How to play
Play together in a minute
Your phone is the controller. Any screen is the console. Nothing to download.
No TV? No worries. Every game plays on phones alone, with the host's phone as the screen. A TV just makes it bigger and louder.
Pick your setup
How are you playing?
On a TV or laptop
The best way to play together in a room.
Open keyholegames.com/tv on the TV
Use the TV's browser, or a laptop or iPad plugged into it. It opens a party room with a QR code and four letters.
Everyone joins on their phone
Scan the QR code with the camera, or go to keyholegames.com and type the four letters. Guests never need an account.
The first phone in is the host
The host picks games on their phone and the TV shows them. Swap games whenever you like, nobody has to re-join. The host can turn the TV off and carry on with phones only.
Already in a game on your phone?
The host taps Use a big screen and types the four letters shown on the TV. The game moves across.
Phones only
No screen? No problem. Everyone plays on their own phone.
The host opens a party game
On their phone, open any party game and tap Host a party. The phone shows a QR code and four letters.
Guests scan or type the code
Scan the host's QR code, or go to keyholegames.com and type the four letters. No account for guests.
Everyone plays on their own phone
The host starts each round. Nothing to install, nothing to print.
Apart, on a call
Friends and family in different places.
Start your video call
Any call app will do. Everyone just needs to be on it.
Share the big screen
The host opens keyholegames.com/tv or the game screen on a laptop and shares that tab or window on the call.
Everyone joins with the code
Each person types the four letters on their own phone, wherever they are. The shared screen is the one everybody watches.
Who needs an account? Only the host, and it is free. During the Launch Party every game is free for a signed-in host until 30 November 2026. Guests never need an account.
Daily puzzles are even simpler. Tap Play and you are in. No room, no code, no sign-in. New puzzles every day at midnight, your time.
Today's puzzlesDevices and Calm mode
Any phone
An up-to-date browser is all it takes: Safari, Chrome, Samsung Internet, Firefox or Edge. No app, no download. Up to 20 phones in a room.
Any screen
A smart TV browser, a laptop on the TV, AirPlay or Chromecast. No big screen? Most games play on phones alone.
Calm mode
The Calm mode switch in the footer turns off shakes, flashes and fast motion, on the site and in the games.
Sound is optional
Every game works with the sound off. Words on screen carry every clue.
Not sure your phone is up to it? Test your phone in a minute. More on access: accessibility.
Stuck?
The code does not work
Check the four letters against the host's screen, with no spaces. Capitals or lower case both work. If it says there is no open game, the room may have closed: ask the host to open a new one, or scan the QR code instead. If it says too many tries, wait a few minutes and try again.
The TV's browser is too old
Some older smart TVs cannot run the games. Open keyholegames.com/tv on a laptop or iPad instead and plug it into the TV, or cast or AirPlay that screen. No cable or cast? Play on phones only: the host opens a party game on their phone and taps Host a party.
There is no sound
Every game works with the sound off, because words on screen carry every clue. If you want it: turn the phone off silent, turn the volume up, and tap the screen once, because browsers wait for a tap before they play sound. On the TV, check the TV's own volume and that the browser tab is not muted.