How to play Outbound 4K

Outbound 4K is a free word game. Each question asks you to name one thing: a fruit, a capital city, a Pixar film. Any correct answer counts, but the rarer it is, the more points you score and the farther your rocket flies.

The daily mission

Every day there is a new mission of six questions, the same for every player. It changes at midnight. You have about 40 seconds per question, a little more for tricky ones. Answer all six and see how far into space your answers carried you, then share your result as a row of coloured squares that gives nothing away.

Infinite flight

Keep answering for as long as you can. Your ship has five shields: when the clock runs out on a question, you lose one, and when all five are gone the run ends. Every five questions the clock gets a little shorter. You get three skips per run, and you can choose which subjects to leave out.

Scoring

Each answer is worth 2 to 100 points, depending on how rare it is. The answer everyone gives is worth a couple of points; the one almost nobody thinks of is worth close to 100.

• Speed bonus: answer quickly and earn up to a quarter extra.
• Streak bonus: give uncommon answers (45 points or more) in a row and each one adds a growing bonus.

Lifelines

Once per run you can use each of these: a hint that shows the first letters of a rarer answer, a freeze that stops the clock for 10 seconds, and a swap that trades the question for a new one (not in the daily mission, so everyone plays the same six).

Spelling

Spelling counts, but the game is fair about it. Capitals, accents, "the" and plurals don't matter, and one slip in a longer word is forgiven. A different real word is not a typo: if you type something close to an answer that is also a word of its own, the game asks "Did you mean…?" instead of guessing. A common word or first name on its own doesn't count as a longer answer, so "king" is not The Lion King, but a distinctive surname like "Hemsworth" is enough.

Ranks

Every point you score counts toward your rank: Cadet, Pilot (1,000 points), Navigator (3,000 points), Captain (6,000 points), Commander (10,000 points), Commodore (16,000 points), Admiral (25,000 points), Fleet Admiral (40,000 points), Star Voyager (60,000 points), Legend of the Void (100,000 points).

Subjects

There are 9,471 questions, and topics don't repeat until you've been through the whole deck.

Example questions

• Name a fruit
• Name a capital city in Europe
• Name a famous film director
• Name an Arctic Monkeys song
• Name a first-person shooter
• Name a waterfall
• Name a book of the Bible
• Name a vitamin or dietary mineral
• Name a superhero's secret identity (their real name)
• Name a famous stadium or sports arena
• Name something you'd need on a rainy day
• Name a word that rhymes with LIGHT

Tips for rare answers

• Skip the first answer that comes to mind: everyone else thought of it too.
• Think sideways: regional foods, older films, minor characters, other languages.
• Use the full name if a short one is ambiguous.
• Don't wait too long: a rare answer late still beats no answer.

Questions people ask

Is Outbound 4K free?

Yes. There is nothing to buy. The website shows a few ads, and the cookie window lets you choose whether they are personalised.

Do I need an account?

No. Your progress is saved in your browser. If you want it on more than one device, you can sign in with Google from the home screen.

Does it work on phones?

Yes. Outbound 4K runs in any modern browser on phones, tablets and computers. On a phone you get a game keyboard that is easier to type on.

How do you know which answers are rare?

Every question has its own answer list, ordered from the answers most people give to the ones almost nobody thinks of. Your points come from where your answer sits on that list.

My answer was right but didn't count. Why?

It may not be on the list yet, or it was spelled too differently. Write to us (see About us) and we'll look at adding it.

Who makes Outbound 4K?

Two friends, as a hobby project. It isn't a company.