About
If you're looking to read up on OpenGuessr, you've come to the right place! This page is for players curious about the project as well as journalists looking for a quick fact-sheet.
What is OpenGuessr?
OpenGuessr is a free geography game in which players see randomly selected panorama images and need to guess where they were taken. The browser game focuses on endless gameplay geared towards newcomers and casual players, but provides many modes and competitive features for those keen on trying more.
While the initial prototype for the game was developed in a single day in 2023, further development was halted until the site started to gain traction and reach millions of players in early 2024. Later that year, the site was completely overhauled and has been steadily updated since then.
OpenGuessr as a GeoGuessr alternative
OpenGuessr has a similar core gameplay loop to GeoGuessr and provides much of the same functionality, hence why it is commonly recommended as an alternative. Both games feature multiplayer lobbies (no account required in OpenGuessr!), ranked duels, tens of thousands of maps, leaderboards, a daily competition, tournaments, social features as well as sophisticated customization.
OpenGuessr also allows for player-created competitions and includes unique modes such as Country Guessr and Image Guessr, as well as interesting restrictions to make multiplayer more challenging (grayscale, blink mode..). GeoGuessr on the other hand has more sophisticated pro-player features such as detailed analytics, play-along functionality and the famous world cup.
As a mature alternative, the project has seen many UI revisions and players commonly highlight the polished look and fast UI feel. The interface features a variety of handcrafted illustrations, sound effects and animations which ensure the experience is interesting and consistent.
The "Open" in OpenGuessr
While the word "open" is often associated with Open Source, in the case of OpenGuessr it stands for the primary principle of the game: No feature should be restricted to paying users, every bit of functionality needs to be open to everyone.
Additionally, there should be as little friction as possible for players, hence why loading up the page immediately puts you into the geography-guessing action. No pop-ups or other annoyances, with an optional tutorial integrated into the core interface.
While the complete website isn't, parts of OpenGuessr are open-source, specifically the reusable chunks that other developers or players might find useful:
- PlaySocketJS: The multiplayer library made for OpenGuessr.
- Headless-chat: The system that powers the built-in messenger.
- Fast-profanity-filter: This library ensures that player-created text is free of profane words.
- Overfade: The library enables smooth fade-in/out scroll transitions.
- Bugspot: The intelligent bug reporting system built for the game.
- OpenReport: The report and moderation system that keeps OpenGuessr fair.
- OpenGuessr Education: The educational offshoot of the game which includes articles and quizzes.
OpenGuessr in the media
The game has been enjoyed by creators from around the world and featured in articles and videos, which is really cool. To highlight a few:
Press kit
More
Learn more about OpenGuessr on the studio website.