Cranium

About this board game

Cranium is a whole-brain party game for 4-99 players, with a playing time of about 60 minutes. First released in 1998, it challenges teams to successfully complete activities in four different sections before they can win.

Each section focuses on a different kind of challenge. Creative Cat asks players to communicate a word to their teammates by drawing, sculpting it in clay, or drawing it with their eyes closed. These activities put imagination and teamwork at the center of play.

• Creative Cat: Draw, sculpt, or create an eyes-closed drawing to clue a word.
• Data Head: Answer a variety of trivia questions.
• Word Worm: Unscramble words, spell challenging words, guess definitions, identify words with letters left out, or spell words backward.
• Star Performer: Whistle a song, impersonate a celebrity, or act out a clue.

The variety of activities means Cranium moves between knowledge, language, creativity, and performance. One challenge may call for trivia expertise, while the next depends on a teammate’s ability to act, whistle, sculpt, or solve a word puzzle.

Cranium includes elements similar to several popular party games, including Pictionary, Charades, Trivial Pursuit: Genus Edition, Celebrities, Huggermugger, and Claymania. Its four-section format brings these different styles together in one team-focused experience.

The game was expanded by Cranium Booster Box 1, Cranium Booster Box 2, and the Cranium New York Booster Pack. With its broad player range and mix of challenge types, Cranium is designed for lively group play built around completing activities across the whole brain.