How to Play MapsGuessr
Explore your surroundings, identify clues, choose a location on the map and try to get as close as possible to the real position.
1. Explore the location
At the beginning of a round, MapsGuessr places you inside a Street View location somewhere in the world.
Look around carefully. Depending on the game settings, you may also be able to move through nearby streets and zoom the view.
2. Look for geographic clues
Useful clues can appear almost anywhere. Pay attention to:
- Road signs and place names
- Languages and alphabets
- Road markings and driving side
- Buildings and architecture
- Landscape and climate
- Utility poles and infrastructure
- Vehicles and license plates
- Shops, businesses and public transport
3. Open the guess map
When you have an idea where the location might be, open the world map.
Navigate to the country, region or city you believe matches the Street View scene.
4. Place your marker
Click or tap the map to choose your guess. You can move the marker before submitting if you want to refine your position.
5. Submit your guess
Once you are satisfied with your choice, submit it.
Your guess becomes final for that round.
6. See the result
MapsGuessr reveals the actual location and shows the distance between your guess and the correct position.
The closer your guess, the more points you receive.
Walk through a sample round
This is an invented teaching round. The place names and observations illustrate a method; they are not a claim about a location in the game's current pool.
- Observe before searching. You see a sign toward “Pine Lake,” a railway crossing and a road that bends east. Record those observations separately. “This looks like my last round” is a feeling, not another geographic clue.
- Choose a region provisionally. Suppose the other visible evidence has already narrowed the region. Place a provisional marker there while you inspect its roads. A town with the same name is only a candidate: names alone do not prove a match.
- Compare the arrangement. One candidate has a railway south of its junction; another has the railway north, matching the scene. Check the bend as well. If the road turns west on the map but east in the scene, your second candidate still needs reconsideration.
- Refine the marker. Once the junction and bend fit, zoom in and place the marker on the approach road rather than the center of the town. Check which side of the crossing you started on before submitting.
- Explain the result. If the reveal puts you on a parallel road, keep the successful regional reasoning and correct the local placement. If it reveals another region, return to the assumption that narrowed your search too early.
Try the destination-sign exercise to practice the first comparison, then use compass directions to check the railway's position. Both exercises work without starting a game.
Playing on a phone
- Look around the panorama for a useful sign or landmark. Movement and zoom depend on your game settings.
- Tap Guess to open the guessing map. Zoom to the area you want before tapping to place a marker.
- Check the marker's position. Another tap changes your choice; Submit guess makes it final.
- Use Hide map to return to the scene while you still have time. Opening the map does not pause the round.
If imagery is slow, stay in the current tab and let it load. Repeatedly reloading a timed game does not give you more time. For a persistent problem, follow the panorama troubleshooting guide after the round.
How distance becomes a score
Each round awards up to 5,000 points. MapsGuessr measures the distance between your marker and the answer coordinates, rather than the length of a driving route. Moving a marker to the correct road matters even if the town is already right.
A guess within 25 meters receives 5,000 points. Beyond that, the score is 5,000 multiplied by e raised to the power of −distance in kilometers divided by 2,000, then rounded to the nearest whole point. Very close guesses can also round to 5,000.
| Distance from answer | Round points |
|---|---|
| 1 km | 4,998 |
| 50 km | 4,877 |
| 500 km | 3,894 |
| 2,000 km | 1,839 |
The displayed distance may be rounded; scoring uses the underlying distance. A round that expires without an accepted guess contributes zero points. For a five-round game, the maximum total is 25,000 points. Other round counts change the maximum total, not the 5,000-point round limit.
For practice, first aim to identify the right region consistently, then work on local placement. The score is feedback, but the clue you missed tells you what to practice next.
Solo mode
Solo mode is designed for practice. Play through several locations and try to improve your total score.
Quick Match
Quick Match pairs you with another authenticated player.
Both players receive the same locations and compete over the same rounds. The player with the highest final score wins.
Private games
Private games let you create a room and invite other players using a room code.
Everyone receives the same locations, allowing friends to compete directly on the final leaderboard.
Ready to play?
Return to MapsGuessr and start a game.
Build your observation skills
Try our three-clue practice method, or use the blank panorama checklist if a location will not load. Explore all geography guides.