FAQ

Common questions

Not here? Email hello@geographys.com; every message gets read.

The dailies

When does the daily puzzle change?: At midnight on your device's clock. Everyone gets the same puzzle for the same date, so a player in Tokyo gets tomorrow's a few hours before one in London. If you travel, the day follows your device's time zone.
I missed a day. Can I still play it?: Yes, from each game's archive (linked under “Missed a day?” on the games page). A free account can play yesterday's puzzle; supporters can play every day back to the start. Archive plays don't go on the leaderboards or count toward your streak.
How is my score worked out?: Each game has its own scoring, explained under “How to play” at the top of the game. When a game's scoring changes, earlier dailies keep the score they had, so a past result may be on a different scale from today's.

Do I need an account?: No. Every World daily, every Learn article and the map tools work without one. Your streak and results are saved in your browser, and your scores go on the leaderboards under a guest name like “user4821”. A free account adds the US States dailies, yesterday's puzzle, friends, groups and comments, and keeps your streak on every device you sign in on.
How do streaks work?: Finish any one daily on a given day and your streak goes up by one. You don't need to play every game. Miss a whole day and it goes back to zero. Supporters get a streak freeze: one missed day is covered, at most once every 7 days. Two missed days in a row still end the streak.
I played before signing up. Did I lose my streak?: No. When you sign in, the streak in that browser joins your account's. If you've played on two devices, the two are combined, so a run on your laptop and today's game on your phone count as one streak.
My streak or scores disappeared.: Without an account they live only in your browser, so clearing site data, a private window or a new device starts fresh. Signed in, your streak comes back the next time you sign in. If it still looks wrong, email us.
How do I delete my account?: Email hello@geographys.com and ask. The privacy policy covers what's removed.

Why does a border look different to me than to a friend abroad?: For a few disputed places, the Globe Atlas draws the border the way maps in your own country do, as Google Maps does: Kashmir in India, Crimea in Russia, Kosovo in Serbia, Taiwan in China, the Falklands in Argentina and Palestine in Israel. Everyone else sees each side coloured by who controls it. Your country is a guess from your connection, and it's forgotten when you close the tab.
Does that change the games?: Not the puzzles or the scores: everyone plays the same map and the same answer. A few names change to the local one (Islas Malvinas in Argentina, the Palestinian Territories in Israel), and on some country maps a place drawn there as part of the country, like Crimea on the Russia map, can be guessed but is never the answer.
I found a mistake on a map.: Please use the feedback form. Corrections get fixed, and players whose fixes and ideas have shaped the site are on the contributors page. Where the data comes from is on the credits page.

What do supporters get?: Extra dailies on continent and country maps, unlimited practice, Supporter Saturday, the whole archive, a weekly streak freeze and no ads, for $5 a month or $50 a year. The full list is on the supporter page. The World daily in every game stays free.
How do I cancel, and can I get a refund?: Cancel any time from your account page. You keep the perks until the end of the period you paid for and aren't charged again. Payments already made aren't refunded, except where the law requires it; see the terms.
I paid but don't see my perks.: The plan goes on the account with the email you paid with. If you paid without signing in, sign in with that email (we'll have sent you a link). Still stuck? Email us and we'll sort it out.

Can I use this in class?: Yes, and it's free. The teachers page has lesson plans built around the games and Learn articles, and a group gives a class its own private league. Making videos or streams? See the creators page.
Can I suggest a puzzle or a new map?: Please do: suggest a puzzle. For anything else, the contact page has every way to reach us.