Fishbowl in a minute
Fishbowl is a team guessing game played with one bowl of words over several rounds. Everyone writes a few names or things on slips of paper, and each round your team guesses the same slips again under a stricter rule for giving clues. By the last round the words feel like old friends, and a single gesture can be enough. You may also know it as Salad Bowl or the Hat Game.
How to play Fishbowl
You need at least four people split into two teams, plus paper, pens, a bowl or hat and a timer. Six to twelve players is the sweet spot in person.
- Fill the bowl. Each player writes three to five words or names on separate slips, folds them and drops them in. Famous people, characters, animals and everyday things all work.
- Split into teams. Sit so teammates alternate around the room, and pick a team to go first.
- Give clues against the clock. One player draws slips and tries to get their own team to guess as many as possible in about a minute. Guessed slips stay out of the bowl. A skipped slip goes back in.
- Pass to the other team. When time runs out, the other team sends up a clue-giver. Turns keep alternating, with a new clue-giver each time.
- Empty the bowl, then refill it. The round ends when every slip has been guessed. Each team counts its slips, then everything goes back in the bowl for the next round and its new rule.
- Add up the score. After the final round, the team with the most slips across all rounds wins.
The three rounds, and an optional fourth
- Round 1, describe it: say anything except the word itself, a bit like Taboo.
- Round 2, one word: give a single word as your clue and nothing more.
- Round 3, act it out: no talking at all, just mime as in charades.
- A fourth round is a popular house rule. Groups choose sounds only, a single frozen pose, or acting under a bedsheet.
See Fishbowl on your phone
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Fill the bowl -
Give the clues -
Shout your guesses
Playing Fishbowl online
The online room plays four rounds in a fixed order: describe it, act it out, one word, then sounds only. Acting comes before the one-word round here, so it runs a little differently from the classic order. Everyone fills the bowl from their own phone with 2, 3 or 4 words each, as the host chooses, and nobody sees anyone else's words. The room splits players into Team A and Team B.
When it is your turn, tap Start Turn and a 45-second timer begins. The word appears only on your screen. Tap Got it! when your team guesses it, which scores a point and draws the next word, or tap Skip to send it to the bottom of the bowl. When the bowl empties, the next round's rule begins and play passes to the other team. The team with the most points after round four wins. Rooms take 4 to 8 players.
In the same room, just shout your guesses. Apart, you need to see the acting round and hear the sounds round, so turn on the built-in video call or keep FaceTime or Zoom running alongside the room.
Tips and house rules
- Write things most of the group will know. One slip nobody recognises can stall every round.
- In round one, give clues worth remembering. A shared joke or detail makes the later rounds much easier.
- Watch closely when the other team plays. You will meet the same words on your next turn.
- Skip freely early on. A slip that will not land comes back later, often when it is easier.
- For younger players, stick to animals, foods and cartoon characters, and allow longer turns.
- If the bowl empties mid-turn, many groups let the clue-giver carry the leftover time into the next round.
Fishbowl FAQ
How do you play Fishbowl?
Everyone puts words in a bowl and splits into two teams. Teams take timed turns guessing as many words as they can, and the same words come back each round with a stricter rule: describe, then one word, then act it out.
How many people do you need for Fishbowl?
Four is the practical minimum, two on each team. In person it works well with up to a dozen. The online room takes 4 to 8 players.
What should you write for Fishbowl?
Pick names and things the whole group knows: famous people, film and book characters, animals, foods, places and everyday objects. Leave out in-jokes that only one or two people will get.
What happens if the bowl empties in the middle of a turn?
House rules vary. Many groups let the clue-giver keep their remaining time and start the next round. In the online room the new round begins and play passes to the other team.
Is Fishbowl the same as Salad Bowl?
Yes, Salad Bowl and the Hat Game are other names for it. Celebrity is a close relative that usually sticks to famous names.
Can you play Fishbowl on Zoom or FaceTime?
Yes. Share the room link and use the video call built into the room, or keep your own call running. A camera matters for the acting round.
Is it free to play Fishbowl online?
Yes. The room is free in any browser, with no app to download and no account to create.
