the group. They shout clues — no saying the word, no spelling it out!
Tilt the phone DOWN when you get it right (+1). Tilt UP to pass — it costs nothing but precious seconds.
No tilt? No problem. Tap the bottom half of the screen for "got it" and the top half to pass. On iPhone, allow motion access when asked.
Mis-tilted? Tap Undo at the top and the word comes straight back, unscored. Tap the X twice to end a turn early.
When the buzzer sounds, review the round and tap any word the group swears was judged wrong — the score follows your edits.
Everyone gets a turn each round. Highest total takes the crown — run it back until the rivalry is settled!
Scoring and winning
- Every word you guess correctly is worth +1.
- Passing costs nothing in points, but it burns clock — which is the real currency.
- After the buzzer you review the round and can tap any word the group judged wrongly, so a bad call never sticks.
- Everyone takes a turn each round. In team mode the two teams alternate; the highest total takes the crown.
Heads Up strategy and tips
- Clue-givers: lead with the category, not the detail. "Animal — big — Africa" gets there faster than a beautifully constructed sentence.
- One person should lead the clues while everyone else fills gaps. Four people shouting different angles at once is how a guessable card times out.
- Guessers: say every wrong guess out loud. Silence gives your clue-givers nothing to correct.
- Pass early rather than heroically. A card you have not cracked in five seconds is usually worth two cards you could have.
- Hold the phone still and level. Aggressive gestures with the phone in hand register as tilts and skip cards you had just guessed.
- If you are on iPhone, allow motion access when the prompt appears, otherwise you are on taps for the whole game.
Variants and house rules
Free-for-all
Everyone plays for themselves and takes one turn per round. Simplest setup, and the fairest with an odd number of players.
Team Fire vs Team Ice
Split into two teams — the app can auto-split for you. Only your own team may give clues, which turns every turn into a spectator sport for the other side.
Act It Out deck
Mime only. No talking at all from the clue-givers. This is the deck to reach for when the room is too loud for anyone to hear anything anyway.
Tap mode
Tap the bottom half of the screen for a correct guess and the top half to pass. Use it when tilting is impractical — in a car, standing in a crowd, or on a device without motion sensors.
Sudden death
House rule for tied scores: one card, thirty seconds, one guesser per team. Highest wins, and nobody argues with a sudden death loss.
Heads Up FAQ
Do I need to download the Heads Up app?
No. This version runs in your phone browser, is free, has no ads or accounts, and keeps working after the first load even without signal.
How does the tilt work?
The phone reads its own orientation. Tilt down for a correct guess and up to pass. On iPhone you will be asked once for motion access — if you decline, or your device has no sensor, tap the bottom half of the screen to score and the top half to pass.
Can you play Heads Up with two people?
Yes. One person holds the phone and the other gives clues, then you swap. Two-player rounds are quieter but surprisingly competitive.
What are the decks?
Twenty-eight of them, covering movies, music, animals, food, celebrities, accents and impressions, mime-only prompts, and a Dubai Edition — 7,300+ cards in total.
What happens if a word gets judged wrongly?
Nothing permanent. After the buzzer the round recap lists every card you saw, and you can tap any of them to flip the call.
Can we skip words we do not know?
Yes, passing is unlimited and costs no points. It only costs time, which in a sixty-second turn is punishment enough.