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Devlog — What’s New

We continuously improve GameGuessr: new features, performance tweaks, bug fixes, and community requests. This page is updated regularly so Google and players can see we are active.

Main Modes Highlighted on the Modes Page

Version1.9.2•
#modes#ui#vip
  • Modes page: Custom Game, Multiplayer and Campaign now lead the page as three equal, full-size feature tiles — our main modes finally get the spotlight they deserve.
  • Custom Game: refreshed title, description and badge to reflect everything it can now do (GeoGamer, 2D, Maps, Pick Your Games).
  • Everything else (Weekly Challenge, Game of the Day, Mini-Games, Beta Test) regrouped into a cleaner secondary section.
  • VIP comparison page: fixed a display bug showing “Custom profile” as Gold-exclusive — it’s included in VIP Basic too, only animated GIF support is Gold-only.

Challenge a Friend: Async Score Battles

Version1.9.1•
#social#challenge#geogamer
  • NEW: Challenge a Friend — after a Custom Game round, generate a link that gives a friend the exact same screenshots so you can compare scores fairly.
  • Challenge rounds never touch your leaderboard stats or best scores — pure bragging rights (energy is still spent as normal, so it can’t be abused for free play).
  • Friends activity feed: winning a challenge now shows up for your friends to see.
  • End screen: challenge rounds show a “You vs. them” result panel instead of the usual score screen.

New: Custom Games — Pick Your Own Games

Version1.9.0•
#new-mode#custom-games#geogamer
  • NEW: Pick Your Games — from Custom Game settings, choose exactly which games you want in your round, with a searchable, scrollable list showing how many locations each game has.
  • Pick Your Games skips the “guess the name” step entirely — you already know it, since you picked it! Straight to the map.
  • Library: game pages now show a direct “Play Only [Game]” button for any game with location screenshots.
  • GeoGamer: rounds per game reduced from 20 to 10 across every difficulty setting, for shorter, snappier sessions.
  • Custom Game pop-up: bigger overall, with larger buttons and selection list for easier reading.

Guild Overhaul: Free to Create, Fairer Rankings, Custom Icons

Version1.8.0•
#guilds#balance#customization
  • Guilds: creating a guild is now completely free — no coin cost.
  • Guild Rankings: a guild now needs at least 3 members to qualify for the leaderboard, so a single high-ELO player can no longer top the charts alone.
  • Guild icons: VIP members can upload a custom image, VIP Gold members can upload an animated GIF — new bigger upload area with a live preview, click anywhere to choose a file.
  • Guilds page: bigger text, buttons and cards across the board for easier reading.

Every Game Now Has Its Own Page

Version1.7.1•
#library#seo#browsing
  • NEW: clicking a game in the Library now opens its own page — cover art, platforms, release year, community rating and mystery (blurred) screenshots.
  • Library: clicking a game used to send you off to a Google search in a new tab — now it keeps you on GameGuessr.
  • Game pages include a “More Games” section for easy browsing between titles.

Social Hub: Friends, Activity Feed & Online Status

Version1.7.0•
#social#friends#guilds
  • NEW: Social hub page bringing Friends and Guilds together in one place, with quick stats for both.
  • Friends: a live activity feed shows your friends’ personal records, approved panoramas and more.
  • Friends: online status indicator — a green dot shows which friends are online right now.
  • Navbar: “Friends” and “Guilds” links merged into a single “Social” entry for a cleaner menu.

Shareable Score Cards for Every Mode

Version1.6.2•
#share#social#ui
  • Share cards: removed the copy-paste text block and made the image itself bigger — it’s the whole point of the card!
  • Share cards are now available at the end of Speedrun, EmojiGuessr, TimeGuessr and Campaign, with the mode name shown correctly on every card.

Earn Free VIP by Sharing Panoramas

Version1.6.1•
#panoramas#vip#community#help-us
  • NEW: submit 3 different approved panoramas and earn 1 month of VIP automatically — repeatable, no limit.
  • Help Us page: new progress widget showing your panorama credits and a one-click claim button once you hit 3.
  • Help Us: reordered the page so our Discord community is front and center, right above the Top Contributors leaderboard.
  • Homepage & Help Us: the “Send Your Panoramas” card got a glow-up — shimmer effect, pulsing ribbon, bolder gold border.
  • VIP Club sidebar: unified the color scheme across all 4 plans — no more clashing colors between Basic/Gold/Annual cards.

Modes Page Refresh & Mini-Games Hub

Version1.6.0•
#modes#ui#minigames
  • Modes page: redesigned into compact, scannable rows instead of a dense grid — see every mode at a glance.
  • Mini-Games: Survival, TimeGuessr, EmojiGuessr and Speedrun are now grouped into a single Mini-Games hub with a bigger, animated pop-up.
  • Visual refresh: every mode now has its own accent color and a subtle background texture for easier navigation.

