Game Guide
How to Play PinGuessr
PinGuessr is a free geography guessing game. You read a clue about a real world event, drop a pin on the map where you think it happened, and score points based on accuracy and speed.
The basics
How scoring works
Each round is worth up to 5,000 points. Your score is reduced by distance from the real location, time taken, and whether you used a hint.
Tips to score higher
Read the full clue.
The event description often contains subtle geographic hints — a river name, a nearby country, a famous battle partner. Don't rush.
Speed matters.
You lose up to 300 points for taking too long. Confident wrong guesses often beat slow right ones — commit fast.
Use the hint wisely.
Each round has a hint available. Using it costs 500 points but can save you 3,000+ if you're completely lost.
Think about continents first.
Narrow it down: which continent? Then which region? Then which country. Don't start micro — start macro.
Historical context helps.
A battle from the Napoleonic Wars is almost certainly in Europe. A temple from the 12th century is likely in Asia. Use the era.
Consistency beats perfection.
Five rounds of 3,000 points beats four perfect rounds and one zero. Always guess, even if you're unsure.
22 Categories
Every kind of event. Every corner of the world.
Each category avoids repeating within the same game session, so you get variety every time.
Frequently asked questions
Is PinGuessr free?
Yes, completely free. No account needed to play. Create an account if you want your scores saved to the global leaderboard.
Where does the event data come from?
All 93,000+ events are sourced from Wikidata, the free and open knowledge base. Events are real, verifiable, and cover the entire span of recorded history across every continent.
What is the hint system?
Each round has a hint available. Click the "?" button on the question panel to reveal it. Using a hint costs you 500 points from that round's maximum score.
How does the leaderboard work?
Logged-in players have their individual round scores saved automatically. The leaderboard aggregates all scores across all rounds and can be filtered by today, this week, or all time.
Can I play on mobile?
Yes. PinGuessr works on mobile browsers. The map supports touch gestures for panning and zooming.