How to play Genioz: the complete rules

Start a game in under a minute

On genioz.io, pick a nickname and click “Create a game”: you get a 4-letter code and an invite link (with a QR code). The other players join from their phone or computer by entering the code or opening the link — no account, no download.

A game can start from 2 players and holds up to 8. The sweet spot is 3 to 6. If there are only two of you, the host can add a bot to spice things up.

How a game unfolds: ~10 minutes

The host picks the mode at launch: a single mode (The Zoom, The Spark or Scorched Earth) or Mix mode, which alternates them — that’s the real Genioz, where every round changes which skill matters. The number of rounds adapts to the mode (a Scorched Earth round lasts twice as long as a Zoom round) to keep a game at about 10 minutes.

Before each round, a rules card reminds everyone how the mode plays and how it scores — nobody gets lost, even on their first game. Then the timer starts: everyone plays at the same time, from their own screen. The round ends with the reveal: the answer, the why, and who scored what. After the last round, the final leaderboard crowns the winner.

Scoring: simple and punishment-free

Every player starts at 0 points and can only gain: a wrong answer never sets you back. The risk lives elsewhere — aiming at a tier too precise in The Zoom, hazarding a wild guess in The Spark (a few seconds frozen), venturing onto burned ground in Scorched Earth (torched — you finish the round as a ghost, for half points).

Each mode also hands out a round title (“Flair”, “Ice-cold”…) for the best move — plenty of fuel for debates between rounds.

The 3 game modes at a glance

The Zoom — precision: one question, three nested answer tiers (say continent, country, city). You pick ONE tier and ONE answer: broad and safe pays little (+3), precise and right pays big (+10), but missing at your chosen tier pays nothing. Half-knowledge finally becomes playable.

The Spark — connections: three clues from different fields (“a unit of pressure”, “a programming language”, “a 17th-century philosopher”) point to ONE single answer. Free text: the faster your spark comes, the more you score; a wrong answer freezes you for a few seconds.

Scorched Earth — depth: one category (“African capitals”), three waves. Each wave, name a valid answer nobody has given yet: duplicates get charred, already-burned or invalid answers get you torched — but you keep playing as a ghost, for half points. The obvious ones go in the first wave — surviving means digging.

Total Recall: winning by learning

The questions the table missed aren’t lost: they come back in the last rounds of the game, for DOUBLE points. A round’s reveal is a lesson worth remembering — whoever paid attention can flip the leaderboard in the final sprint.

It’s the Genioz promise made measurable: you leave every game provably more cultured, score to show for it.

Same room or fully remote

Genioz plays just as well around a table (everyone on their own phone) as fully remote, over a video call or a voice chat. All actions are simultaneous: nobody waits for their turn, and a disconnected player can reclaim their seat at any time — a simple page reload does it.

Three tips for your first game

In The Zoom, dare the middle tier: it’s often the best risk/points ratio when you’re unsure of the precise answer.

In The Spark, read all three clues before typing: a single clue often leads to a false friend, the collision of all three never lies.

In Scorched Earth, save your rare answers for the later waves: the obvious ones burn on their own in the first.