UNLOCKING GARTIC PHONE — HOW TO FULLY CUSTOMIZE YOUR GARTIC PHONE MATCH (2024)

In the last year, Gartic Phone became a synonym of pure fun. Who doesn’t have a good laughter session story with Gartic Phone to tell?

The game has evolved a lot too. We’ve launched new modes, and the possibilities of different gameplays using custom settings are numerous. There are more than 3000 ways in which you can play Gartic Phone.

That’s why we decided to bring this overview of the game! The idea is that you get familiar with some of these possibilities. The custom settings tab seems a little overwhelming at first, but you’ll see that it is actually simple.

Each section below presents a particularity of the game.

You have two options to start a lobby. You can either play anonymously or with authentication (see images 1 and 2). This decision is up to you!

The anonymous option is ideal for a quick game between friends. At the same time, the authenticated one is preferable for stream lives or Discord-based matches.

On the authenticated tab, it is possible to log in via Twitch or Discord. In both options, you can select your character.

Your name in the game will be the same as your ID in the social network you’ve chosen. If you are playing anonymously, you need to choose a nickname.

Once you’ve defined your entering way, you’ll be redirected to your lobby.

If you are trying to find more players, you can join our official Discord server. Notice, though, that only authenticated lobbies are allowed on our server!

Here is the link: https://discord.gg/gartic

Now you can start customizing your game! You can set how many players you want in your lobby on your upper left side.

Notice that you have two tabs on the upper side: PRESETS and CUSTOM SETTINGS.

Presets are nothing more than a specific custom setting. They are just a quick way to choose the game mode you want to play.

The little engine on the upper left side of each preset leads you to the custom settings of that specific preset. For example, if I’ve selected the normal preset, I can click on the engine to adjust the time.

In the following two sections, I’ll present each mode and all the custom settings.

Each preset offers different gameplays, so make use of it to keep boredom away from you and your friends. Only the lobby creator can change the round’s preset; they just need to click on the preset.

A brief description appears when the arrow cursor passes over the presets’ box. Choose one and invite your friends to your lobby!

Once you’ve selected a preset, click on the “invite” button and send the link to your friends. When they have entered the room, click on the “start” button.

Here’s a summary of each preset:

Normal: The standard dynamic of the game. Start writing a sentence for the next player to draw. In the next round, you receive a sentence to draw. The pace of drawing and writing repeats alternately until the album’s visualization.

Knock-off: This mode is all about replicating the previous drawing. You start with a longer time to do the first drawing, but the time to copy the other ones gets shorter at each round.

Secret: The dynamics of the normal mode, but everything is hidden. You can’t see what you are drawing, nor can you see what you are writing. It’s a good preset to challenge your friends.

Animation: Animate your drawings. Each round, you must draw a new animation frame. In the end, you can change both the animation’s loop and the frames per second.

Icebreaker: The perfect preset for breaking the ice. Ask a question on the first round and see the drawing answers at the end.

Complement: Start drawing some basic abstract lines. Then all the players will create their art from these lines.

Score: The competitive preset! It functions just like the Normal preset dynamics, but you earn points every time you keep the meaning of the prompt. Imagine that the sentence you received is “blue cat.” Try to draw a perfect blue cat because if the next person describes your drawing as a blue cat, you all earn points.

Speedrun: If you want a quick match, you should definitely play the Speedrun preset. The dynamics are the same as the Normal preset, but the clock will run faster.

Sandwich: A sandwich of drawings. The bread slices are writing prompts, and the filling is all the player’s drawings. Start writing, then keep drawing until the end. In the last round, describe the last drawing.

Crowd: Fewer turns and faster clock. The ideal preset for larger audiences (+15 players).

Background: Create a fixed background for your animation frame.

Solo: Create your own animation in 5 frames.

As previously mentioned, every preset is actually a specific custom setting. You can edit wherever preset you want to make it longer or faster, trickier or not.

See how each configuration will change your game:

TIME OPTIONS

• Normal: Standard time.
• Fast: Half of the time available in Normal.
• Slow: Twice the time available in Normal.
• Regressive: The time decreases at each turn.
• Progressive: The time increases at each turn.
• Dynamic: The Dynamic option triggers the clock only when the majority presses DONE!
• Infinite: Play with no time limit. You only move to the next turn if everyone presses DONE.
• Host’s decision: The countdown only starts after the host presses DONE.
• Faster first turn: You will have less time on the first turn. The remaining turns will keep the standard time.
• Slower first turn: You will have more time in the first turn. The remaining turns will keep the standard time.

TASK FLOW

• Writing, drawing: You start the game by writing a sentence, then drawing in the next turn. It follows this sequence alternately until the end.
• Drawing, writing: You start the game drawing, then writing in the next turn. It follows this sequence alternately until the end.
• Only drawings: Every turn is a drawing turn.
• Writing only at the beginning and the end: You write a sentence only in the first and the last turn. The remaining turns in the middle are dedicated to drawings.
• Writing only at the beginning: You write a sentence only in the first turn. The remaining turns are dedicated to drawings.
• Writing only at the end: You write a sentence only in the last turn. The remaining turns are dedicated to drawings.
• Single sentence: You start writing a sentence that will be the direction for all the remaining turns. It enables the Icebreaker mode.
• Single drawing: The opposite of the previous option. Start drawing, and all the other turns are dedicated to describing it.
• Solo drawing: The option to play alone.
• Drawing with a background: You start drawing a background that will be a fixed layer for the following players.
• Drawing with a background, no preview: You start drawing a background that will be a fixed layer for the following players. It doesn’t show a preview of the last drawing made.

TURNS

• Few: 50% of possible turns
• Most: 75% of possible turns
• All: All possible turns
• 200%: The double of the possible turns.
• 300%: The triple of the possible turns.
• Single turn: The game will have one turn, regardless of the number of players.
• 5 turns: The game will have five turns, regardless of the number of players.
• 10 turns: The game will have ten turns, regardless of the number of players.
• 20 turns: The game will have twenty turns, regardless of the number of players.

SCOREBOARD

Enables hit counting and a scoreboard at the end. The game grants you points every time you successfully bring the sentence’s meaning through a drawing.

SECRECY

Choose whether the drawings and sentences will be hidden or not.

ANIMATION

Enables you to create animation frames.

EXTRA SETTINGS

Depending on the settings you choose in the Custom Settings tab, the estimated duration changes. Also, you can copy your settings to play it again another time. See Image 3:

Pro tip: When you customize your settings, copy them and save them on a .txt file with a creative name for it. My favorite one is the Icebreaker preset, but with the regressive time. I call it Melting Iceberg.

Play the Melting Iceberg mode here!

After all the rounds in a match, it is time to see results. The host can customize how players see the final album. All the options are followed by a brief description, as in Image 4.

Done! Now you are able to use all the Gartic Phone’s settings and options. Invite your friends, customize your own settings or use the presets.