HOW TO PLAY
How to play Mind Dial
- Players
- 2–12
- Time
- about 8 minutes
- Ages
- 9+
- Price
- Pro
Mind Dial is a clue-giving game for 2 to 12 players about reading each other's minds. Each round, one player is the clue-giver. They see a scale with two ends — like Cold ↔ Hot or Useless ↔ Useful — and a secret target somewhere along it. They give a single clue that they think sits at exactly that point. Everyone else turns their dial to where they think the target is.
It's cooperative at heart: the clue-giver scores the group's average, so everyone wins when the clue is good. It is part of FamGames Pro.
What you need
Two to twelve players with their own devices, or one phone passed around to place each dial.
Rules: how a round works
- Get the card. The clue-giver sees a scale, such as Cold ↔ Hot, and a secret target on it.
- Give one clue. The clue-giver writes one clue that sits exactly that far along the scale — for example “lukewarm soup” for a target just past the middle.
- Turn the dial. Everyone else turns their dial to where they think the target is and locks it in.
- Reveal. The target appears. The closer your dial, the more you score.
Scoring
A bullseye scores 100, close scores 60 and near scores 30. The clue-giver earns the average of everyone's points, so precise clues are rewarded.
Difficulty levels
- Easy: Simple, concrete scales (Cold ↔ Hot) and wide scoring zones.
- Normal: A mix of simple and opinion scales.
- Hard: Opinion scales (Underrated ↔ Overrated), narrow zones and less time.
Tips and strategy
Think “how far”, not “which side”
A clue that is merely hot isn't enough. “Bath water” and “a volcano” are both hot, but they belong at very different points on the dial.
Use the edges
When the target is near 0 or 100, pick something extreme — “the surface of the sun” rather than “summer”.
Know your guessers
On opinion scales, pick clues the people in the room will agree on, not your personal hot takes.
Variations and house rules
- Explain yourself: after the reveal, the clue-giver explains their thinking — often funnier than the round itself.
- Family scales (house rule): before a round, agree out loud on a custom scale such as “Grandpa wouldn't like it ↔ Grandpa would love it”.
Who it's best for
Groups that like conversation and debate, families with teenagers, and anyone who prefers cooperative games.
Playing on FamGames
Part of FamGames Pro, which unlocks all 12 games with unlimited rounds and no ads. The host picks the game and difficulty, creates a room and shares the five-character room code. Everyone else joins from their own device — no download needed. No phone for everyone? Switch to one-phone mode and pass a single device around.
More games to try
Last updated 2026-10-21