The guess the year music game: how it works and how to get closer
Hear a song, never see its year, and put your guess as close as you can. It is a simple idea that turns any group into a room full of confident, wrong and sometimes brilliant opinions.
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.
You can guess the year in two ways here. In Year Rush you type in an exact year on your phone and score by how near you are. In Timeline and Pass the phone you place the song between songs whose years are already known, which is a way of guessing the year in a range.
Both reward the same skill: placing a recording in time from small clues, even when you have never heard the song before.
How a guess is scored in Year Rush
Closer always scores more.
Exact: 1000 points
The right year gets the full amount.
Near misses
Within 1 year scores 800, within 3 years 500, within 5 years 300 and within 10 years 100.
Bonuses
A speed bonus of up to 200 for quick, accurate guesses and 200 for naming title and artist once the host confirms it.
Clues that help you guess
The sound of the recording is a clue in itself: drum machines and synthesisers point to the eighties, thin tape recordings to earlier decades, and polished digital production to the last twenty years.
Lyrics help too. Mentions of technology, fashion or places can pin a song down, and how someone sings tells you a lot about the era it came from.
Where to play it
On one phone, pass it round for the placing version. In a party room, host on a TV and let everyone lock in a year at once. Both run in the browser and use 30 second previews.
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.
Tips for a better game
Narrow it by decade first
Decide the decade from the sound, then refine inside it. Getting the decade right already scores in Year Rush.
Hedge towards the middle
If you cannot choose between 1984 and 1992, pick a year in the middle. The distance counts, not the choice.
Argue it out loud
Compare reasons with the table before you lock in. Half the fun is the reasoning.
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.
Prefer real cards?
Make your own card game: paste a playlist, print the PDF at home or order the printed cards.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know the song?
No. The year can often be worked out from the sound and character of the recording.
What year range can I pick?
In the default open guess any year is allowed, and you move it with the plus and minus buttons for one and ten years. The host can also choose decade first or four choices.
Is it only for music experts?
No. The scoring rewards near misses, so a good sense of the decade is enough to keep up.
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.
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