A family music game everyone can play

How family games work

1. 1

   Tick “Kids playing”

   Family mode on, Easy level, initials on share cards.

2. 2

   Join on phones or tablets

   Scan the code on the TV. Little ones can team up with a grown-up.

3. 3

   Play on the TV

   Previews on the TV, everyone scores on a phone.

What you need

• A TV or other big screen, so younger players can follow the card and the songs.
• A phone or tablet for each player or pair. Younger children can share one with a grown-up.
• A grown-up to host. Accounts are for ages 13 and over; younger players join as guests with just a nickname.
• Between 3 and 10 players. A pair sharing a phone counts as one player.
• A few songs in mind. Film soundtracks and chart hits are always a safe bet.

A family round, step by step

1. The host switches on “Kids playing”: Family mode, Easy difficulty and initials on share cards, all in one go.
2. Everyone scans the code on the TV and picks a nickname. A made-up one is best.
3. A card is dealt. Everyone searches for a song that fits, and explicit tracks don’t show up in search.
4. The songs play one by one. Everyone else scores each one 3, 2 or 1 hearts, in secret. Nobody scores their own.
5. The Big Reveal crowns the winner, who gets the Winner’s Pick: any song they like, played in full, while everyone else listens without complaining.
6. Fancy another? The host taps “Play again” and starts the next game within 20 minutes: the TV and everyone still on the end screen come straight into the new lobby.

Tips

• Start at the Warm-up level. It deals decade cards only, which are easy to explain: a song from the 80s, a song from the 2010s.
• Easy difficulty means anything goes, so a favourite song can be picked again. Handy when someone only knows three songs.
• Switch on Preview mode so the TV plays every song and nobody needs a music app.
• Leave the pick timer off for younger players. With it on, anyone without a song when time’s up sits the round out.
• Help little ones search by trying fewer words: just the title, or just the artist.
• Take a break whenever you need one. “Pause game” in Host controls is there for snacks, the loo and bedtime negotiations.

Variations to try

• Grown-ups against the kids

  Pick Teams and use “I’ll arrange” to make a grown-ups team and a kids team. If the teams are different sizes, the scores are scaled to keep it fair.

• Performance round

  In the full game, the Anything goes level adds action cards. On a Perform card you sing or play the song yourself, and everyone scores the performance.

• One category

  Also in the full game: One category deals every card from the category you choose, such as decades.

• Shorter or longer games

  A free game is 2 rounds, which suits short attention spans. In the full game the host chooses the number of rounds, up to 20.

Questions people ask

Is it safe for kids?

Explicit tracks are hidden and names can show as initials.

What age is it for?

Players 13+ can make an account; younger ones play as guests with a grown-up hosting.

Do kids need phones?

They can share a phone or tablet with a grown-up.

Is there a chat?

No. There’s no chat and there are no public profiles. Nicknames are only shown to the people you play with.

Do kids need an account?

No. Nobody needs an account to play, just a nickname. Accounts are for buying things and for stats, leagues and history.

Does Family mode filter names too?

Yes. As well as hiding explicit tracks, it uses a stricter word filter on nicknames, notes and custom cards.