Pictionary Air
Needs a phone or tablet: the original air-drawing Pictionary, with clue cards
- Set-up
- About 3 min
- Reading
- Little
The quick verdict
Full verdict ↓Great for Families with one spare phone or tablet: the clue cards are in the box, so you don't need a second device
Think twice if You don't have a smartphone or tablet with Mattel's free Pictionary Air app (Mattel asks for iOS 15 or later, or Android 8.0 or later): the pen does nothing without it
How we rate it
Learning curve. Classic Pictionary rules with an app doing the timing. The hard part is drawing in the air without seeing it, not the rules, so it sits at 1 on our scale.
Luck & skill. Quick sketching and sharp guessing matter most, but some clues are much harder than others, and a dark camera picture or room lights can spoil a sketch.
Interaction. The whole team shouts guesses at the screen, the Picturist acts out the drawing, and the other team watches every turn.
Set-up. Install the app and watch its tutorial the first time; after that, switch on the pen, open the card box and pick who holds the phone.
Reading. Only the Picturist reads short English clues from the card; guessers don't read at all.
Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.
Is Pictionary Air right for you?
Great if
- Families with one spare phone or tablet: the clue cards are in the box, so you don't need a second device
- Big family get-togethers where you can cast the game to a TV and the whole room watches each sketch appear
- Players who like to ham it up, because you can act with your drawing, such as sketching a ladder and miming a climb
- Holidays and trips, since the game is just a pen and a box of cards
Skip it if
- You don't have a smartphone or tablet with Mattel's free Pictionary Air app (Mattel asks for iOS 15 or later, or Android 8.0 or later): the pen does nothing without it
- Your group gets frustrated drawing blind: several players found sketching in the air without seeing it very hard, and bright room lights can add stray lines
- You want the pen to keep score and clear the screen by itself, which is Pictionary Air 2
A place on the honours list
Good company to be in.
Recognition from beyond our table.
Toy of the Year Awards, Game of the Year (The Toy Association), 2020 (Winner)
How Pictionary Air plays
Download Mattel's free Pictionary Air app and watch its short tutorial. Switch on the pen (a red light at the tip means it is ready) and split into two teams. One player holds the phone or tablet and points its camera at the Picturist; you can also cast the app to a TV. Before your first game, have the Picturist draw a big square in the air to see how much space the camera catches.
- Time to teach: about 5 minutes, plus a few minutes to install the app.
- Reading and language: The clues are printed in English on the cards, and only the person drawing reads them. Guessers can answer in any language the group shares. The app offers English and about 30 other languages, but Hindi is not among them.
Pictionary Air™ | Mattel Games · Mattel · Official
Choose a video · Watch right here
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A turn, step by step
- 1Card
The Picturist secretly takes one card with five clues, and a teammate starts the app's timer.
- 2Draw
Hold the pen's button and draw in the air; the phone's camera shows the sketch, and you can act with it. No letters, numbers or talking.
- 3Score
Each clue your team guesses is one point, added in the app; when time runs out, the other team plays.
- 4Win
After 10 rounds, the team with the most points wins.
The full explanation: how a game of Pictionary Air goes
On a turn, the Picturist secretly takes one card. Each card has five clues, which can be drawn in any order. When the Picturist is ready, the device holder starts the app's timer. Press and hold the pen's button to draw (the tip turns green) and let go to stop. The sketch appears on screen, with the Picturist in the picture, so you can act with it: draw a hat and 'wear' it.
Each clue your team guesses is worth one point, which the device holder adds in the app. Say 'clear!' and the device holder wipes the screen so you can start the sketch again. When time runs out, the other team plays with a new Picturist. After 10 rounds, the team with the most points wins.
Classic Pictionary rules apply: no letters, numbers, dashes for letters, 'sounds like' gestures, talking or sign language. Pick one side of the cards to play, since both sides are equally hard, and agree how exact a guess must be. The app lets you change the timer and number of rounds and record a turn to watch again.
Tip: play in a room with soft light, keep the pen tip facing the camera, and avoid red or green clothes behind the Picturist; Mattel says strong light and those colours can create unwanted lines.
What's in the box
- 1Light-up pen
red light when on, green while you hold the button to draw - 1AA battery
for the pen, included - 112Clue cards
double-sided, five English clues on each side - 1Card box
- 1Instructions
Not in the box: a smartphone or tablet with Mattel's free Pictionary Air app (Mattel asks for iOS 15 or later, or Android 8.0 or later), and a streaming device or HDMI adapter if you want to cast to a TV. Contents are from Mattel's GGC71 product page and rules sheet; Mattel's UK page for the same game (GJG17) lists the same items. There are no phone stands, so someone holds the phone. Pictionary Air 2 is a different box with two stands and no cards, and Pictionary India Special, on our main Pictionary page, has a board, erasable boards, markers and 200 cards.
Where to buy
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.
