Challenge your obscure geography skills with this free online game

I played GeoGuessr when it was first released way back in 2013 and I’m still playing it today. This addictive little game drops you in a random spot somewhere in the world and you need to deduce where you are based solely on Google Street View imagery. 

You can move around, zoom, and pan wherever imagery is available in that location. Using your knowledge of landmarks, language, and culture you then try to figure out where the heck you are. When you think you know the answer, you drop a pin on the Google Maps box at the bottom of the screen—the closer you guess, the higher your score.

Admittedly, when I first tried it out the concept seemed like just another one of those pick-up-and-play browser games that were all over the internet in the early 2000s, Flash games like platformers and auto-runners. Games you’d play during downtime in the school library or on your work break. But boy, was I wrong. 

GeoGuessr not only hooked me, but an entire population of millennials and Gen-Z amateur geographers. There are now a host of popular streamers who play nothing but GeoGuessr and a world championship tournament with a prize pool of over $100,000 as well. 

The game has evolved over the years and now offers a free daily challenge with seven free games per day or you can subscribe for $3.99 per month and unlock unlimited plays and extras. There are also different game modes with varying difficulties such as No Move and NMPZ (no move, pan or zoom) to really test your skills. 

Go ahead and give it a shot to test out your geography knowledge. And even if you’ve played the game before like me, now is a good time to get back into it and try out a different game mode. Also, be sure to check out some replays of the World Championships as the pros with their uncanny intuition and obscure knowledge will boggle your mind.

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