Rules and game styles

A randomizer picks the starting letter. The first player names a real place beginning with that letter. From then on, every answer must begin with the last letter of the previous answer: Denmark ends in K, so Kathmandu works, and Kathmandu hands the next player a U.

Each place can be used once per match. Spelling has some slack, accents and punctuation are ignored, and common aliases resolve to the same place.

Every turn runs on a clock of 15, 30 or 45 seconds. Run out of time or give up and you are eliminated. Matches can also carry an overall clock from 1 to 30 minutes; when it ends, the highest score wins. Without an overall clock the match is sudden death and the last player standing takes it.

Three ways to play, all using the same chain rule:

• Bot match. Face the GeoChain bot at three difficulty levels, from Tourist, which sticks to famous places, to Cartographer, which answers fast and digs deep. Bot games are unrated.
• Ranked quick match. Face the first player who joins the queue in your arena. 30 second turns, 5 minute game, rated. Wins and losses move your rating.
• Custom lobby. Members create a private lobby with a 6 letter code, set the clocks and arena, and invite 2 to 6 players. The host starts the match when everyone is in.

Play across everything at once, or lock a match to a single category: countries, cities, lakes, rivers, mountains or seas. Each arena keeps its own rating and world ranking. The free tier includes Everything, Countries and Cities; membership opens the rest.

Every accepted answer shows its rarity band and points. Tap learn more for the Wikipedia article or see on map to view the exact location, so an opponent playing an unknown place is a lesson, not a mystery.