How to Play Heads Up / Who Am I: Rules, Scoring and Variations
In Heads Up, one player holds a phone or card on their forehead showing a word they cannot see. Everyone else shouts clues and the player guesses before time runs out. The same idea is the old party game Who Am I, where you wear a sticky note with a name and ask yes or no questions. Both work with 2 players or a crowd. This guide covers the rules, scoring, and the paper, phone and video-call versions.
Duoo Games
3 min
In this article
Two versions, one idea
The name Heads Up usually means the phone game. Who Am I is the older version with sticky notes. They share one trick: you cannot see the answer but everyone else can.
Version 1: phone on forehead (Heads Up-style)
Players: 2 or more. Time: 1 minute a turn. Needs: a phone with a word deck.
- The guesser holds the phone to their forehead, screen facing out.
- A word or name appears. Everyone else shouts clues, acts it out or both.
- The guesser shouts answers. Correct: tilt the phone down. Wrong or stuck: tilt it up to pass.
- After 60 seconds, count the correct cards. That is the guesser’s score.
- Pass the phone and repeat. Highest score after everyone has had 2 or 3 turns wins.
Rule worth adding: clue givers cannot say any part of the word on the screen.
Version 2: Who Am I with sticky notes
Players: 3 or more. Needs: sticky notes, pens.
- Everyone writes a famous person or character on a note and sticks it on the player to their left, without that player seeing it.
- Going around the circle, each player asks one yes or no question: “Am I alive?” “Am I a cartoon?”
- A yes lets you ask again. A no passes the turn.
- When you think you know, make a guess. A wrong guess ends your turn.
- First to guess correctly wins. Play on to rank everyone.
3 ways to play
1. Buy or download the official game
Heads Up is a trademarked game from Warner Bros. and Ellen DeGeneres. It is an app with free and paid decks, and there is also a physical card version sold in shops. Duoo is not affiliated with it.
2. Make it yourself
For the sticky-note version you only need paper and pens. For a phone-free forehead game, write words on index cards and hold them up without looking. Pick a spread of categories so everyone knows some answers. Our Who Am I characters list has hundreds of names, and the charades generator can supply random words. Use the team generator to split a big group.
3. Play on Duoo
Who Am I in the Duoo app is the yes or no question version for two, with 12 categories and 440 cards, so you need no sticky notes. You each secretly see the other’s card on one phone, take turns asking questions, and hit the buzzer when you think you know. You can play free in a browser first.
Variations
With 2 players. Alternate 60-second rounds, 5 rounds each. Because there are only two of you, clue-giving is easier if you share inside jokes, so mix in a few shared-memory cards.
With 3 people. One guesser, two clue givers who can talk over each other. Rotate every card so everyone gets turns.
In teams. The guesser’s team scores each correct card. Teams alternate turns, and the other team judges rule breaks.
Adults and party. Use categories like celebrities, bad dates or bar snacks. Add a sip for a pass.
Video call. The guesser holds a sticky note or a phone to their forehead on camera. The others see it and give clues. For Who Am I, the host messages everyone their character privately, except the person it belongs to.
Charades mode. Clue givers cannot speak, only act.
Tips
- Guessers: shout whatever comes to mind. Wrong guesses keep clues flowing.
- Clue givers: start with the category, then something specific and visual.
- Do not argue over a card. Pass and move on.
More to read
Try how to play Charades and how to play Taboo, or browse the Who Am I characters.
Save these lists for later
Screenshot them for game night or save them to Pinterest.
Questions
How do you play Heads Up? +
One player holds a phone or card against their forehead so the others can see the word. The group gives clues without saying the word, and the player guesses. Each correct guess is a point, then you move to the next word until the timer ends.
How do you play Heads Up with 2 people? +
One of you holds the phone, the other gives clues for 60 seconds. Swap and compare scores. It works well in a car or on a date because it needs nothing else.
How do you play Who Am I without an app? +
Write a famous person or character on sticky notes and stick one to each player without them looking. Players ask yes or no questions in turn to work out who they are. The first to guess correctly wins.
Is Heads Up free? +
Heads Up is an app by Warner Bros. associated with Ellen DeGeneres, and it has free and paid decks. Duoo has Who Am I, the yes or no question version for two players on one phone, with 12 categories and 440 cards. You can play it free on this site.
