Decade

Rate it

Study five old photographs and guess the year each one was taken.

Every day: Five historic photographs a day, the same set for every player, each to be dated to its year for up to 1,000 points. New puzzle: Not stated; the web set had already moved to the new date by 1 a.m. US Eastern Time..

Play Decade on api.renolabshq.com

Play Decade in the browser Decade - Daily Year Puzzle on the App Store

Decade shows five historic photographs a day and asks for the year each was taken. An exact year scores 1,000 points and the score falls the further off you are, for a top total of 5,000. The daily set is free in the browser and in the iPhone app.

About Decade

Decade is a daily photo dating game from Reno Labs. Each day brings a numbered set of five historic photographs, the same for everyone: street scenes, machines, meetings and everyday life, drawn mostly from the Library of Congress and Wikimedia Commons rather than generated images.

For each frame you set a year with a slider that runs from 1850 to the present, or type it in, and lock it in. The game then shows the real year, the points you earned and a caption with the photo's background. Hitting the year exactly is worth 1,000 points, being one to three years off still scores 800 to 900, and the points drop quickly after that. After the fifth frame you get your total out of 5,000.

The web version plays straight away with no account. The iPhone app, released in 2026, adds streak tracking, a share card for your score and one extra practice set a day. An optional Decade Pro subscription opens unlimited sets from the archive and detailed stats, and an Everyday America collection of 50 photos from 1935 to 1943 and 1972 to 1973 can be bought on its own.

Decade suits players who like reading small details in a picture: cars, clothes, signs and the grain of the print. Unlike WhenTaken or TimeGuessr, there is no map, so the whole day is about the year alone.

How to play Decade

Open the day's Decade puzzle in the browser or the iPhone app.
Study the first photograph for clues to its date, such as clothing, vehicles, signs and the photo's own look.
Drag the year slider or type a four-digit year.
Press Lock in year to see the actual year, your points and a caption about the photo.
Press Next frame and repeat for all five photos, then read your total out of 5,000.

Screenshots

Decade iPhone app screenshot: a photo of street musicians with a year dial set to 1950, under the line Study the photo. Guess the year.

Decade iPhone app results screen comparing each guessed year with the actual year, with points and photo credits

Tips

Cars, hats and hairstyles narrow a photo to a decade faster than buildings, which stay the same for a long time.
Being one to three years off still scores 800 points or more, so a careful guess near the middle of a likely range pays.
Read the caption after each reveal: the same archives come back, and the notes help you date the next similar scene.

Questions

Is Decade free?

Yes. The daily set of five photos is free in the browser and in the iPhone app. Decade Pro is an optional subscription in the app for unlimited archive sets and stats, and the Everyday America collection is a separate purchase.

How is Decade scored?

Each photo is worth up to 1,000 points for the exact year. One to three years off scores between 900 and 800, and the score falls quickly beyond ten years. A perfect day is 5,000 points.

Where do the photos come from?

From public archives, mainly the Library of Congress and Wikimedia Commons. They are real historical photographs.

Do I need an account?

No. The web version plays the daily set with no sign-up.