GeoGuessr

About GeoGuessr

GeoGuessr was made by Anton Wallen, a Swedish IT consultant who liked wandering distant places in Street View. He built it in about two weeks in 2013 and released it that May; it spread quickly online. It is now run by GeoGuessr AB in Stockholm, which added mobile apps, a Steam edition and in 2022 bought the map quiz site Seterra. By July 2022 it had 40 million player accounts.

A classic game has five rounds. Each round shows a Street View location, and you can look around, move and zoom before placing a pin on a small map. Each guess scores up to 5,000 points depending on how close it is, for up to 25,000 per game. Harder settings take away moving, or moving, panning and zooming, leaving you with a single still view. Other modes include head-to-head Duels, Battle Royale, team games, country Streaks and a campaign.

The skill is in reading small details. Regular players learn which countries use which bollards, road lines and utility poles, which scripts and accents go with which places, and what the soil and plants look like on each continent. That depth has grown a large community of streamers and a yearly World Championship, first held in 2023.

The free plan is limited: with a free account you can play the Daily Challenge, the same five locations for everyone, and join games friends set up. Unlimited play, custom maps and competitive modes need a Pro or Elite subscription. It suits anyone who enjoys maps and travel, from casual players doing one daily round to people who want to study for ranked duels.

How to play GeoGuessr

1. Create a free account and open the Daily Challenge, or start a game if you have a subscription.
2. Look around the Street View scene, moving and zooming if the mode allows it.
3. Gather clues: the language on signs, the side of the road, licence plates, plants and the shape of the land.
4. Place a pin on the map where you think you are and confirm your guess.
5. See the real location and your score for the round, up to 5,000 points.
6. Play all five rounds and compare your total, up to 25,000, with other players.

Tips

• Check which side of the road traffic drives on first; it rules out large parts of the world at once.
• Read every sign you can find, even partly; the script and accents often narrow it to a few countries.
• Look at the sun and the vegetation to tell the northern and southern hemispheres and the climate apart.
• When you are unsure, guess near the middle of the likely region instead of at its edge to limit the lost points.
• Learn a few common clues, such as bollards and road line colours, for the countries you see most.

Questions