GeoGuessr

GeoGuessr is a browser-based geography game in which players are tasked to guess locations from Google Street View imagery. The game features multiple game modes, including singleplayer and multiplayer competitions. Launched in 2013 by Anton Wallén, the game maintained a relatively small yet active player base until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic and social media brought a large influx of new players. After February 1, 2024, the game required a subscription to play.

The game has been described as an educational tool for geography: players can learn and identify global geographical and cultural characteristics such as writing systems, architecture, left- and right-hand traffic, flags, vehicle registration plates, and flora.

Modes
The "classic" GeoGuessr game mode consists of five rounds, each displaying a different street view location for the player to guess on a map. The player then receives a score of up to 5,000 points depending on how accurate their guess was, up to 25,000 points for a perfect game. Games may be user-generated or randomly generated from a pool of locations.

Alternative game modes include:
 * Battle Royale, a multiplayer last man standing game
 * Duels, a two-player head-to-head competition
 * Streaks, where players identify countries, U.S. states, or world cities until they guess incorrectly
 * Explorer Mode, a single-player game where medals are awarded for accuracy in individual countries
 * Team Duels, a variation of Duels played between two teams
 * Maprunner, single-player game mode featuring a board game style interface
 * Singleplayer, where players travel the world and its various cities while collecting tips to help them determine where they are.

In 2022, GeoGuessr acquired the geography quiz site Seterra, and implemented a quiz mode combining standard street view gameplay with trivia questions.

Interface
The game's HUD primarily features the Google Street View imagery, as well as a compass. Users can control the movement, panning, and zooming of the image, although GeoGuessr allows any of these features to be disabled for harder gameplay. An inset map, using Google Maps's standard overlay, allows players to place a pin to make their guess.

Strategy
Users may interpret their location from the photographs by reading road signage, finding the relative position of the Sun, identifying flora and soil types, and learning diacritics specific to particular writing systems. Players can also make use of Street View metadata to ascertain their location – for example, the Street View vehicle that captured imagery in Kruger National Park was unique in that it was green and had white roof racks.

Distribution
GeoGuessr requires a paid subscription to play. A free mode, which restricted users to 5 minutes of game play every 15 minutes, was discontinued on 1 February 2024, although challenges and quizzes are still free to play. Free-to-play users are still able to join and play in private parties hosted by a user with a subscription.

Development
The game was designed by Swedish IT consultant Anton Wallén in 2013. Wallen loved to visit faraway locations on Google Street View, and initially designed a program to generate a random location in Street View before deciding to add a competitive element.

The game's development took approximately two weeks' work, and uses the Backbone.js JavaScript library and the Google Maps API for games using Google Street View. Wallén posted the completed game to Google Chrome Experiments on 10 May 2013.

As well as English, the game is available in ten other languages: Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Polish and Japanese. Mobile apps for GeoGuessr are available on the Android and iOS platforms.

Reception
The launch of the game in May 2013 was described as successful, with the game instantly going viral. Upon its release, the game was described as "insanely addictive." The start of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a renewed interest in the game and it also had a second peak in March 2021. By July 2022, the game had 40 million player accounts. Interest in the game has been propagated on platforms such as Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch, where notable users such as Ludwig, GeoWizard, and Rainbolt have recorded or streamed themselves playing the game.

The game has been cited as an educational tool by helping users to "develop critical skills to analyze geographical and cultural landscapes", and it has been suggested that the game could enhance geographical education within the classroom.

GeoGuessr users have criticized some of the photographic coverage used in the game. Locations such as Zanzibar used third-party and unofficial imagery, and GeoGuessr players have described some of this media as grainy, blurry, and over- or under-exposed. World Travel in 360, the organization that led the program to supply coverage of Zanzibar, stated that "[their] mapping is better than nothing".

The game has been the inspiration for several fan-made versions which use video game environments, such as the worlds of Grand Theft Auto V, Fortnite, World of Warcraft, Genshin Impact, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

AI research
In July 2023, researchers at Stanford University developed a machine learning tool that was able to locate 40 percent of GeoGuessr locations with an accuracy of 25 km or better. After three attempts, the model was able to beat Rainbolt, a top-ranked player. In a preprint, the authors noted that such models could positively impact climate research, as successful geolocation of an image often requires a correct climate classification of the locale: if artificial intelligence can detect that two images come from the same region, feeding the tool with pictures could provide inexpensive data on how climate change affects regions. The study recognized that quick-recognition of outdoor locations could have privacy and security implications.

GeoGuessr Team World Cup
On 2 October 2022 GeoGuessr co-sponsored Ligue Intercommu's "GeoGuessr Team World Cup", a LAN party streamed on Twitch. It was commentated by streamers including Antoine Daniel and Etoiles. The competition was won by the team "Speed Plonkers", which featured the players Blinky (France), Kodiak (Germany), and Maccem (Sweden).

GeoGuessr World Cup
On 13–14 October 2023, GeoGuessr hosted the inaugural GeoGuessr World Cup, the game's first single-player in-person esports tournament. Held at Space Arena in Stockholm, the tournament featured 24 participants representing 21 different nations, with a $50,000 prize pool. The event was broadcast on the web, and cast by streamers such as Rainbolt, Launders, and Pala. The tournament was won by Dutch player Consus, beating French player Blinky in the finals.

The 2024 competition will be held in the Blue Hall at Stockholm City Hall. According to their website, it is scheduled to take place between 11-14 September 2024. There will be 24 participants in the main event.