A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE. A LITTLE INSTINCT.
What Is Plain Game?
Plain Game is a free daily estimation game where your guesses power a plane. Each flight has seven questions: five number estimates and two name challenges. Questions cover landmarks, sport, space, technology and historical events, and you might place a famous event on a timeline, estimate the size of a landmark, or choose a country close to a target area.
It is a plain daily game: the same seven questions for everyone, one Daily flight a day, and no account. You do not need every fact memorised — a sensible estimate still earns a climb, while a slow answer costs altitude.
How to Play Plain Game
Estimate a Number
Read the question and its unit, then type your best guess. Decimals work, and you can enter large numbers as 2.5k or 1.2 million. Year questions need a whole year.
Choose a Name
For a name challenge, type a country, planet or element and use the suggestions. The game compares its listed value with the target, so a nearby choice can earn points too.
Beat the Clock
Each question gives you 30 seconds and one submitted answer. The first three seconds are free reading time; after that the plane starts sinking. Lock your answer before the clock runs out, then check the answer and its source.
How Scoring Works
Numbers and Ratios
Number estimates score by proportion, so being twice the answer and half the answer earn the same 25 base points. A guess within a factor of 1.01 of the answer also earns the 25-point precision bonus.
| Your guess | Base points | Precision bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Exactly right | 100 | 25 |
| Twice the correct number | 25 | 0 |
| Half the correct number | 25 | 0 |
| A year ten years early or late | 61 | 0 |
Years and Dates
Year questions use the number of years between your guess and the answer, not a percentage. Guessing 1990 for a 2000 event is a ten-year miss and scores 61 points; only an exact year earns the precision bonus.
The Golden Round
One round in each flight is a hidden golden round worth double points. You only learn which round it was after you submit that answer, and the time loss is not doubled.
Each point adds 10 metres of climb. After the three free reading seconds the plane sinks four metres per second until you answer or the clock runs out, and altitude stops at zero. A perfect flight can earn 1,000 points and reach 10,000 metres before time losses; the final height includes them.
Daily and Unlimited
One Daily Flight
Your daily game is saved for the UTC date. Come back to finish an interrupted flight or view its result. A countdown shows when the next Daily becomes available, at midnight UTC.
Fly Again in Unlimited
Start another seven-question flight whenever you like. Unlimited mixes the question bank and avoids recent questions where possible. The pool is finite, so you may meet a familiar question again.
Plain Game FAQ
Why does the plane sink while I think?
Each question has a 30-second clock: three free seconds to read, then the plane sinks four metres per second until you answer. If the clock runs out, that round scores nothing and the altitude loss stops at the 30-second limit.
How close does a guess need to be to score?
Number questions score by proportion: twice the answer and half the answer both earn 25 points, and a guess within 1.01 of the answer also earns the precision bonus. Year questions score by the number of years you are away, so a ten-year miss still earns 61 points.
Why isn’t my country, element or planet accepted?
Name rounds only accept entries from the game’s list. Start typing and choose a suggestion, and the game compares that entry’s value with the target — a nearby entry can still score.
When does the Daily flight reset?
A new Daily opens at 00:00 UTC and gives everyone the same seven questions for that date. Your progress is saved in this browser, so you can come back to an unfinished flight.
Can I share my result?
Yes. Copy the text report, or preview the flight card and copy or save the image. It shows your height, seven-round chart and a QR code back to Plain Game, without revealing the answers.
Do I need an account to keep my progress?
No. Flights and records stay in this browser, and clearing site data, switching browsers or changing device starts a fresh log.