Energy Rebalance: More Room to Play

Version1.5.2•
#energy#economy#balance
  • Energy: max energy raised from 3 to 5 for all free players.
  • Energy: refill price lowered from 1200 to 800 coins — cheaper top-ups across the board.

Free Multiplayer Lobbies & Ranked Mode Update

Version1.5.1•
#multiplayer#lobby#ranked#energy#balance
  • Multiplayer lobbies are now FREE — no energy cost to create or join in casual mode!
  • Ranked mode: costs 1 energy per player, deducted when the host starts the game.
  • Ranked mode is now restricted to players who have reached level 5 — no exceptions, even via invite or lobby code.
  • Default lobby mode is now Casual instead of Ranked.
  • Public lobby browser: ranked and casual tags are now more visible with distinct styling.
  • Lobby rules: the host can switch between casual and ranked in the lobby room before starting.

New Mode: 2D Games — Guess 2D games from screenshots!

Version1.4.0•
#new-mode#2d-games#gameplay#map#submissions
  • 2D Games Mode: brand new game mode — guess 2D games like Terraria, Hollow Knight, Celeste, Stardew Valley and more from their screenshots!
  • 2D Games: 10-round challenges with configurable timer (30/60/90/120s) and difficulty (Random, Progressive, or Constant 1-5).
  • 2D Games: difficulty-based scoring — harder screenshots award more points and coins.
  • 2D Games: interactive map pinpointing — when a screenshot has a game map, place your pin on the exact location for bonus points (just like GeoGamer).
  • 2D Games: full end screen with score summary, share card generation, and play-again option.
  • 2D Games: game suggestions now include all games from the main database for easier guessing.
  • 2D Games: added to the Game Library for browsing all available 2D games.
  • Submissions: players can now submit 2D game screenshots via the Help Us page, with optional map upload and pin placement.
  • Admin: dedicated 2D submissions management panel with approval/rejection workflow.
  • Multiplayer: 2D Games mode listed as 'Coming Soon' in lobby creation.
  • SEO: full structured data, Open Graph, Twitter cards and sitemap entry for the 2D Games mode.

Profile card customization, lobby stats & homepage improvements

Version1.3.2•
#profile#stats#lobby#homepage#performance
  • Profile Card: players can now choose which 2 stats to display on their card (Level, Games, ELO, Best Streak, Accuracy, Wins).
  • Profile Card: stats are now consistent everywhere — same dynamic display on profile page, leaderboards, friends list, lobbies, etc.
  • Lobby: game answers are now recorded in player stats (accuracy, games played).
  • Homepage: added 'My Stats' slide to the profile slider with a quick preview of Level, ELO, Games and Best Streak.
  • Homepage: fixed profile slider navigation — all 3 slides (Profile, Stats, Friends) are now properly accessible.
  • Stats page: added a shortcut link in the homepage bottom bar for quicker access.
  • Performance: stats page queries (multiplayer, lobby, campaign, weekly, ranks, submissions, battlepass) are now cached in session (5 min TTL) to reduce database load.
  • Database: optimized player_answers table — stores only player_id, is_correct, difficulty and timestamp.

Campaign mode becomes the main experience

Version1.3.0•
#campaign#modes#navigation#seo
  • Campaign: now the recommended starting point with Training and Survival modes that unlock as you progress.
  • Modes page: Campaign replaces Classic as the featured mode, highlighted with a 'Start Here' badge.
  • Navigation: all game modes now redirect back to the Campaign page for a unified experience.
  • Brand page: updated to reflect Campaign as the premier game mode on GameGuessr.

FAQ page redesign and improvements

Version1.2.4•
#faq#design#navigation#content
  • FAQ: complete redesign with animated gradient mesh background, floating particles, and cyber glow effects.
  • Content: updated contact email, corrected game modes descriptions, added contextual links throughout answers.
  • Navigation: added FAQ link to footer, links now direct to specific mode pages.
  • UX: fixed card expansion behavior - now only the opened FAQ expands without affecting adjacent cards.

Ad policy compliance: CMP, 404 cleanup, anti‑adblock UX

Version1.2.3•
#ads#policy#cmp#modal#multiplayer#ux
  • Consent: integrated Google Funding Choices CMP and ensured it loads before any ad calls (index, multiplayer).
  • 404 page: removed AdSense to keep error pages ad‑free per policy.
  • Multiplayer: removed hidden/automatic ad refresh pattern.
  • Anti‑adblock: replaced coercive wall with a centered, modes‑style modal offering ‘Enable ads’, ‘Go VIP (ad‑free)’, or ‘Continue’; remember dismissal for 24h.
  • Overlay robustness: reparented the modal to body to truly center over the whole viewport and fixed z‑index layering.

