Round 1
Describe
Say anything except the word itself. “You eat it, it's cold, it melts in the sun…” — ice cream! The clock is ticking.
How to play Grabbit?
Grabbit is family of Fishbowl and 30 Seconds: you guess the same stack of words across three rounds that keep getting crazier. Here's everything you need to know — readable within one timer turn.
What you need
- 4 or more players, split into teams
- One iPhone with Grabbit on it (you'll pass it around)
- A couch, campfire or kitchen table — wherever the party is
Setting up
- 1 Set up your teams and pick an unnecessarily competitive team name.
- 2 Choose a theme — or let everyone add their own words with Make your own.
- 3 Pick how many cards per player go into the bowl: more cards = longer game.
- 4 Done. The app shuffles the words and keeps score.
The three rounds
Every round uses the same words. The bowl empties three times — and every round, guessing works a little differently.
Round 2
Act it out
Mouth shut, hands loose. Act out the same word without making a single sound. Yes, that word too.
Round 3
One word
Same stack, but now you get exactly one word. That's it. Good luck.
How a turn works
- 1 One player takes the phone and sees a word. The timer starts right away.
- 2 Only your own team guesses. Got it? Tap Correct and the next word appears.
- 3 Completely stuck? Tap Skip — the card goes back into the bowl and pops up again later.
- 4 Time's up? Pass the phone to the other team. Back and forth, until the bowl is empty.
Scoring & winning
- Every correctly guessed card is one point for your team.
- After each round you'll see the standings — time to cheer or grumble.
- After round three the app adds everything up. The team with the most cards wins.
House rules & tips
- Agree on what's allowed when describing: rhymes? Translations? Be strict, it makes it more fun.
- Memorize the words from round one — in round three that's pure gold.
- Play with a drink or a dare for the losing team. Guaranteed motivation.
- Dictionary discussions are part of the game. Enjoy.
Enough reading
The fastest way to learn Grabbit is to just play. Your first game is ready in 2 minutes.