Plain questions, answered in one line
I wrote these from the official FAQ and how-to-play page, re-read on 2026-10-25, plus the seven completed archive issues in the sitemap at this check. If a sentence is not on those pages, it is not in this list. The longer version of each answer is linked. This page is the index, not a second copy of the rules.
Price, account, reset
- Free, in the browser. Nothing to buy.
- Guest play stores progress in a cookie. An account is optional. The FAQ says 13+ for an account. The privacy policy's line about email does not match the FAQ's "no email" line, so we do not pick a winner. Play as a guest.
- Reset is midnight America/New_York.
- Ads on the official game, by their FAQ, appear outside the round, not during it. That is their site. Our own tags are described in our privacy page.
App and extra modes
- No Plain game in the stores. Home-screen shortcut only.
- No official unlimited mode.
- Read finished days after they close. You will not be scored.
Rules people mis-hear
- Seven prompts, thirty seconds, first accepted answer locks. Refusals do not spend the round. Full order.
- Score is a ratio, except years. Bands and the 1,000-point ceiling.
- One Golden Round, revealed after you answer, doubled.
- Streak freeze: one per seven days, hold two. What is published. The full badge list is not.
- 64 categories are claimed. The confirmed list is only what issues 1–7 have shown.
Still the wrong Plain? Music, an AI explainer, a concept speaker, and PlainApp are separated on Which Playplain?.
Questions this page answers
Is Plain free?
Yes. The official FAQ says there is nothing to buy, and streak freezes cannot be purchased.
What time does Plain reset?
Midnight in America/New_York. That is 04:00 UTC while daylight saving is in effect, and 05:00 UTC otherwise. The whole world shares one puzzle.
Is there a Plain app?
No native game app. Add playplain.app to your home screen. The Android app named Plain is a different product.
Does Plain have unlimited mode?
Not on playplain.app. Past puzzles cannot be replayed for a score.
How many rounds are name rounds?
It changes. The first six archived days ran from 7 name rounds to 2. Do not memorize five plus two.
How is a year scored?
By the year gap. Up to 3 years off is Close. Only the exact year is Dialed. The ratio formula is for other numbers.