TV party games you play with your phone

How phone controlled TV games work

The TV is the shared game board. It shows the questions, the live drawings, the timers and the leaderboard, big enough to read from the sofa. Each phone becomes a private controller that shows only what that player needs: four answer buttons, a drawing canvas, steering arrows or a secret word nobody else can see. Because the secrets stay on phones, games like Who's the Spy? and Bluff Battle work on one screen without anyone peeking.

Joining takes seconds. Players scan the QR code on the TV with their phone camera, or go to partybo.com/join and type the room code. They pick a nickname and an emoji and they are in. iPhone and Android both work in the normal browser, on Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Getting Party Bo on your TV

• Google TV and Android TV: a Party Bo app for Android TV and Google TV is coming soon to Google Play. Until then, cast a browser tab or use the TV's own browser as described below.
• Chromecast and casting: open partybo.com/tv in Chrome on a laptop and cast the tab to a Chromecast or a Google TV. Everyone sees the game on the big screen while the laptop does the work.
• Smart TV browsers: many smart TVs have a built in web browser. Open partybo.com/tv, press Start Party and steer with the remote arrows and OK.
• A laptop and an HDMI cable: the most reliable option of all, and the smoothest for fast games like Neon Racers.
• Apple TV: open partybo.com/tv on a Mac, iPad or iPhone and AirPlay it to the TV.
• Projectors: anything that can show a web page works, which makes Party Bo great for big rooms.

Which games to start with

Every game is designed for a TV across the room: big text, bold colours and rounds that make sense in ten seconds. A few favourites for a first night:

• Quiz Rush: quick fire trivia where fast answers score extra.
• Draw & Guess: doodle on your phone and watch it appear live on the TV.
• Who's the Spy?: everyone gets the secret word except one bluffer.
• Neon Racers: up to 10 racers steering glowing trails around one arena.
• Majority Rules: would you rather votes that get the whole room debating.

Not sure where to begin? Start a Party Mix. Pick Quick, Classic or Long and Party Bo lines up several games in a row, with scores carrying over to crown a Party Champion at the end.

Tips for a smooth TV game night

• Switch on game mode or low latency mode if your TV has one, so the picture keeps up with the phones.
• Turn the sound up. Timers, reveals and music are half the fun.
• Seat everyone where they can see the screen. Phones do not need to share the TV's Wi-Fi.
• If a phone locks or drops out, reopen the page and that player is back with the same score.

Free, private and family friendly

Party Bo is free to play, with no ads inside the games. There are no accounts and no email addresses. Nicknames pass through a word filter, the content is written to be family friendly, and the host can remove anyone from the room. Read more in how it works.