Heads Up! – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Heads Up!

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

game2013

78%

WISE Score

Ellen's viral charades app that gets everyone off the couch and actually talking to each other—imagine that.

Heads Up!

game

Everyone, 2013

78%

WISE Score

Ellen's viral charades app that gets everyone off the couch and actually talking to each other—imagine that.

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Platform availability info not available. Search for "Heads Up!" on your preferred gaming platform.

Screenwise Verdict

Heads Up! is that rare app that actually justifies its place on your phone—it gets people laughing, talking, and interacting in real life rather than doom-scrolling. The concept is dead simple (hold phone to forehead, friends shout clues, tilt to skip or score), but it works brilliantly.

The freemium model is a minor annoyance—you'll probably end up buying a few themed decks if your kids get hooked—but the base game has enough content to keep you entertained. The real genius here is that it's basically analog fun (charades) with a digital assist, rather than a screen experience that isolates.

Parents should play along with younger kids since the clue-givers control what gets said, but that's honestly part of the fun. This is legitimately one of the better "family game night" apps out there, and it's held up well since 2013. Solid pick for road trips, waiting rooms, or just breaking up screen time with something social.

Age Fit

Works great for ages 6 and up, though younger kids will need help reading and may only know certain decks. Teens and adults genuinely enjoy it too (hence Ellen playing it with celebrities), so this is a true all-ages party game. Best for families with kids 8-14 who can fully participate independently.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

A genuinely social party game that brings people together for face-to-face interaction and laughter. The core mechanic encourages cooperation, communication, and shared fun rather than competition or conflict. Players work together to give clues, creating positive group dynamics. The content is generally clean and family-friendly, though parents should note that clue-givers control what gets said, so supervision with younger kids is smart. No toxic mechanics or chaotic pacing—just straightforward, wholesome fun.

Imaginative

The game itself doesn't require much creativity—you're guessing pre-written words from themed decks. However, the clue-giving aspect does invite players to think creatively about how to communicate concepts through descriptions, acting, sounds, or impressions. The variety of themed decks (Harry Potter, Marvel, celebrities, animals, accents) adds some novelty, but ultimately this is a structured guessing game, not an open-ended creative experience. It's fun, but it's not building worlds or inviting original expression.

Safe

Common Sense Media confirms no overtly worrisome content in the app itself. The app has a kids mode available, which is a positive safety signal. The main safety consideration is that other players in the room control what clues they give, so inappropriate hints could theoretically happen depending on who's playing—but that's a social dynamic issue, not an app problem. Monetization exists (it's freemium with paid deck expansions), but it's not aggressively manipulative. No unmoderated chat, no social features with strangers, no infinite scroll mechanics. The app records videos of gameplay that can be shared to Facebook, which parents should be aware of and can disable.

Enriching

Heads Up! builds legitimate skills: quick thinking, vocabulary, communication, and the ability to give and interpret clues under time pressure. It's a solid cognitive workout that exercises verbal reasoning and lateral thinking. The social interaction component is genuinely valuable—kids practice reading social cues and collaborating in real-time. That said, it's primarily entertainment rather than deep learning. You're not gaining profound insights or building complex skills, but you are exercising your brain in a fun, low-stakes way. The themed decks can spark interest in different topics (movies, animals, pop culture), though the engagement is surface-level.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Genuinely gets people interacting face-to-face instead of staring at screens—a rare win for a digital game
Simple enough for young kids but entertaining enough that teens and adults won't roll their eyes
The 60-second rounds keep energy high without being overwhelming, and you can play anywhere (waiting rooms, car trips, family dinners)
Tons of themed decks mean you can tailor it to your family's interests, from Harry Potter nerds to Marvel fanatics
Builds real skills: quick thinking, vocabulary, creative communication, and reading social cues under pressure

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What to Watch For

The app is free but many of the best themed decks cost extra—classic freemium model, though the base game is still solid
Since other players give the clues, parents should play along with younger kids to keep hints age-appropriate
The app can record videos of your gameplay and share to Facebook—make sure you adjust privacy settings if that's not your thing
Custom deck creation means kids could theoretically make inappropriate categories, so keep an eye on what they're adding

Conversation Starters

"What was the hardest word you had to guess today? What made it so tricky?"
"Which deck was the most fun—the one where you knew everything or the one that challenged you?"
"What's the best clue someone gave you? What made it so helpful?"
"If you could make your own custom deck, what would the category be?"

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