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Board Game Timer
Tap the turn length your game uses, put the screen where everyone can see it, and press Start as the turn begins.
1 minute
Spacestart / pauseRresetFfull screen+ −add or remove a minute0–9type a time
Articulate! turns are 30 seconds. Also a brisk house limit for quick-fire rounds.
Pictionary and Taboo both use a one-minute timer.
A common house limit for a charades turn or a Scrabble move.
Boggle rounds are three minutes. Scattergories rounds run up to three.
A generous limit for long turns in heavy strategy games.
Game turn timer chart: how long each game allows
| Game | Time | Per | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Articulate! | 30 sec | Turn | Official rule |
| Pictionary | 1 min | Drawing | Official rule |
| Taboo | 1 min | Turn | Official rule |
| Boggle | 3 min | Round | Official rule |
| Scattergories | Up to 3 min | Round | Official rule; the timer can be set shorter |
| Charades | 2–3 min | Turn | House rule; there is no official time |
| Scrabble, casual | 2–3 min | Turn | House rule; the rules set no limit |
| Scrabble, tournament | 25 min | Player, whole game | Tournament rule, on a chess clock |
| Strategy games | 2–3 min | Turn | House rule, agreed before starting |
Official times are those in the standard rules of each game; editions differ, so check your own rulebook if it matters. House rules are common choices, not requirements.
How to use it
- Tap the turn length for your game: 30 seconds, 1, 2, 3 or 5 minutes. For anything else, such as 90 seconds, set it with the minute and second steppers.
- Pick an alarm the whole table will hear. Urgent buzzer and Ringside bell both cut through a noisy room. Turn the volume up before the first turn, not during it.
- Stand a tablet or phone in the middle of the table and tap the full-screen button so every player can read the digits from their seat.
- Press Start as the turn begins. When the alarm sounds, the +1:00 button becomes Restart: tap it for the next player, or press Reset to wait.
- For a turn limit that runs all game, switch Repeat on. The alarm sounds once at the end of each turn and the next turn starts by itself.
A sand timer online, without the arguments
The sand timer is the first part of a party game to go missing, and the hardest to referee. One player has to watch it instead of the game, nobody else can see the last grains fall, and it cannot be paused when a drink goes over. A screen in the middle of the table fixes all three. Everyone sees the same digits, and the buzzer ends the turn for the whole room at once, so the guessing team cannot claim one more answer.
It also lets you bend the time on purpose. Give younger players two minutes on a one-minute game, or cut Boggle to two minutes for a faster round. Say the change out loud before the round starts so it applies to both sides.
Using it as a turn timer for slow players
Strategy games rarely come with a timer, and that is where “analysis paralysis” sets in: one player weighs every option while the rest of the table checks their phones. The fix is a limit that everyone agrees to before the first move. Two to three minutes a turn is the usual choice. Switch Repeat on and the clock restarts by itself after each alarm, so nobody has to police it, and the line under the digits counts the rounds.
Decide what the buzzer means before it first sounds. In most groups the player finishes the move in hand and passes; stricter tables make the player take a default action. For two-player games where each side should get the same total thinking time, the chess clock is the better tool: it runs one side’s time at a time.
Common mistakes
- Starting the timer before the card has been read or the pencil picked up. Start it when the clue-giver says go, so every team gets the full time.
- Leaving the phone flat on the table at one end. Half the players cannot see it. Prop it upright in the middle, or put it on the TV.
- Introducing a turn limit halfway through a strategy game, aimed at one slow player. Agree it at setup, for everyone.
- Using a soft chime at a loud table. If people talk through the alarm, change it to the buzzer and raise the volume.
Questions people ask
How long is the timer in Pictionary?
One minute. The standard Pictionary timer gives the artist 60 seconds per drawing, so choose the 1 min chip.
How long is the Taboo timer?
One minute per turn. The clue-giver gets through as many cards as possible before it runs out, and the other team buzzes any forbidden word.
How long is a round of Boggle or Scattergories?
A Boggle round is three minutes. A Scattergories round is up to three minutes, and the game’s own timer can be set shorter for a harder round. The 3 min chip covers both.
How long should a turn be in charades?
Charades has no official time limit. Two to three minutes a turn is the usual house rule; use one minute for a fast game with easy titles.
Is there a time limit per turn in Scrabble?
Not in casual play. Many families agree on two or three minutes a turn. Tournament Scrabble gives each player 25 minutes for all of their moves, counted on a chess clock.
Can I use this as a 1 minute game timer that restarts by itself?
Yes. Choose 1 min and switch Repeat on. The alarm sounds once when the minute ends and the next minute begins straight away, until you press Pause or Reset.