Charades is a party-guessing game for mobile devices where players act out words based on deck categories.
Product velocity
Maintenance
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#87
Games · free
Sentiment
4.8
128k reviews
Nemesis
Heads Up!
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire the app to facilitate low-stakes, in-person social interaction during downtime, using the phone as a physical prop to bridge the gap between digital content and group play.
For Social groups, families, and party-goers looking for low-friction, physical-interaction group games.
What does it look like?
Key features
Tilt phone down to mark correct or up to skip word, using device accelerometer
Access to 85+ categorized card decks including Movies, Brands, and Occupations
Gameplay environment devoid of interstitial or banner advertisements
How much does it cost?
Freemium model gates the majority of content behind a subscription, while the base experience remains ad-free.
Velocity
Maintenance developmentsocial featuresUX improvementsShow more...
The app currently ships at a maintenance cadence of approximately 0.15 releases per week. Development is characterized by sporadic feature drops, such as the recent SharePlay integration, interspersed with minor maintenance updates. There is no evidence of a recurring live-ops strategy or high-frequency feature iteration. The development trend appears stable but low-intensity, focusing on occasional utility improvements rather than rapid content expansion.
Who built it?
Dmytro Cheverda
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Imposter - Guess The SpyUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate social interaction during downtime makes the game an effective tool for passing time in queues and family friendly design allows players of all ages to participate in the same game session, but report aggressive paywalling of content limits the experience for users who expect a fully free game.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- Social interaction during downtime makes the game an effective tool for passing time in queues
- Family friendly design allows players of all ages to participate in the same game session
- Aggressive paywalling of content limits the experience for users who expect a fully free game
100 of 103 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Mixed overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 1 more frustration theme and 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Charades - Family & Party Game
How's the Games market?
The app holds a #24 Free position in its category, but the 8-spot gap between Free and Grossing ranks signals that the current subscription-only monetization model fails to capture the casual user base.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Warner Bros.
Both apps target social groups with gesture-based charades gameplay. They compete directly for party-goers but diverge in monetization, pitting a freemium subscription against an upfront paid entry.
- Heads Up! includes gameplay video recording to capture player reactions, a feature missing from Charades.
- Heads Up! charges $1.99 upfront on iOS with IAP bundles, avoiding the recurring subscription model.
- The rival utilizes a celebrity-endorsed brand to drive organic installs and maintain its category lead.
Headbands: Charades Party GameContender
Headbands: Charades for AdultsContender
Guess the Word! Charades GameContender
ForeHeads: Charades Guess GameContender
Charades & Headbands: Guess UpContender
Charades!™Contender
Charades! Play AnywhereContender
Charades & Headbands GameContender
Unlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Charades - Family & Party Game
Where is it heading?
The casual party-game market is consolidating around high-polish, IP-backed titles that offer more flexible monetization. The current reliance on recurring subscriptions leaves this app exposed to churn, so the PM must diversify revenue to survive the competitive pressure.
- Subscription management complaints regarding unauthorized charges indicate billing friction, which will likely accelerate user churn into the next quarter.
- Inconsistent tilt detection during gameplay causes scoring frustration, which erodes the core retention loop for fast-paced party sessions.
The SWOT
- Ad-free environment removes friction for group social play
- Gesture-based accelerometer controls enable intuitive, hands-free gameplay
- Individual deck purchases would lower the barrier to entry for casual users
- Offline-first mode would capture transit-based play in low-connectivity areas
Next best moves
Introduce one-time deck purchases because subscription-only models trigger billing complaints → increase conversion rate
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's ad-free status is a liability rather than a strength…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Online multiplayer infrastructure (available in UNO! but missing here) +1
Since the last report: The app is facing increased user pushback against its subscription-only monetization model and technical sensor inaccuracies, leading to a more critical outlook on its competitive position.
Bottom line
The app maintains a strong social loop, but the subscription-only monetization model creates unnecessary billing friction and churn, so the PM should pivot to a hybrid purchase model to capture casual users.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 2 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeReport last updated