Year Rush: the complete guide to scoring, timer and winning
Everyone hears the same song, locks in a year on their own phone before the clock runs out, and the closest guess scores most. No player limit, big screen, loud room.
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.
In Year Rush there are no turns. A song plays on the host screen, a countdown starts and all phones show a year picker. You lock in a year, and then everyone watches the real year appear and the points land.
It is the fastest mode and it has no player limit, because nobody waits for their turn. A single round is over in well under a minute.
How points are scored
The guess is open: you can pick any year, and the score depends on the distance to the real one. Your score for a round is your accuracy points plus a speed bonus plus an optional bonus for naming the song.
Exact year: 1000
Spot on gets the most points. One year off gets 800, within 3 years gets 500.
Within 5 or 10 years
Five years off still earns 300 and ten years off earns 100. Further away scores nothing.
Speed: up to 200
The faster you lock in, the more bonus you get. It fades to zero at one third of the time limit and only counts when you scored accuracy points.
Named it: 200
If you also call out title and artist and the host confirms it, you get 200 extra, once per round.
Settings and the year picker
The host chooses 10, 15 or 20 rounds and a time limit of 15, 20 or 30 seconds per song. The default is 10 rounds of 20 seconds. Auto moves on by itself after every round, and the host can pause the game at any time.
The default is an open guess: you can pick any year. For an easier game the host can ask for the decade first, or switch to four choices, where you pick the right year out of four and only the exact year scores 1000. On the phone you move the year with the plus and minus ten and one buttons, then press the lock-in button. Your first lock-in counts, so think before you tap. Scores show between rounds, and the game ends with a podium for the top three.
Joining a Year Rush room
There is no player limit in the party room. Players scan the QR code on the big screen, or open the join page on a phone, tablet or laptop and type the 4 letter PIN, then pick a name. No account is needed.
Step by step
- 1
Open the host page
Go to hitify.app/host on the big screen and sign in with an email code.
- 2
Pick a deck and Year Rush
Choose the deck, the number of rounds, the time limit and the difficulty.
- 3
Players join by QR or code
Everyone picks a name on their own phone, tablet or laptop. There is no player limit.
- 4
Guess, lock in, reveal
Listen, set a year, lock in and see the points for the round.
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
Guess the middle when unsure
Missing by a few years still scores, while a wild guess at the edge of the range scores nothing.
Trust the first lock-in
Only your first lock-in counts, and speed adds a small bonus, so do not wait for the last second.
Shout the title, too
Naming title and artist is worth 200 once the host confirms it, as much as a speed bonus.
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
How are ties decided?
The total score after the last round decides. Points come from accuracy, speed and the naming bonus, so exact ties are rare.
What if I do not guess in time?
Then you score nothing for that round and the game moves on without you.
How long does a game take?
That depends on the settings. Each round is one song with a time limit of 15, 20 or 30 seconds, plus the reveal. Fewer rounds make a shorter game.
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.