The Original Scattergories App
The Scattergories game app is exactly what you imagine it is. It’s a digital version of the classic board game, similar to what we get with Words With Friends for Scrabble fans. The gameplay of both versions of Scattergories is nearly the same, complete with the focus on quick-fire answers.
The major differences between the Scattergories board game and the mobile app consist of the typical app content you’ve come to expect from mobile games. Features include power-ups, in-app purchases and user profiles. The rounds are also shorter. They use six categories rather than 12 like in the board game.
The Company Behind the Frenzy
Toy company Hasbro owns the rights to Scattergories, but they were not the ones who developed and published the mobile app. Game development company Magmic licensed the Scattergories brand. They released their version of the Scattergories game for Google Android and Apple iOS devices in 2015.
Two Ways to Play Scattergories
You have two options for how to play Scattergories: Play Scattergories and Challenge Friends.
Play Scattergories is the quick-play mode. You and a random opponent face off to find the best answers for the game’s given categories. Every time you win a round, your overall ranking goes up by one level.
Challenge Friends is a slower mode. Players don’t give their answers at the same time. Rather, one player answers first and then “challenges” a friend or random opponent to answer the same question. You can have multiple challenges against multiple players at the same time.
How the Scattergories Game Works
The Scattergories game for mobile follows the same traditional Scattergories rules as the original board game, albeit with some modifications.
You play the game one round at a time.
Before you start a round, the game will show you the six categories you will find answers for.
Once the round begins, you have one minute and 30 seconds to complete it.
You type your answers for each category one at a time.
As you find words to use as your answer, it must start with the letter that the game shows above the text box. This is the same for every category.
Scoring and Winning
Once the round ends, the game computes the scores for you and your opponent to determine the winner.
Each valid answer is worth 10 points.
If both players give the same answer, neither player earns any points for that category.
Using the letter at least one more time in an answer earns extra points. Say you gave “test” as an answer for a category when the target letter is T. With the second “T” in the word “test,” you’d get 12 points instead of the usual 10.
The goal is to provide the most correct answers and earn the most points. Whoever scores the most points at the end of the round wins.
Essential Scattergories Game Tips
Finding the best answers can be tricky. Sometimes, the letter that the game insists you use to start each word doesn’t seem to make sense. When you can’t think of an answer on your own, try some of these suggestions.
Use the Power Ups: This might seem obvious, but it’s easy to forget they’re an option. When a game gets intense and the timer is running down, you might not notice that the Power Ups are waiting for you at the bottom of the screen. Do not forget about them. They can help you find answers and extend your timer. Power Ups are saving graces for harder categories.
Rotate through the categories: You don’t need to answer every category in order. Cycle through the categories if you get stuck. Doing them out of order might also give you ideas for the categories you skipped when you come back to them.
Get creative with your answers: Your answers need to fit the categories, but the range of acceptable answers is sometimes far wider than you might assume. If you think an answer might work, there’s a good chance that it will.
Study word lists: A little bit of training can go a long way. When playing a game of Scattergories, focusing on words that start with a certain letter is the key to victory. When you grow your vocabulary, like how you might from solving Wordle each day, you increase your chances of winning.
More Competitive Fun with Scattergories Blitz
In addition to the regular Scattergories mobile app, Magmic also created Scattergories Blitz. Blitz adds more drastic changes to the regular Scattergories game play formula. Rather than giving only one answer per category, you can give as many as you can come up with. Your answers also don’t need to start with a specific letter.
These changes might make it seem like Blitz is the easier of the two games. But, it’s not that simple. The lack of restrictions is actually what makes the game challenging.
You play each round against a friend or a random player.
Players give their answers at the same time.
Points are awarded for each valid word.
Extra points are awarded for rarer words that fit the category.
You need to find the most words and the best words to outscore your opponent. And you need to do so as quickly as possible.
Your success or failure in Scattergories Blitz comes down to how much you know about any given topic. You need to be creative, be informed and have a sharp memory.
Find More Party Game Fun
Scattergories and Scattergories Blitz are perfect for anyone who loves competition, thinking fast and testing their general knowledge. That said, they aren’t the only games that deliver such an experience. If you can’t get enough of testing your wit against friends, another great game to try is the online version of Trivial Pursuit. It’s the right answer to a good time!
Zac Pricener has been a content creator for the past eight years. He’s a bit of an all-around nerd, and he has a bad habit of working movie and TV show references into conversations whenever possible.
