Updated October 2026
Categories is the classic letter game as an app for 2 to 20 players. The app draws a letter and a set of categories and starts the countdown. Everyone races to write one answer per category that begins with that letter. When time is up, you compare: answers nobody else thought of score double. If you have played Scattergories or the pen-and-paper version, you already know the idea. You still write on paper, but the phone handles the letter, the categories, the timer and the scoreboard.
How to play the categories game
- Set up the round. Choose topics, the number of categories per round (4 to 10) and the round time: 30, 60, 90, 120 or 150 seconds. Add 2–20 players. Everyone writes on paper or on another device.
- Draw. Tap Start. The letter rolls first, then each category. Not happy? "Reroll letter" keeps the categories, "Reroll all" draws everything again. Hold a category to rename it before the timer starts; that is where your house rules come in.
- Write. Start the timer. Every answer must begin with the letter. Q and X never come up.
- Compare and score. When time is up, go through the categories together and mark each player's answer in the app.
- Next round. Points stay on the leaderboard, the categories stay, and the letter clears. Draw a new letter or reroll everything and go again.
Scoring: unique answers count double
- ★ Unique, 2 points: correct, and nobody else wrote it.
- ✓ Shared, 1 point: correct, but another player had the same answer.
- ✕ 0 points: wrong or blank.
Once every answer is marked, the leaderboard appears. Skip a round and its points are discarded, which helps when the table can't agree on whether an answer counts.
A timer on your Lock Screen
On iPhone the countdown runs as a Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, showing the letter, the categories and the time left. Lock the phone, put it in the middle of the table, and a "Time’s up!" alert tells everyone to put their pens down. On Android, a notification shows the countdown. Both run locally without a connection, as long as notifications (and Live Activities on iPhone) are allowed.
24 topics, 288 categories
Each topic holds 12 categories, and every round draws its categories from different topics in your selection.
- Free (4 topics, 48 categories): Geography, Animals, Food & Drink, Everyday Life
- Classic (16 topics, 192 categories): Movies, TV & Streaming, Music, Sports, Games, Science & Health, History, Technology & Internet, Books & Art, Travel, Work & School, Style & Fashion, Brands & Shopping, Words & Names, Home & Garden, Nature & Space
- Hot & Spicy (4 topics, 48 categories): Flirting & Dating, Dating Disasters, Nightlife, Unfiltered
The free topics are selected from the start. Classic topics unlock with the Classic or Premium subscription, Hot & Spicy topics with Hot & Spicy or Premium.
An example round
Say the free Geography topic deals Cities and Rivers, and the letter is M. "Madrid" is safe, but half the table will have it: 1 point. "Marrakesh" might be yours alone: 2 points. Same with the river: plenty of people write "Mississippi," far fewer think of "Mekong."
One phone, no account, no ads
Categories runs on one phone, whether you are two or twenty. Nobody needs an account, the game works offline, and there are no ads on any tier. It plays in English, German, Spanish and French.
Want something different? In Dial It Up you act out a secret number, and Going, Going! is the auction game for 2–6 players. For bigger crowds, see our guide to games for large groups.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the categories game?
Draw a letter and a set of categories, start the timer and write one answer per category that starts with that letter. When time runs out, compare answers. In Cold Ones the app draws the letter and the categories, runs a 30 to 150 second timer and keeps score, while players write on paper.
How do you score the categories game?
In the app, a correct answer nobody else wrote earns 2 points, a correct answer someone else also wrote earns 1, and a wrong or blank answer earns 0. Totals carry over from round to round on the leaderboard.
Which letters are left out of the categories game?
Q and X. The app draws from the other 24 letters, and you can reroll the letter without changing the categories.
Is the categories game app free?
Four topics with 48 categories (Geography, Animals, Food & Drink and Everyday Life) are free, with no account and no ads. 20 more topics come with the Classic, Hot & Spicy or Premium subscription.