What reviewers and players say
Pictionary Air won Game of the Year at the Toy Association's 2020 Toy of the Year Awards, and reviewers enjoyed it as a sillier, more physical Pictionary. The Opinionated Gamers' reviewer loved the app (timer, team colours, adjustable rounds, video clips you can trim and share), the way you can act with your sketch, and how portable and big-group-friendly it is. Engadget found drawing without seeing the picture harder than paper Pictionary, and warned that even people who usually draw well may struggle. The complaints are about conditions: a dark camera picture, stray lines from room lights, and some clues that are very hard to draw. In a deals-forum thread, one family loved casting it to the TV, while others found air drawing too hard and returned it.
What people love
- The app handles the timer and scores, and lets you change rounds and record turns to watch again
- You can act with your drawing, which adds laughs that paper Pictionary doesn't have
- Only a pen and a box of cards to carry, and it works for big groups
- Casting to a TV lets the whole room join in
Common complaints
- Drawing in the air without seeing the sketch is hard, and some players gave up on it
- The camera picture can be dark, and room lights can add stray lines
- Some clues are very hard to draw
Based on 5 reviews and discussions
- Review Pictionary Air (James Nathan, September 2019) · The Opinionated Gamers
- Review High-tech Pictionary is more challenging than using a pen (Kris Naudus, February 2019) · Engadget
- Players Mattel Pictionary Air Family Drawing Game w/ Light Pen & Clue Cards (thread, May 2023) · Slickdeals forums
- Award Mattel Receives Record Number of Toy of the Year Awards (Mattel press release, February 2020) · Business Wire
- Reference Pictionary Air FAQs (Mattel Support, undated) · Mattel
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why consider it | This game Needs a phone or tablet: the original air-drawing Pictionary, with clue cards | A different fit The 2023 follow-up: clues in the app, a pen that scores and clears, two phone stands | A different fit Mattel's India Special board game: erasable boards and markers, Indian clues and no phone needed | A different fit Another fast team guessing game, with spoken clues and banned words instead of drawing |
| Players | 4–12 | 4–12 | 4–16 | 4–10 |
| Best with | 6-8 | 6-8 | 6-8 | 6-8 |
| Play time | 20–40 min | 20–40 min | 30–60 min | 20–60 min |
| Age | 8+ | 8+ | 8+ | 13+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Imported | Imported | Available | Available |
| On this page | Explore Pictionary Air 2 | Explore Pictionary | Explore Taboo |
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Questions people ask about Pictionary Air
What do I need to play Pictionary Air?
Besides the box, you need one smartphone or tablet with Mattel's free Pictionary Air app; Mattel asks for iOS 15 or later on iPhone and iPad, or Android 8.0 or later. The clue cards are in the box, so one device is enough. A TV is optional: cast from an iPhone through an Apple TV, or from Android through a Chromecast or Roku, or use an HDMI adapter.
Does the original Pictionary Air still work with the app?
Yes. On 19 October 2026 the free Pictionary Air app was on Apple's Indian App Store (version 6.1.4, dated 18 August) and on Google Play in India (updated 18 August 2026), and both descriptions name the original Pictionary Air, which Mattel's support page also still covers. Mattel lists a few phones that don't work, including the Google Pixel C and some Huawei, Sony Xperia and Xiaomi models.
What is the difference between Pictionary Air and Pictionary Air 2?
Both use the same app and a pen you wave in the air. This original has 112 printed clue cards, a pen that only draws, and scoring on the phone, so one device is enough. Pictionary Air 2 has no cards: its clues are in the app on a second device, and its pen adds points and clears the screen.
How is Pictionary Air different from the Pictionary board game?
Pictionary India Special, on our main Pictionary page, is a board game: teams draw on erasable boards, move along a board and use 200 cards that include Indian clues. Pictionary Air has no board or markers; you draw in the air, the app shows the sketch and keeps time, and after 10 rounds the team with the most points wins.
Game facts
- Publisher
- Mattel (Mattel Games)
- In India
- Mattel Toys (India) Pvt. Ltd. (named as importer on the Amazon.in listing)
- First published
- 2019
- Players
- 4–12
- Language
- Some English – The clues are printed in English on the cards, and only the person drawing reads them. Guessers can answer in any language the group shares. The app offers English and about 30 other languages, but Hindi is not among them.
- Awards
- Toy of the Year Awards, Game of the Year (The Toy Association), 2020 (Winner)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.
Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.
- Mattel Consumer Relations - Pictionary Air (GGC71) product page
- Mattel - Pictionary Air rules sheet, GGC71 (PDF)
- Mattel Shop (UK) - Pictionary Air, item GJG17
- Mattel Support - Pictionary Air FAQs
- Apple App Store (India) - Pictionary Air app by Mattel, Inc.
- Google Play (India) - Pictionary Air app by Mattel
- The Opinionated Gamers - Pictionary Air review (James Nathan, September 2019)
- Engadget - High-tech Pictionary is more challenging than using a pen (February 2019)
- Business Wire - Mattel Receives Record Number of Toy of the Year Awards (February 2020)