MapGame: daily geography game

MapGame hides one mystery country on a world map and gives you ten guesses to click it. After every guess you get a new hint that points you in a direction, such as "the mystery country is west of India," so each wrong click narrows the search area. In the daily Today's Game, everyone in the world hunts the same country, which makes your score directly comparable to everyone else's.

What is MapGame?

MapGame is a geography guessing game built around a single hidden country per round. You play directly on an interactive world map: drag to move, scroll to zoom, and click a country to guess. You get up to ten guesses, and after each one a new hint appears telling you the general direction of the mystery country from a reference country on the map, which uses the Winkel Tripel projection. Your score depends on whether you found the country, how many hints you used, how fast you were, and how accurate your guesses were given the hints you had.

The directional hints are trickier than they sound. Because directions are read off a flat world map, "west of India" can point to countries as far away as the United States or Cuba as well as nearby Oman, an example the game's own FAQ uses. The skill is in combining two or three hints to triangulate a region, then picking the right country inside it. This makes MapGame feel different from Worldle, which gives you a distance and bearing from each typed guess, and from Globle, which colors your guesses by proximity. In MapGame you reason about directions between real countries on a map you can see and explore.

Beyond the daily challenge, which resets at midnight and allows one attempt per day, MapGame has a Practice mode with unlimited random countries and a Ranked mode where you play three consecutive games, your scores are averaged, and the result goes onto a global leaderboard once per day. Playing three ranked games unlocks Twists, optional modifiers that make the game harder in exchange for bonus points: Flip (+15,000, the map randomly flips on its axes), Borderless (+12,500, no borders between countries), Ghosts (+10,000, random countries turn transparent), Ephemeral (+7,500, only the latest hint stays visible), and Nameless (+5,000, no country labels). Multiple Twists can be combined for cumulative bonuses.

MapGame was made in 2023 by Minas Giannekas, who also runs the map-making site MapChart. The game has companion apps on iOS and Android with the same functionality as the web version, and your stats can be exported and imported between devices so progress carries over from web to mobile. The site includes a share button for posting results and a feedback option for sending suggestions and bug reports to the creator.

How to play MapGame

Open MapGame at mapgame.net. The daily Today's Game gives every player the same mystery country.
Make your first guess by clicking a country on the world map. Drag to move the map and scroll to zoom.
After each wrong guess, read the new directional hint, such as "the mystery country is west of India." Directions follow the map's Winkel Tripel projection.
Combine several hints to triangulate the region where the mystery country must sit, then pick the most likely country inside it.
Find the country within your ten guesses. Your score reflects how many hints you used, how fast you were, and how consistent your guesses were with the hints.
Share your result, or switch to Practice mode for unlimited rounds or Ranked mode for a leaderboard run of three games.

Tips and strategy

Remember that directional hints follow a flat map, not a globe. The game's own example notes that "west of India" can mean Oman, but also the United States or Cuba, so do not assume a hint means a nearby country.
Two or three hints together are far more useful than one. Wait until directions from different reference countries overlap before committing to a small region.
Accuracy is scored, so avoid clicking countries that an existing hint has already ruled out. A guess that contradicts the hints costs you points even beyond the used attempt.
Speed factors into your score too, but a fast wrong streak burns through your ten guesses. Balance quick play against careful triangulation.
Use Practice mode to learn how the directional hints read on the Winkel Tripel map before spending your one daily attempt or a Ranked run.
In Ranked mode your three consecutive scores are averaged, so consistency beats one great round. Once you unlock Twists, add ones like Nameless or Ephemeral only if the bonus points outweigh the handicap for you.

Good to know

Category: Geography
Resets: Daily at midnight for Today's Game, one attempt per day
Cost: Free to play
Guesses: 10 per game
Modes: Today's Game, Practice, Ranked, plus unlockable Twists
Creator: Minas Giannekas (also runs MapChart)
Launched: 2023
Platform: Web, plus iOS and Android apps

MapGame FAQ

Is MapGame free to play?

Yes, the web version at mapgame.net is free to play, and there are companion iOS and Android apps. Stats can be exported and imported so progress carries between devices.

How do you play MapGame?

You click countries on an interactive world map to guess a hidden country, with up to ten guesses. After each guess a new hint tells you the direction of the mystery country from a reference country, and you combine hints to narrow it down.

When does MapGame reset, and is there an archive of past games?

The Today's Game daily challenge resets at midnight, and everyone plays the same country with one attempt per day. The site does not mention a playable archive of past daily countries.

Is MapGame like Wordle or Worldle?

It shares the daily one-puzzle format, but the mechanic is different. Worldle gives you distance and direction from typed guesses, while MapGame is played by clicking directly on a world map and reasoning from directional hints like "west of India."

Who made MapGame?

MapGame was made in 2023 by Minas Giannekas, who also runs the map-making site MapChart.