Season 2 Launch - Battle Pass Reset & Fresh Start

Version1.3.1•
#battlepass#season2#progression#reset
  • Season 2: Battle Pass officially launched with all players starting fresh at level 1.
  • Level Reset: all user levels reset to 1 and experience reset to 0 for a fair Season 2 start.
  • Season 1 Archive: all Season 1 levels permanently saved in user profiles (S1_level column).
  • Battle Pass UI: improved reward card spacing and layout for better visual clarity.
  • Future Features: Season 1 leaderboards and profile displays coming in upcoming updates.

Multiplayer sync, end screen, and security

Version1.2.2•
#multiplayer#sync#ui#security
  • End screen: fixed sides (you on the left) and winner/loser colors; round-by-round summary aligned.
  • Multiplayer: ensured no duplicate game appears in a match across difficulties.
  • Profile cards (VS): increased spacing and added subtle glow.
  • Stability: removed legacy get_player_data.php request.
  • Guests: increased visible energy from 5 to 15 (only when not logged in).

API reorganization & Performance optimizations

Version1.2.1•
#architecture#performance#security#multiplayer
  • Major refactoring of all project structure for better organization.
  • Multiplayer fixes: corrected score synchronization, ELO calculation, and finished state bugs.
  • Security enhancements: added comprehensive input validation across all API endpoints.
  • Library page optimization: implemented search debouncing (300ms delay) to prevent lag when typing.
  • UI improvements: fixed input focus after wrong answers in multiplayer, translated notifications to English.

Shop removal & Energy purchase system

Version1.2.0•
#major-update#shop#economy#energy
  • Removed shop page - simplified economy to coins only.
  • Removed all potion types from game modes, battle pass, and daily bonuses.
  • Battle Pass: 100 levels now reward coins only (progressive scaling).
  • Daily Bonus: Simplified to coins-only rewards.
  • NEW: Buy energy directly from navbar (+1 energy for 300 coins).
  • Added '+' indicator next to energy counter with hover effects.
  • Refined energy '+' badge and purchase popup to match Modes page style; removed coins x2 indicator from menus (still active in-game only).

Multiplayer invitation system overhaul and UX polish

Version1.1.3•
#multiplayer#invitations#ui#cursor
  • Fixed critical bug: multiplayer matches no longer start without the invited friend accepting the invitation (added notification verification).
  • Auto-cancel system: when player 1 quits the waiting room, the invitation is automatically cancelled and removed from player 2's notifications.
  • Improved Cancel Game button: better styling, fixed clickability issues with proper z-index handling.
  • Mobile improvements: fixed scroll issues in multiplayer game page, adjusted overflow properties for smooth navigation.
  • Notification page: reduced excessive spacing (200px→120px padding) and hidden empty AdSense containers.
  • Custom cursor: implemented special select cursor (static/cursor/select.cur) across all clickable elements on multiplayer pages.
  • Session management: filtered cancelled game sessions from pending challenges list.

Devlog layout, policy spacing, and liquid glass footer

Version1.1.2•
#devlog#ui#mobile#footer
  • Devlog: switched to a vertical card list (pavés), newest first, with improved spacing under the navbar.
  • Privacy & Refund: lowered titles and content so they sit comfortably under the fixed navbar on all breakpoints.
  • Footer: universal ‘liquid glass’ theme (transparent + blur) that blends with every background; added rounded top corners.
  • Navbar (mobile): centered burger and tightened XP bar height to fit; adjusted small-phone overrides to avoid jump.

Performance polish and footer fixes

Version1.1•
#performance#ui#seo
  • Fixed compact footer rendering on Help Us page (proper stylesheet inclusion).
  • Added Devlog page with SEO to showcase ongoing activity.
  • Improved sitemap and internal linking for better crawlability.
  • Small CSS refinements aligned with Modes page visuals.

Navbar mobile UX, spacing, and policy pages redesign

Version1.1.1•
#navbar#mobile#ui#pages
  • Mobile/Tablet: XP bar now visible and fixed inside the navbar across edge breakpoints; increased z-index for streak flames and event banners; auto-hide floating elements when menu opens.
  • Tablet: Eliminated the in-between range where the navbar was mobile but XP bar hidden (extended breakpoint up to 1024px).
  • Classic & Multiplayer: Added extra spacing below the fixed navbar so content doesn’t touch the header on small screens.
  • Classic: Unified Back button position with GeoGamer and cleaned invalid inline markup.
  • Navbar: Capped profile avatar size defensively to prevent oversized images (page-level CSS can’t inflate it).
  • My Subscription: Fixed issue where navbar avatar appeared gigantic due to global avatar rule collision.
  • Privacy & Refund Policy pages: complete visual redesign to match Modes page (purple gradient, glass cards, consistent typography).