How to Play WordWarz
What is WordWarz?
WordWarz is an online multiplayer word-guessing game built around competitive matches with friends. Everyone in a room guesses the same hidden five-letter word, and the best score wins.
Play WordWarz →How a game starts
One player creates a room and picks the mode and settings. Others join from an invite link, a room code, or by browsing public rooms. Everyone readies up, then the host starts the match after a short countdown. A match needs at least two players, or four for Elimination. Players can join while the room is in the lobby, not once a match is under way.
How guessing works
Type a valid five-letter word and submit it. Each letter is marked green if it is in the right place, gold if it is in the word but in a different place, and grey if it is not in the word. Repeated letters are marked correctly, so a letter is never credited more times than it appears in the answer. You have six guesses per word. An invalid word is refused and does not cost a guess.
How scoring works
Solving a word is worth 1,000 points, plus 150 for each guess you did not use out of seven, plus up to 500 for the share of the round clock you had left. A word you do not solve scores 0, and the best possible score for one word is 2,400. The time bonus is a share of the round rather than a count of seconds, so a short Blitz round is worth the same as a long Classic one.
Game modes
| Mode | How it ends | Ranked setup | Players needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | After the set number of rounds; highest total score wins | 5 rounds, 180 seconds each | 2+ |
| Blitz | After the set number of rounds; highest total score wins | 10 rounds, 60 seconds each | 2+ |
| Elimination | The lowest scorer is knocked out each round; last player standing wins | Rounds continue until one player is left, 180 seconds each | 4+ |
Rooms can be customised. Mirror Match gives everyone the same opening guess, removing first-word luck. Hardcore requires you to reuse every green letter in its position. Items adds power-ups that help you and sabotages that hinder opponents, and they tend to drop more often for whoever is behind.
How multiplayer works
Rooms hold between 2 and 20 players. Everyone plays the same word at the same time, and you can look at other players’ progress during a round. In casual rooms the host can add computer-controlled players to fill seats; ranked rooms are players only. If you lose your connection, you can rejoin your room.
How someone wins
The first player to solve a word wins that round. The match winner depends on the mode: in Classic and Blitz it is the highest total score across all rounds, and in Elimination it is the last player not knocked out. Ranked matches also change each player’s rating for that mode based on where they placed relative to the rest of the lobby; ratings only move in matches with at least three signed-in players.
How to invite friends
In the lobby, use the share button to send an invite link, or give people the room code. The play with friends page walks through it step by step.
Supported devices
WordWarz runs in the web browser on phones, tablets and computers at wordwarz.io, and there are apps for iPhone and iPad on the App Store and for Android on Google Play. No download is required to play in the browser.
Accounts and profiles
You can play casual games as a guest. Signing in with Google or Apple saves your stats and progress across devices and lets you play ranked matches and appear on leaderboards. WordWarz also has a free Word of the Day that everyone shares.
Frequently asked questions
What is WordWarz?
WordWarz is an online multiplayer word-guessing game built around competitive matches with friends. Players in a room guess the same hidden five-letter word and are scored on guesses and speed.
Is WordWarz multiplayer?
Yes. Rooms hold 2 to 20 players who compete live on the same word.
Is WordWarz free?
Yes, WordWarz is free to play.
How does WordWarz scoring work?
Solving a word earns 1,000 points, plus 150 for each guess you did not need out of seven, plus up to 500 for the share of the round clock you had left. An unsolved word scores 0. The maximum is 2,400.
Do I need an account to play?
No. Guests can play casual games. Signing in with Google or Apple saves your progress and unlocks ranked play.
WordWarz is an independent game. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by The New York Times or Wordle.