Guess Who?: the board game where every question costs you a turn
Guess Who? is one of those tabletop games that most people learned before they could read the rulebook. Two boards, twenty-four faces on each, and a secret character in the slot in front of you. The whole game is the question you ask next: 'Does your person wear glasses?' halves the board if you are lucky, and 'Is your person Bernard?' wins or loses on the spot. The browser version here keeps all of that. The faces flip down with a click, the computer opponent asks sensible questions, and the two-player mode passes the turn so you can play it at one screen like the real thing.
There is more strategy in it than the box suggests. A question that splits the remaining faces in half is worth more than one that only removes two, and the counting gets tense in the last few turns when both players are down to three or four faces. The build on guesswho.lol is an HTML5 game that runs in this page with no download or account, and it fits a phone screen as well as a laptop. If you came for the game you played as a kid, it is the same one; if you never played it, a round takes three minutes and teaches itself.
Controls & mechanics
| Action | Control | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Ask a question | Click a trait button | Glasses, hat, hair colour, moustache, beard, eyes and more; one per turn |
| Eliminate | Click a face | Flips the card down; click again to flip it back if you change your mind |
| Guess | Guess button, then a face | Wins the round if right, loses it if wrong — only guess with one face left |
Winning at Guess Who? more often
- Ask about the trait that splits the board: Count before you ask. A trait held by roughly half the remaining faces removes the most cards whatever the answer; a rare trait is a gamble that usually wastes the turn.
- Track what the opponent asks: Every question the computer asks tells you which traits it still thinks are possible, and therefore which faces it has left. When it is down to two or three, race it with a guess.
- Never guess with two faces left: A guess between two candidates is a coin flip that ends the round. One more question settles it for certain and still leaves you ahead.
Key features
- Two ways to play: Single player against a computer that asks real questions, or two players passing the turn at one screen.
- The full board: Twenty-four characters with the traits that matter: glasses, hats, hair colour, facial hair, eye colour.
- Instant rounds: A game takes two to four minutes, loads in the page and needs no sign-up.
Game info
- Title: Guess Who?
- Developer: Code This Lab
- Category: Board Games
- Platform: Web browser (HTML5)
- Players: 1 vs computer, or 2 at one screen
Pro tip: The traits are not evenly spread. Hats, glasses and beards are rare on the board, so a 'yes' to one of them nearly wins the game — but a 'no' removes only a few faces. Open with hair colour or eye colour, which split the board more evenly, and save the rare traits for when a 'yes' would leave exactly one face.
Frequently asked questions
What is Guess Who?
A two-player deduction board game. Each player has a secret character from a board of twenty-four faces and asks yes-or-no questions to work out the other player's character. The first correct guess wins.
Can I play Guess Who? against the computer?
Yes. Single-player mode plays against a computer opponent that asks its own questions and eliminates faces from its board. Two-player mode passes the turn at the same screen.
Is it free?
Yes. Guess Who? plays free in your browser on guesswho.lol with no download, no account and no time limit.
Does it work on a phone?
It is an HTML5 game and runs in any modern browser. The faces are large enough to tap on a phone; a tablet or laptop gives more room for the board.
What questions can I ask?
The game offers a fixed set of trait questions — glasses, hat, hair colour, beard, moustache, eye colour and so on — so every question has a clear yes-or-no answer and there is no arguing over what counts.