A music game for the 30th, 40th or 50th birthday
Pick the decade of the birthday child and let the guests find out how well they know it. A 40th birthday has a soundtrack, and everyone in the room has an opinion on it.
Free to try. Whoever starts the game logs in with an email code, no password. Players who join a party room need no account and no app.
At a 30th, 40th or 50th the music is part of the story: songs from the year you finished school, your first holiday, your first flat. A guess-the-year game turns that into a shared activity. The guests do not need to know the birthday child's favourite artist, only roughly when a hit was big, and the birthday child gets to be the quiz master of their own life.
Timeline fits a birthday because it is turn based and talkative. The song plays, the active guest places it, and the reveal brings out a memory every time. Turn the birthday playlist into a deck, or pick a public deck of hits from the decade, and let the evening run for as long as the conversation lasts.
Best way to play it Party room: Timeline. Party room: Timeline lets guests take turns on the big screen, with time to tell the stories that go with each song.
How a game works
- 1
Pick a deck
Choose a popular public deck, or turn your own playlist into a deck.
- 2
Choose how to play
Pass one phone around the table, or open a party room where everyone plays on their own phone.
- 3
Listen and guess
A 30 second preview plays and nobody sees the year. Place the song on a timeline or lock in a year.
- 4
Reveal and score
Title, artist and year come out, the timeline grows or the points go up, and the next song starts.
The timeline in one look
A timeline is a row of songs in release order. You hear a new song, never its year, and decide where it fits between the songs already on the row. Get it right and the row grows.
How to run it
Choose the era
For a 40th in 2026, think of hits from the late nineties and noughties. Build a playlist and turn it into a deck.
Set up the TV
Open hitify.app/host on a laptop at the TV. Guests join with a code on their phones, and a Timeline room holds up to 8 players.
Make the host the birthday child
Let them choose the target number of cards and whether stealing is on.
Tips for a better game
Plan a second round for the rest
More than 8 guests? Let the others cheer from the sofa and rotate players between games.
Mix a decade deck and a surprise
Start with the decade, finish with songs from the guests' own favourites.
Keep a pass-the-phone fallback
If the TV plan fails, one phone in the middle of the table works as well.
Why it works at a party
No cards needed
Everything happens on screen, so there is nothing to print, shuffle or lose under the sofa.
Works in the browser
No app to install, not even for a party room. Open the page and play.
Three ways to play
One phone for a small group, or a party room with a big screen for a bigger crowd.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a deck from my own playlist?
Yes. You can turn a playlist into your own deck, and the first 100 cards of it are free.
What if guests are of very different ages?
That is the strength of a decade game: the older guests know the older songs, the younger ones the recent hits. Teams of mixed ages make it fairer.
What does it cost to play?
Popular public decks are free to play. If you turn your own playlist into a deck, the first 100 cards of that deck are free.
Do players need an account or an app?
No app is needed. Whoever starts the game logs in with an email code, no password. Players who join a party room scan a QR code or type the 4 letter room code, then pick a name.
Ready for the first song?
Pick a deck, choose how you want to play and have the first round running within a minute.
Hitify is not affiliated with Hitster or Jumbo. Hitster is a registered trademark of Koninklijke Jumbo B.V.