World game

How to play the World game

Each round shows a political map of the world at some moment between the end of the Second World War and today. Read it like a historian: which countries exist, what they are called, which flags they fly, and which territories are still colonies. Then choose the decade or the exact year it shows. Close guesses still score points, and after each map the game explains exactly which clues pin the date down, with sources.

Three ways to play

• Decade: a gentle start. Pick the decade; being one decade off still earns half the points.
• Year with hints: pick the exact year, and ask for hints if you are stuck. Each hint costs a few points.
• Year, no hints: the full challenge.

What you learn

Decolonisation in Africa and Asia, the break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, German reunification, and dozens of renamed states, from Upper Volta (Burkina Faso since 1984) to Zaire (the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1997). Every map is checked against cited sources; if you spot a mistake, the “Report an error” button under each answer reaches us directly.

Why does a map accept more than one year?

Borders and flags often stayed the same for a while, so a map fits every date between the last change it shows and the next one. Every year in that span counts as right.

Can I turn the timer off?

Yes: untick “Timed” before you start.