Host a game
4 min read · Updated 2026-10-24
How to host a game
- Choose a game on Home or in Discover.
- Select Host.
- Choose where to play: a paired TV, a TV you open yourself, or Phones only.
- Set a 4-digit host PIN and pick a game mode.
- If your organization has Venue Prizes, choose Prizes (the venue defaults, a one-game change, or none).
- Put Huddle on the TV. Players scan the QR code or enter the join code at
/join. - Run Room check (TV, Wi-Fi and sound), then start when everyone is ready.
The selected ruleset sets the default timers. Open Game timing to review or change them. Timers you edit stay in place if you switch rulesets; untouched timers follow the new preset.
Remote and Hybrid beta
If your organization has remotePlay enabled, choose How are you playing? → Remote beta (each guest uses one device) or Hybrid beta (local TV plus remote guests). Together remains the default. The beta supports Classic, Competitive, Survivor, Study, Practice test and The Big Reveal. Existing Huddle Moments work where the ruleset permits them; Practice test and Big Reveal keep their existing modifier exclusions. Text and images work on the guest device; audio/video media and calls are excluded. Big Reveal also needs its own mode enabled.
Competitive keeps its usual server receipt timing: slower connections can reduce speed points, and answers or decisions arriving after the server deadline do not count. There is no network-latency compensation. Use Classic with longer timers or Big Reveal without speed points when connections vary. Survivor teams that are eliminated keep following questions and reveals as spectators, with answer and decision controls closed.
Open Teams → Remote / Hybrid to copy/share the guest invitation and inspect connected players, captain and readiness. Guests do not need accounts. Optionally require approval for new players and approve their requests in the roster. Only the captain answers for a team; use Make captain for another connected, approved member if needed. Remove a player or team to revoke its access. Reactions can be disabled here or muted for a team.
Remote guests need an address reachable from their network; choosing Remote does not make a localhost or LAN server reachable over the internet. Use the deployment address supplied by your host. Pause/resume and scores are shared. After results, Play again with this group starts a new game without sharing another invite.
Host controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Next / Skip | Move on now |
| Close answers | Lock answering now |
| +10s | Add answer time |
| Pause / Resume | Freeze the clock. Paused time never costs speed points |
| Joining: Locked | Stop new teams joining |
| Last call | Finish the current question, play up to five fast questions, then final results |
| Adjust score | Add or remove 100 points for a team |
| Rename / remove team | Fix a name or remove a team |
| End game now | Jump to final standings |
The host screen shows the expected answer for every question. For typed answers, Accept counts a near miss.
Your PIN
Opening host controls on another device asks for the PIN, then works for 10 minutes. Five wrong tries lock PIN entry for 60 seconds.