Backstory is a daily riddle game. You read a strange story, ask yes or no questions, and figure out what really happened. It takes most people 5 to 15 minutes.
Every day there's a short, weird situation, like a woman who shoots her husband, holds him underwater, hangs him, then goes out to dinner with him. It all sounds impossible. It isn't. Under the story is the question you're solving, like "How is that possible?"
Type any yes or no question and the host answers right away:
"Kinda" means part of your question is right. "Irrelevant" means that detail doesn't matter, so move on. Questions are unlimited. As you uncover the key facts, the clue circles fill in.
When you think you've got it, tap Solve it and type out the whole story in your own words. You get three tries. If you're half right twice, your tries add up, so you don't have to say it all perfectly in one go.
Every puzzle has three hints. The first is a gentle nudge and the last one basically tells you the key fact. If you're done, Give up shows you the answer.
When you finish you get a grid of colored circles, one for each question, that you can send to friends without spoiling anything. Fewer questions means a better score. Play every day to build your streak.
Yes. It's free in any browser on your phone or computer. No app, no account, no sign-up.
Every day at midnight, your local time.
Your score is how many questions you needed, so fewer is better. Questions that aren't yes or no don't count.
The game shows you what really happened. You can still share your result and come back tomorrow.
No. The clue circles just show you're on the right track. You can solve it the moment you can explain the story.
Yes. Tap Past puzzles under the game to play any earlier day. Only puzzles finished on their own day count toward your streak.
New to this kind of puzzle? Read the guide to lateral thinking puzzles and try three free examples.
There's a new one every day.
Play today's Backstory