Frequently asked questions
The things people ask most before their first game. If you're after the rules themselves, start with how to play and how scoring works.
Getting started
Do I need to install an app or create an account?
No. Open howmany.games in your phone's browser or scan the host's QR code, type a name, and you're in. Creating a room doesn't need an account either. If you play often, you can add it to your home screen from the browser menu and open it like an app.
Then what is Google sign-in for?
Signing in is optional. With Google sign-in you can save your questions as question sets in your library and load them on any device, and finished games are kept as game records (rank, score and player count). You can also pick a nickname and avatar. Without signing in you get every rule and mode just the same, and questions you write are saved in that browser.
Does it cost anything?
There's nothing to buy in the game. Every mode and setting is free, and the service is supported by ads: Kakao AdFit ads may appear on the home, lobby and final ranking screens, and Google AdSense ads on guide pages like this one. There are no ads on the screens where you answer and guess.
What devices does it work on?
Any phone, tablet or computer with a modern browser. Players usually use their phones; the big screen for a TV or projector is easiest to open in a laptop browser. The big screen is display-only — the host runs the game from their phone.
Players and rooms
How many people can play?
From 2 to 300 in one room, host included. Once 300 are in, the room shows "full". If the host picks Host only, they don't compete, so you need at least two other people to start.
What does a room code look like?
Four capital letters. Scanning the QR code opens the game with the code filled in; otherwise enter the four letters under Join with a code on the home screen.
How long does a room last?
A room is cleaned up 2 hours after the last activity, or right away once everyone has tapped Leave room. When a game ends you can keep going in the same room with Play again, same settings or Change settings and play again, so there's no need to make a new room each time. Rooms in progress are also built to survive a server restart when the service is updated.
Can people join after the game has started?
Yes. Unless the room is locked, people can join mid-game. They watch the round in progress and play from the next round, starting at zero. To stop new arrivals, the host turns on Lock room — the only setting you can change during a game.
Can two people use the same name?
No. Names must be unique within a room and can be up to 12 characters. If a name is taken, you'll be asked to choose another.
During the game
What happens if I lose my connection?
Reopen the game on the same device and browser and you're back in your seat with your score — your session is stored in that browser. The game doesn't wait for you, though: a question you missed while disconnected counts as wrong, and a guess you missed scores 0 for that round. If you open your seat in another tab or device, the earlier screen is disconnected.
What if the host disconnects or leaves?
If the host is away for more than 30 seconds, the earliest-joined player who's still connected becomes host and carries on. The same happens if the host leaves. In the lobby, the host can also tap a player to hand over hosting directly. When a Host only host hands over, the new host runs the game in Play along style and the original host rejoins as a player.
Can I change my answer or guess?
No. Submitted answers and confirmed guesses are final. When picking a number, check the "about N%" shown next to it before you confirm.
Can other people see that I got it wrong?
Results only name people who got it right, up to 20. Wrong answers are never shown with names. The most common wrong answers are grouped and shown only when ten or more people got it wrong, because in smaller groups it would be easy to tell who wrote what. If the host turns off Show who got it right, even correct answers are shown as a count only.
Someone is being disruptive. What can I do?
The host can tap that person in the lobby and remove them. A removed player can't come back to their seat. To stop anyone new from joining as well, turn on Lock room.
Questions and modes
What languages are supported?
Korean and English. Screen language is per person, so players in the same room can each use their own. But each room has one question language, set by the host's screen language when the room is created. English rooms get packs written for English speakers — General Knowledge, Holidays & New Year, Riddles, The '90s, Geography, Pub Quiz and Office Life, plus six packs by age group — and Korean rooms get their own.
How many questions are there? Will we see repeats?
Each English pack has 12 to 15 questions, and with Question packs you can set as many rounds as the chosen pack has questions. Play again in the same room and you won't see a question twice until the pack runs out; the same goes for the 24 built-in spotlight questions. For a longer game, use Party Mix (quizzes, polls and spotlight rounds, up to 50 rounds) or write your own.
Can I write my own questions?
Yes. Switch the question source to Write your own and you can make up to 50 questions per game.
- Questions up to 200 characters, 2 to 6 options for multiple choice, typed answers up to 60 characters.
- Typed answers can have up to 10 other accepted answers, and number answers can have a unit and a 0–50% margin of error.
- You can also write polls — two options, no right answer.
- Each question can be worth 1× or 2×, and can carry a link that only appears on the result screen.
There's also Players ask, where players take turns writing questions. See game modes for how they differ.
How does Spotlight work?
Each round one player is in the spotlight and secretly picks their own answer to a two-option question like "Cats or dogs?". Everyone else guesses what they picked, and then everyone — the spotlight player included — guesses "How many read them right?". The spotlight rotates in random order. The host can add up to 30 questions of their own (80 characters per question, 20 per option) and either Mix them in with the built-in list or use Only mine. If the spotlight player doesn't pick in time, that round is skipped with no points.
How many rounds, and how long does a game take?
Rounds can be set from 1 to 50 (up to the pack's size for Question packs; one per question for Write your own). Answer and guess times can each be 5–300 seconds; the default is 30 seconds to answer and 20 to guess. Results have no timer and wait for the host, so a round usually takes a minute or two. A five-question Quick start room, practice round included, is done in about ten minutes.
Privacy
What data is stored?
- Without signing in: your name and the answers and guesses you make exist on the server only while the room is open, and are gone once it's cleaned up. The temporary copy of an active room kept in case of a server restart is deleted along with the room. Your IP address is kept briefly in memory to prevent abuse and dropped soon after.
- On your device: your name, language, sound setting and a reconnect session are kept in browser storage and a language cookie. Questions you write without signing in are stored in this browser too.
- When signed in with Google: we only receive your Google account's unique ID — no email, real name or contact details. We store your nickname, avatar, optional age band and interests, game records, question sets and sign-in session.
Details, including how to delete your account, are on the privacy page.
Is it OK to use with kids or students?
Joining needs no account or personal details, and a nickname is fine as a name. In class, turn off Show who got it right and set the host to Host only: nobody is singled out, and you see the whole class's success rate instantly. See ways to play for classroom ideas.