How to play
MusiQuest is a music quiz about release years. A song plays, and you place it on a timeline — before or after the tracks already on it. Whoever reaches the target score first wins.
What you need
- One device as the host — laptop, tablet or TV, as long as it has a screen and speakers. The music plays through it.
- One phone per player. Nothing else: no app, no account, no sign-in.
- Only the host needs Spotify — and not even that, strictly speaking. Without signing in, the player serves 30-second excerpts, and a full game works fine that way. With a signed-in Premium account the tracks play in full length.
For the host
- Open the page. Load MusiQuest on the device that will play the music.
- Sign in to Spotify (optional). The "Sign in to Spotify" button takes you there — what matters is that you sign in in this browser, not in the Spotify app. It works without signing in too, then with excerpts.
- Pick a playlist. The choice comes from the curated lists. The wider the spread of years, the better the game.
- Configure the game. Points, target score, stress mode, teaser mode and the bonus questions — all optional, the defaults are fine for a first round.
- Show the QR code. Players scan it and they are in. The code is also printed as a link below it.
- Play. Start the song, wait until everyone has submitted, show the result, next song. You set the pace.
- Finish. When someone reaches the target score, the final ranking appears by itself. "End game" stops the round at any time.
For players
- Join. Scan the QR code or open the link the host is showing.
- Enter a name. It appears on the ranking — pick one everyone can place.
- Listen. Title and artist stay hidden. Just the music.
- Place it. Your phone shows your timeline. Drag the marker to where you think the song belongs — between two years, before them, or after them.
- Bonus questions, if you like. Artist and song title are worth one extra point each — but a wrong guess costs one. Leaving them blank is always allowed and costs nothing.
- Confirm. Your answer is locked in. If stress mode is on, the clock now runs for everyone else.
- Watch the result. Year, title and artist are revealed, points are awarded, and a correctly placed song stays on your timeline.
Points
The defaults. The host can change every number before the start.
| For what | Points |
|---|---|
| Song placed correctly | 1 |
| Exact release year (instead of 1 point) | 3 |
| Bonus question artist right / wrong | +1 / −1 |
| Bonus question song title right / wrong | +1 / −1 |
| Submitted first | 0 |
| Points to win | 10 |
A wrong placement costs nothing — the song simply does not join your timeline. Penalty points only come from guessed bonus questions.
Two extra modes
- Stress mode. As soon as the first answer arrives, a clock runs for everyone else — ten seconds by default. Whoever submits first can earn a bonus point for it.
- Teaser mode. Every song plays for a fixed time only, 30 seconds by default. Makes the round faster and harder.
Tips
- Listen to the sound, not just the song: reverb, drums and production often give away the decade more clearly than the melody.
- You do not need to know the year. It is enough to know whether the track is older or younger than the ones already on your timeline.
- Careful with cover versions and re-releases — what counts is the year of the recording currently playing.
- On the bonus questions, restraint pays: a wrong guess costs exactly what a right one earns.
Full-length tracks on your phone (Android)
Hosting from a phone normally gives you 30-second excerpts – even with Spotify Premium. This is neither the game nor your account: Spotify only ever serves excerpts to mobile browsers. The game works fully that way, and you need not change a thing.
If you want full-length tracks, there is a way – it changes a browser setting, so the choice is yours:
- Open this page in your browser (not in the installed app).
- Open the browser menu and switch on the desktop view: in Chrome ⋮ → “Desktop site”, in Samsung Internet ☰ → “Desktop version”, in Firefox ⋮ → “Request desktop site”.
- The page reloads. Start the game and check the sign-in – tracks should now play in full.
Chrome and Samsung Internet remember this per site – set once, it applies next time as well, and in the installed app too. Firefox only remembers it for the tab. Undo it in the same place.
The price: Chrome then lays the page out in desktop proportions. MusiQuest compensates for that, but it will not look quite as familiar as before.
On iPhone and iPad, Spotify often serves full-length tracks anyway – check there before changing anything.
Frequently asked
Do I need a Spotify account as a player?
No. No music plays on your phone — only the timeline. Sound comes from the host device alone.
Why does the song stop after 30 seconds?
Then the host is not signed in to Spotify Premium in their browser, and Spotify only serves an excerpt. It is still playable — or the host signs in and reloads the page.
How long does a game take?
With the defaults — ten points to win — usually twenty to thirty minutes. The target score turns that dial in both directions.
Can I lock my phone in between?
Better not. The page holds the connection to the game; if it closes, you have to open the link again. Your score survives that.