How to Play WorldGuessr

Griffin Bateson / January 22, 2025
How to Play WorldGuessr

Ever wanted to explore the world without traveling? Well, WorldGuessr is a virtual way to do that. You are dropped into a random location in the world. The entire goal of the game is to figure out where you are in the world using clues and context. 

How to Play WorldGuessr

The controls of WorldGuessr are simple. Once you are dropped into the location, you simply click around using your mouse to start teleporting throughout the streets. After you get a good sense of where you are, hover your mouse over the world map in the bottom right corner of the screen. Zoom in and click on where you think you are. You will be awarded points for how close you get to the location. If you get the exact location, you will be awarded 5,000 points for your guess. The further away you are, the less points will be awarded to you.

WorldGuessr Strategies

While it may seem like a bit of a guessing game, there is a lot that you can do to eliminate possibilities and make more educated guesses. Continue reading to learn a few tips that will help you become a WorldGuessr pro.

Inspect the sun

Unlike real life, it's highly recommended that you stare at the sun! It may seem like a bit of a weird tip, but you can learn a lot from the sun. Use your compass to see which direction in the sky the sun is. If you see that the sun is clearly in the North, then you are in the Southern Hemisphere. Vice versa, if you see that the sun is clearly in the South, then you are in the Northern Hemisphere.

This is not always obvious, as the sun can be right in between the North and the South. In that case, it’s best not to rely on this strategy. 

If you are confused about which way is North and which is South, just look at your compass! The red end points North, and the white end points South.

Look for languages

Unless you’re in an extremely rural area, there is almost always a sign somewhere around. Once you find a sign, try and figure out what language it is. Spanish will most likely put you in either Central America, South America, or Spain. English will most likely put you in either Canada, America, the United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand. 

It is important to check your references, as some countries use two different languages often. For example, The Netherlands might have either Engish or Dutch signs. So while languages area hint, they’re not the end-all-be-all.

Oftentimes, there will be websites around on signs as well, which can be a great hint. For example, if a website on a billboard ends in a .br, you can make be almost assured that you are in Brazil. 

Watch the lanes

Which way people drive can be a big hint as to where you are located. Not many countries drive on the left side of the road, so it can be an easy hint to get. If you do happen to be driving on the left side, there are only a few countries you might be in, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa.

Architecture antics

Getting a sense of the architecture of each country can be a difficult skill to pick up, but it’s probably one of the most effective ways to make a good guess. Each country has distinct architectural quirks. Egypt has its pyramids, Russia has its onion-domed roofs, and many Western European countries have old-school castles. 

Now that you have learned some of the best WorldGuessr strategies, go and try out the game! You can either play singleplayer at your own pace, or multiplayer in an on-the-clock race.