The history & geography guessing game
Guess when.
Guess where.
One historical photo. A year to uncover.
A place to put on the map.
Sharpen your eye
Every detail is a clue.
A little curiosity goes a long way.
Before you set off
A few good questions.
WhenWhere turns historical photographs into a game of when and where. Here’s what to expect.
Read the full playing guideCan I learn the history behind each photograph?
Yes. Every reveal includes the answer, a basic caption and the original photo credit. WhenWhere Plus adds Behind the photo: a short historical account, details worth noticing and linked archival sources. Stories cover all 80 current photographs and are available during early access.
What is WhenWhere?
WhenWhere is a history and geography photo guessing game. In each round, you study a real historical photograph, choose the year, and place a pin on a world map. After you submit, the game reveals the date, location, source and your score.
How is WhenWhere scored?
Each round awards up to 5,000 points for the year and 5,000 for the location. The exact year earns full year points, and a location within 25 km earns full location points. Five rounds can total 50,000 points.
How does the daily challenge work?
The daily challenge gives every player the same five photos in the same order for a UTC date. A new selection arrives at midnight UTC. Each player has one saved attempt per day. Finished games can be reviewed, and photos may repeat across days.
Are the historical photographs real?
Yes. Playable photographs come from public-domain and openly licensed archive collections, with a source link shown after every guess. The colorful illustrations in the lobby are decorative game artwork, not historical evidence.
Can I play on my phone?
WhenWhere works in a web browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Use the photo viewer to inspect details and the map controls to choose your location. There is no separate WhenWhere app to install.
Is WhenWhere multiplayer?
You can send a friend challenge containing the same five photos and compare scores whenever you finish. Profiles save your games and daily streaks, and you can opt into the daily leaderboard. Private live rooms, team games and beta ranked duels let you play together.